Jasper Martens is a Ph.D. student in the History of Art & Architecture Department at the University of California, Santa Barbara. His research interests include sensory experiences, gemmology, global exchanges, material culture, and embodiment. Jasper's work is driven by a fascination with jewels and an interest in exploring the relationship between objects and thought. His scholarship focuses on how early modern jewelry encourages contemplation, particularly how such objects foster self-exploration and situate the wearer within a global context. He investigates how jewels served as mediums to engage with broader societal themes such as science, humanity, religion, and colonialism. His research is rooted in object-based analysis, employing a transhistorical and transnational approach to offer a more nuanced understanding of both the objects and the ideas they evoke. Previously, he studied jewels depicting so-called Blackamoors and pomanders.

Since 2020, Jasper has worked in the antique jewelry industry and interned at several museums, including the Peggy Guggenheim Collection in Venice and the Hermitage in Amsterdam.