About us

Who are we?

Meet the designers behind the Gemspoon, lifelong partners and collaborators in creativity, Dirk and Jo.

After exploring the crossroads between architecture and jewellery design as the collective ArchiJewel, Jo and Dirk turn the page to the next chapter in their creative journey with the invention of the Gemspoon.

Dirk vrints

Over the years, Dirk matured his work as an interior designer with particular focus on renovation and refurbishment of private houses, apartments, working spaces, offices and commercial retail interiors.

As a total-concept designer, Dirk integrates his clients’ expectations with an aggregated interior vision. Such holistic approach integrates the physical space with the functional requirements of furniture, cabinets, libraries, bathrooms, kitchens, and other dedicated purpose areas.

Through transforming project constraints into new dimensional possibilities, Dirk aims to fully embrace the potentiality of all of the available space. Taking a dedicated client-centric approach by stepping in the specificities of the occupant’s unique lifestyle, Dirk transposes ‘what is’, the existing ‘old’ space, into a new, inspiring, deep personal, and practical design for living and working.

Essential features in Dirk’s creative realisations include positive energy fields, natural flow, the dynamic affect of natural daylight, and an expansive liberating experience of volume and space.

On request, clients can benefit from Dirk’s advise regarding optimal colour combinations, effectual balance of natural and artificial lighting, integrated flooring design, and more.

Jo Den Haerynck

Internationally, Jo has presented her work in The Netherlands, Russia, Japan, South Africa, Italy, and at the 2010 World Expo in Shanghai.

Since early 2000, Jo exhibits her work almost exclusively through solo expositions, allowing her to deeply explore the essence of one single source of inspiration. Her series ‘Leaves of the Gingko Biloba Tree’ (2001), ‘Arabic Calligraphy’ (2003), ‘Sea Shells and Environment’ (2005) and ‘Himalaya Mountains’ (2007) drew the attention of private collectors in Germany, Italy, France, Switzerland, Sweden, North America, South Africa, Canada, Australia, Russia, Japan and China.

Jo’s inspirational ideas come to formation in her workshop in Antwerp. Private clients often engage her craftsmanship for transforming existing ‘old gold’ pieces into new, highly personal and elegant creations.

Her views on contemporary jewelry have been published in esteemed regional and international magazines. She was featured by Claude Mazloum’s reference book ‘Designer Jewelry, the World’s Top Artists’ (1995).

Jo teached the art and technique of goldsmith and jewelry design at Encora , Antwerp.

The Archijewel collection is the outcome of a generative partnership between architect Dirk Vrints and jewelry designer Jo Den Haerynck.

Both designers place the individual as unique-human-being at the very center of their artistic exploration. As the architect draws a spatial environment reflecting the distinct personality contours of the individual, the jewelry designer transposes these spatial principles into material form. In the process, we witness a novel fusion of architectonics and jewelry composition. Each precious new jewel design is being sourced from architectural perspectives.

The jewelry wearer is presented with an embodied expression of a singular, intensely individuated, spatially designed jewel.