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Following its debut event last year, aetla is running its second Fringe exhibition, ‘Icons of Scottish Jewellery’ at its store on St Stephen Street, in Stockbridge, from 1-25 August.
The exhibition, curated by ætla's founder, Keira Wraae Stewart, celebrates the past, present and future of Scottish jewellery, featuring jewellers Malcolm Appleby, Ellis Mhairi Cameron and emerging designer, Kristina Merchant.
Keira said: “Putting an exhibition like this into the Fringe programme means jewellery sits alongside all those other art forms, which is exactly where it belongs. It gives us this amazing platform to show that jewellery isn’t just decorative – it’s cultural, it’s storytelling and it’s art – and the energy of the Fringe makes that message resonate in a completely different way.”
Keira opened aetla in 2020, to showcase fine jewellery created by talented local, international and lesser-known designers and artisans. She previously worked in the design and manufacture of jewellery for brands such as Vivienne Westwood.
Her goal is to use curation, events and storytelling to create a space that feels more like a gallery than a shop: “I think independent retailers have this wonderful freedom to rethink what a retail space can be,” she explained: “At ætla, it’s not just about putting jewellery in a cabinet and hoping someone buys it. It’s about creating an experience that invites people in and makes them feel connected to the work.”
She added: “For me, jewellery is part of a much bigger cultural story; it ties into heritage, identity and memory.
“By curating exhibitions in a way that connects jewellery to art, history or even performance, you invite people to see it differently. It stops being just ‘something pretty’ and becomes a piece of culture, a marker of time and place.
“That approach brings in people who might never have thought of stepping into a jewellery space. It makes it feel more alive and relevant.”
Commenting on the exhibition theme, Keira said: “It shows this incredible dialogue between generations. You’ve got someone like Malcolm Appleby, who’s an absolute legend in engraving, alongside newer voices like Kristina Merchant, who are taking inspiration from Scotland but pushing the craft in fresh directions.
“It really highlights how Scottish jewellery has evolved and how the traditional techniques and motifs are still there, but they’re being reinterpreted for today. It feels both deeply rooted in history and very contemporary at the same time.”
Photography: Martin Safro
