Jewel: by music lovers, for music lovers

By Celina Tran | Photos: Jewelmade

In an age of artificial intelligence, hyper-consumerism and unprecedented screen time, many people are turning back to analogue formats. With the renewed appeal of CDs and vinyl, Norwegian company Jewelmade makes it easier to display and organise favourite albums through Jewel, a series of precision-engineered displays designed for music lovers.

Today, most people’s everyday interaction with music happens on streaming platforms, where songs, artists and albums can easily blend into one another. Younger generations, fed up with excessive and overwhelming stimulation, are finding a renewed pull towards the tangible formats they grew up with or have rediscovered.

For founder and product designer Marius Brandl, the idea is partly about giving physical music its place again. “We’re all heavily shaped by the music that surrounds us, so at Jewel we wanted to make products that honour this relationship, especially to physical music,” he says.

Named after the old CD jewel case, Jewel is a series of handcrafted and precision-engineered displays that celebrate favourite music in physical format. CD and LP collections can be difficult to sort through and keep track of, but the displays offer a simple way to organise and showcase selected albums. “It gives you the opportunity to really think about what you want to listen to that week, making you slow down, appreciate and create a ritual out of reconnecting with the music around you,” says Brandl.

Jewel: by music lovers, for music lovers

An analogue adventure

The idea for Jewel was first born in Copenhagen in the 1990s, where Brandl, an avid music fan and CD collector, was studying at the time. At a party, he found himself looking at a pile of CDs scattered across a table. “I remember the moment vividly, looking at the covers on the table and thinking, ‘Why isn’t there a way to showcase CD covers as they were meant to be experienced – by looking, listening and engaging with them at the same time?’” he says.

Throughout his studies, Brandl brainstormed and developed prototypes, but eventually left the idea until he revisited it in 2023 with Kjetil G. Larsen, his close friend and investor. “Over a two-year period, I spent a lot of time in and out of hospital and found myself stuck in a hospital bed or on the sofa at home. I decided to spend that time working through dozens of sketchbooks with ways to solve and develop the design further – on paper at least – until the right construction finally clicked,” he says.

With design contributions from Sebastian Hungerer and Julius Winger along the way, the team produced countless refinements and versions until Jewel came to life. Today, the displays are available in different sizes and colours as wall-mounted or freestanding design pieces for anyone who wants to give physical music a more visible place at home.

The range now includes five different products for CDs, available in recycled PMMA acrylic or aluminium. “We’re also continuously moving towards and finding even greener materials,” says Brandl. For vinyl, Jewelmade has seven products in steel or aluminium, and is preparing to launch a new LP product called The Capsule in October, designed for both retail and private displays.

Jewel: by music lovers, for music lovers

More than just a display

While analogue formats are back in fashion, they cannot compete with the sheer scale of streaming platforms. Still, Brandl is confident that LPs, and also CDs, are here to stay. “Plenty of people said it was a hopeless effort to make a design for physical music, but to us, albums aren’t just about music and sound; they carry stories, memories and emotions, making them timeless and invaluable. They were a defining part of our upbringing and lives, and the return to physical formats is a way for younger generations to reconnect with the past too,” he says.

Certified Made in Norway, Jewelmade has its eyes set on the horizon. The company has international design protection through the patent board and quality certifications in Norway, Europe and the US, and is also extending to Japan, a major market for audiophiles. “We know that the buyers of our displays are people who are especially invested in music, so it was important to us to provide a premium product made from the very best materials, built to last,” says Brandl.

While a CD display sounds like a simple enough product to develop, no one has solved the practical challenge quite like Jewelmade. With its design, each CD case can clasp into the display, be opened and shut fully, and remain securely hung on the wall. The design won four prizes at the Norwegian Visuelt Awards, received more nominations than any other product, and is now also displayed and used at Universal Music Group (UMG) in Oslo.

“One of our dreams is that our products will find their way to other UMG offices and to important and vibrant music lovers all over the world soon too. Opening our first physical Jewel shop in Tokyo or New York is also on our to-do list. And when it’s on that list, it will happen,” says Brandl.

Jewel: by music lovers, for music lovers