Friends of Carlotta

Friends of Carlotta (foc.ch) is a contemporary jewellery gallery in Zurich, Switzerland. Rather than a conventional retail jeweller, it operates as a curated exhibition and sales space for studio jewellery and designer-makers, presenting rotating features on individual artists and their collections. The gallery's online presence highlights named jewellers and their specific bodies of work, ranging from sculptural and conceptual pieces to colourful, wearable designs. The gallery's programme is international in scope. Featured makers have included Benedict Haener, Ela Bauer, Tim Udvardi-Lakos, Moritz Ganzoni, Sam Tho Duong, Ludwig Menzel, Chao-Hsien Kuo and Danni Schwaag, among others. The work shown spans a wide range of materials and techniques — silicone, lost-wax (Ashanti) casting, galalith and reconstructed stone — reflecting the gallery's focus on author jewellery rather than mass-market fine jewellery. Friends of Carlotta also engages with the wider contemporary jewellery scene, for example through connections to Munich Jewellery Week and the SCHMUCK exhibition, where featured maker Sam Tho Duong curated the 2026 edition. This positions the gallery within the European studio-jewellery network rather than the traditional luxury-watch-and-jewellery retail sector. As a small, privately held gallery, detailed corporate information such as founding year, ownership and financials is not publicly documented in the available sources. Its identity is defined by its curatorial programme and its roster of represented designers.

Friends of Carlotta is a contemporary jewellery gallery based in Zurich, Switzerland, operating under the web address foc.ch. It functions as a curated space that presents and sells work by international studio jewellers and designer-makers, rather than as a conventional high-street jeweller. The gallery's programme is built around individual makers and their distinct bodies of work. Its online presentation features named jewellers with dedicated entries, including Benedict Haener, Ela Bauer, Tim Udvardi-Lakos, Moritz Ganzoni, Sam Tho Duong, Ludwig Menzel, Chao-Hsien Kuo and Danni Schwaag. These features describe the materials, techniques and concepts behind each maker's pieces — for example Ela Bauer's flexible, colourful silicone necklaces; Tim Udvardi-Lakos's cheerful skeleton pendants under the title 'Dance Macabre'; Moritz Ganzoni's pieces made using the elaborate Ashanti lost-wax casting technique; Ludwig Menzel's rings composed of funnels, tubes and trumpets; and Danni Schwaag's transformation of unspectacular materials such as galalith and reconstructed stone. Beyond its own roster, the gallery is connected to the wider European contemporary jewellery scene. Its content references Munich Jewellery Week and the SCHMUCK exhibition, noting that featured maker Sam Tho Duong was a highlight of Munich Jewellery Week and curated the SCHMUCK 2026 exhibition, selecting 69 outstanding positions from over 1,000 submissions from 29 countries. As a small private gallery, Friends of Carlotta does not have widely documented corporate history such as founding dates, ownership changes or expansions in the available sources. Its history is best understood through its evolving curatorial programme and the international makers it has chosen to represent.

A curated Zurich gallery for contemporary author jewellery, bridging exhibition and sales for international studio jewellers.

• Benedict Haener jewellery

  Jewellery by Benedict Haener, featured by the gallery.

• Ela Bauer silicone necklaces

  Flexible, lightweight, supple and colourful silicone necklaces.

• Tim Udvardi-Lakos 'Dance Macabre' skeleton pendants

  Cheerful skeleton pendants described as a Memento Vivere.

• Moritz Ganzoni Ashanti-cast jewellery

  Pieces made using the elaborate Ashanti lost-wax casting technique, each modelled and cast individually.

• Ludwig Menzel rings

  Rings composed of funnels, tubes and trumpets.

• Chao-Hsien Kuo 'Flying Seeds, Sparkling Forest'

  Poetically named works inspired by nature's geometrically structured forms.

• Danni Schwaag jewellery

  Work transforming unspectacular materials such as galalith and reconstructed stone.

1. 1Friends of Carlotta, Galerie für Schmuck, Zürichfoc.ch
2. 2Friends of Carlotta — Wikidatawikidata.org