Sheila Westera creates provocative jewellery that sparks conversations while challenging conventional notions of adornment. Born and raised in the Netherlands, her early fascination with her microscope evolved into broader environmental concerns, later developing into a more societally critical approach.
Growing up in a Calvinist culture where jewellery must be practical, Westera was drawn to expression through adornment. While studying Art History and Architecture in Amsterdam, she discovered the contemporary jewellery movement which started in the 1960s, deeply resonating with her rebellious spirit.
Her artistic journey began in 2007 when she created her first piece from lakeside debris—a neckpiece delivering a stark environmental message. This pivotal moment led her to truly view jewellery as a powerful medium for activism and social commentary.

Westera developed her own patented wire manipulation techniques, creating innovative structures that support found objects and precious stones alike. Working from her Swiss Alps studio, she produces two distinct collections: raw activist pieces that critique societal issues—sometimes unsettling—and more luxurious stone-based works. Each collection carries its own vibe, yet both are reflections of her true self, embodying her unique vision while pushing boundaries of acceptance.

Sheila Westera possesses an unbridled fantasy. Her unusual style in jewellery is expressed either through stones or found objects—transformed into moods shaped in wire, organically sculpted by her hands.
She cannot recall to stop questioning the world or humanity. Before creating jewellery, her most pressing question was why people need to adorn themselves, only to discover after years that adornment is ingrained within us. Alongside other contemporary issues, she found jewellery to be a powerful form of self-expression for both maker and wearer.

For The Living Trace, Westera explores the intricate relationship between past and present through conceptual rings. Her fundamental questions drive the work: will traditional crafts survive our age of accelerating technological progress, and do others experience the same fear and anxiety?
This exhibition marks her personal growth journey—saying goodbye to the past, navigating periods of anxiety in letting go, now replaced by a strong sense of what lies ahead. Wire remains her common thread, alongside her passion for reusing materials. Where her house was once filled with boxes and porcelain saucers brimming with trinkets and memories reflecting important relationships, she now carries these treasures within her heart.