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September 2021 (40)
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“Laziness is the mother of great inventions”. A crisis also makes a great incitement to go forward and create new ways of getting things done better and more efficient. What do you do, when suddenly you can´t do what you used to do the same way you used to? We have, in a short time developed our old ways of conducting business and become master’s in digital communication and marketing. We have created fairs and happenings online and started web shops and digital events at a pace never seen before. All this usually takes years to accomplish but has now, due to the extraordinary circumstances, been possible to achieve in just a few months. When the society opens up again and we can go back to normal I believe that we will find that normal isn´t what it used to be. We have, of course, all the good practices from before left but now we are also equipped with a whole new set of tools that we have learned to use during the isolation. I am confident that this will set the ground for a new prosperous era. I am convinced that once we get out to meet people again in a normal social manner, we will come out stronger, more focused and better prepared than before. Henrik KIHLMAN
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B A LT I C J E W E L L E R Y N E W S
Most everything has been about COVID-19 during the past year. Even though the crisis isn´t over yet I decided to let myself think positive and, in this editorial, reflect on the coming awakening rather than analyzing the ongoing shutdowns. We are now all waiting to get a relieving sting in our arm and then be ready to move on. But how will the after COVID world look?
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Dear readers,
March 2021 (40)
JEWELLERY AND BACTERIA
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B A LT I C J E W E L L E R Y N E W S
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HOW HAVE THE JEWELRY MARKETS WEATHERED THE STORM, AND WHAT MIGHT THE FUTURE BRING
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AMBER TRIP POSTONES TO AUGUST 18-21
VENICE DESIGN WEEK
52
MASKS AND NEW TRENDS
TODAY LATVIAN JEWELLERY COMMUNITY IS A STRONGER FORCE
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Baltic Jewellery News / March 2021 (40) Manufakturu st. 16-7, LT-11342, Vilnius, Lithuania; tel. +370 687 72 175; e-mail: magazine@balticjewellerynews.com Editor / Henrik Kihlman Designer / SAVITAI, Translators / VERTIMU GURU, CIRCULATION 2000 Distribution in the whole Baltic Sea Region. Copyright: Contents of “Baltic Jewellery News” are copyright. ISSN 2335-2132 Reproduction of material in part or in whole is not permitted in any form without the written authorization of the publisher. The editorial office is not responsible for the content of advertisements and for the accuracy of the facts presented by the authors.
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CONTENT /
1
Editors word
BUSINESS INSIGHTS Jewellery and bacteria How have the jewelry markets weathered the storm, and what might the future bring Gold demand trends full year and Q4 2020 Diamond view tm – hidden opportunities Amber Trip postones to August 18-21 Swedish blue – something new and rare 3D printing and unlimited design possibilities Be global shop local 25 years of IAA We are jewellery – this year online JUNWEX St. Peterburg 2021 – first jewellery offline exhibition in 2021! Baltic Design Stories Get to know your jeweller
CARTOONS
ARTISTIC INSPIRATIONS
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Jewellery COVID-19
52 56 58 62 66 70 72 74 78 80
B A LT I C J E W E L L E R Y N E W S
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4 6 7 12 16 20 24 26 28 30 34 36 40
Masks and new trends Camilla Dinesen story Juha Koskela the master of anticlasic raising Guldviva flower worthy of a pricess LOD a fixed star on the swedish jewellery scene Venice design week Legnica Jewellery Festival What makes a piece og jewelley a masterpiece Simply brilliant Today Latvian jewellery community is a stronger force
MARKET REVIEW 84 85 86
The Worldwide Gold Price The Worldwide Silver Price The Worldwide price for raw amber
PERSONALITY 88
Jean Vendome
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BUSINESS INSIGHTS / WORLDWIDE JEWELLERY REPORT
JEWELLERY AND BACTERIA By Mariam ATEF As small as jewelry is, it makes a huge difference in any outfit it’s worn with. But there’s a nasty price to pay if you want to show off these sparkly beauties: thousands of gross bacteria are growing on your favorite accessories right now!
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THE JEWELRY BUSINESS’S EXPERIENCE WITH COVID-19 The spread of COVID-19 has made people rethink wearing jewelry, as jewelry and its edges can act as a surface for disease transmission. And Coronavirus is no exception. You can accidentally transmit the deadly virus through your jewelry by just shaking hands with friends. Much like other industries, the jewelry business was affected both positively and negatively as a result of the pandemic. In the early days of the pandemic, jewelry sales dropped by almost 82%. But despite this massive drop, data published in Business Weekly showed that people had much more time in quarantine to rethink and reevaluate their lives, and buying jewelry was one of the ways people chose to take care of themselves. Additionally, people have been buying their loved ones jewelry to make their days in quarantine better and more bearable. Not only did jewelry sales increase because of that, but also because people are relying on shopping as a way to escape the difficult reality of the pandemic. PEOPLE STILL WEAR JEWELRY, EVEN AT HOME After our favorite places were closed and social distancing became necessary, most of our daily and weekly routines were disrupted. However, this is just the right time to find other ways to make our days brighter. People may have ditched their fancy dresses and suits, but jewelry
has definitely survived. Although we might not have the opportunity to show off our jewelry to the whole world for a while, we can at least still get the feeling of empowerment and beauty that we always get from jewelry. For example, people won’t just give up their engagement rings just because they are not going out anymore. And one won’t simply let go of their grandma’s old necklaces just because no one is going to see them anymore. Jewelry is more than just a shiny stone or piece of metal. It has always had a story, a meaning, and a special place in our hearts. That is why we find a unique pleasure in wearing jewelry. So, in these gloomy days, people might just need that extra bit of hope they get from the shine of their jewelry. Whether inside our cozy homes or outside, jewelry was made to be worn. In fact, jewelry and handbag designer Susan Korn, who has her own successful line, Susan Alexandra, said: “I wear jewelry every day. I sleep, shower, work out and apparently quarantine in jewelry.” YOUR ACCESSORIES ARE A LOT DIRTIER THAN YOU MIGHT THINK Est1897 conducted a study to examine how much bacteria can grow after only one week of being worn, and the results were both shocking and disgusting... After swabbing behind earrings and underneath rings and watches, almost 23,000 growths of bacteria were found on jewelry within just a week! Luckily, these bacteria are found to be commensal, which means they mostly don’t cause harm. However, it’s dangerous to leave these bacteria around for a long time, as this can pose a serious threat when a person touches their face and mouth. This can lead to food poisoning, Diphtheria, MRSA, or even thrush. RINGS Rings were the filthiest kind of jewelry, with five different types of bacteria growing on each ring and a total of 504 bacterial colonies. Not only were Staphylococcus, Micrococcus, and Corynebacterium found, but also some
gross traces of fungus and black mould on the ring! And you wouldn’t want your fingers getting exposed to black mould, as it can cause undesirable dry scaly skin, as well as skin rashes. This experiment was only run for one week, and it was done during the pandemic, which meant that people were washing their hands more often than usual. Just imagine what would be found if the rings were left for longer, or if people hadn’t been washing their hands as much. Yeah, gross! WATCHES Second on the filthy list is everyone’s favorite timepiece, with four types of bacteria found on it! After only one week of usage, a staggering 20,000 colonies of bacteria were found on the wristwatch, also including Cor ynebacterium, Staphylococcus and Micrococcus. In addition to bacteria, traces of fungus were also found, which can easily get caught in the links of the watch’s band. The watch obviously grew more bacterial colonies than the ring, and the reason may be that we usually don’t remove watches before washing our hands. EARRINGS Earrings were the third dirtiest offender, with 485 bacterial colonies found on both earrings. One of the worst kinds of bacteria found was Bacillus cereus, which can cause food poisoning if swallowed. And you’d be surprised as to how easy it is to ingest it—it’s as easy as playing with your earrings and then biting your nails or eating without washing your hands. If you’re wondering why there’s a kind of bacteria that’s only present on earrings, think about how often you wash your ears vs. how often you wash your hands. WHY IS IT CRUCIAL TO REGULARLY CLEAN JEWELRY? Leaving your jewelry dirty means that thousands of bacteria will grow on your earrings, rings, and wristwatches. The more you leave them the more they’ll grow, which will eventually have some unpleasant results: allergic
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reactions, skin irritation, or in some cases, infections. And if you don’t mind all of that, at least worry about your expensive jewelry, as too much dirt can cause permanent
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degradation and discoloration of even the finest metals and gemstones. Jewelry carries so much sentimental value in our lives. But if we want to keep our environment safe and keep our
jewelry in one piece, we have to take good care of our accessories and always keep them clean. ■
Source: Unsplash
HOW HAVE THE JEWELRY MARKETS WEATHERED THE STORM, AND WHAT MIGHT THE FUTURE BRING? ● 6
By Lukas KIKUNAS 40 –2021
KEY TAKEAWAYS
B A LT I C J E W E L L E R Y N E W S
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●
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According to the data of Euromonitor International (a market research
the global jewelry market contracted by 19.8 % in 2020.
company),
The global jewelry market has been hit hard by the COVID-19 pandemic, in large part owing to the discretionary nature of jewelry products. As the wave of uncertainty came crashing down on consumer markets, many kept their wallets in their pockets, redirecting expenditures to more essential items, such as groceries and hygiene products. The economic shock resulting from the pandemic has reshuffled consumer shopping behaviors, leading many of them to try out new brands as well as to shop more online. Despite the temporary upset, the fundamental, long-term growth factors are still in place within the global jewelry market. Forecasts anticipate that it will reach its pre-crisis levels by around mid-2024. Early signs already hint that it will be an uneven recovery, with some geographic markets poised to recover faster than others.
THE STORY BEHIND THE NUMBERS According to the data of Euromonitor International (a market research company), the global jewelry market contracted by 19.8 % in 2020. As COVID-19 gathered momentum, more and more events and celebrations started to become postponed. And, as everybody knows, large social gatherings are the perfect occasion to display your new jewelry... To some people, however, this was the least of their worries. Mounting concerns over the coming period of economic instability, reductions of working hours, and fears of lay-offs tipped the scales in favor of saving or focusing on more on essential purchases for consumers. The paralysis of the tourism sector has also contributed to a reduction in jewelry sales in some countries. An excellent example of this is the case of France, where tourists account for around 60% of jewelry purchases. As could have been expected, the French jewelry market contracted by 21.7% in 2020, outpacing the global slump by almost two percentage points.
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BUSINESS INSIGHTS / WORLDWIDE JEWELLERY REPORT
100 %
100 %
75 %
75 %
50 %
50 %
25 %
25 %
0%
0%
ptimistic: the economy will rebound in 2-3 months and will grow O just as strong or stronger than before COVID-19
% of respondents that intend to increase spending of respondents that intend to spend about the same as before the % crisis
nsure: the economy will be impacted for 6-12 months or longer U and will stagnate or show slow growth thereafter
% of respondents that intend to decrease spending
essimistic: COVID-19 will have lasting impact on the economy and P show regression/fall into lengthy recession.
How is your overal confidence level in economic conditions after the COVID-19 situation?
Over the next two weeks do you expect that you will spend more, about the same, or less money on jewelry than usual?
IS THE GLASS HALF-FULL NOW OR HALF-EMPTY? Economic recovery, or growth in our industry, just like any other, is determined by how the proverbial consumer answers the question ‘to buy or to save?’ Hence, one of the best ways to make informed guesses about the near future is simply to ask consumers what expectations they hold and how optimistic they feel about it.
Eastern Europe
Region Jewelry market contraction in 2020
Western Europe
OR SO THE STORY GOES… We must now leave it to the historians to provide a detailed account of the past and for prophets to divine the future. What we can presume, however, is that the global jewelry market is on track to recover, with the most rebounding growth expected in the years 2021 and 2022. ■
Middle East & Africa
Asia Pacific
North America
Latin America
World
-35.0%
-21.3%
-15.1%
-19.0%
-19.0%
-31.7%
-19.8%
Projected average yearly growth rate (CAGR) throughout 2021-2025
5.9%
6.0%
8.0%
7.1%
5.5%
3.1%
6.6%
Year when market size will exceed pre-crisis value
Later than 2025
2024
2022
2023
2024
Later than 2025
2024
Source: Passport database , Euromonitor International ©
All the data presented in the diagrams are from the latest surveys (conducted in mid-November, 2020), except in the cases of South Africa and India, where late-September survey results have been used, due to an absence of newer data.
1
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Many market research and business advisory companies have done just that in trying to pin down the effects that this elusive virus will have on consumer markets. Mckinsey & Co., for example, organized international surveys of consumers and conducted them at roughly monthly intervals1. Their results paint a mixed picture. Some developing countries, most notably India and China, appear to have already come full circle, with almost as many consumers reporting an intention to spend more on jewelry than before the pandemic, as those who plan to tighten their belts. On the other hand, European consumers, who are overwhelmingly on the side of limiting their expenditures on jewelry (and are outranked in their pessimism regarding the economic outlook only by the Japanese), gave one of the gloomiest responses in the surveys.
B A LT I C J E W E L L E R Y N E W S
A SILVER LINING FOR ONLINE VENDORS Even before the pandemic began, the fastest-growing sales channel in the global jewelry industry by far was e-commerce. Reportedly, online sales have been growing at a yearly rate of 17% over the 2014 - 2019 period. With sellers becoming savvier on the digital marketing front and increasingly earning the trust of buyers e-commerce was already set to maintain its upward trajectory in the coming years. And with COVID-19 redirecting the flow of customers from main streets to the virtual environment this trend is only being reinforced. Surveys already indicate that higher numbers of consumers expect to purchase more jewelry online after the crisis is over than they have before it began. The latter is the case in nearly every country worldwide, including but not limited to Germany, the U.S., China, India, and Japan.
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Adapted from: Mckinsey & Co.© Global Surveys of Consumer Sentiment During the Coronavirus Crisis
BUSINESS INSIGHTS / WORLDWIDE JEWELLERY REPORT
GOLD DEMAND TRENDS FULL YEAR AND Q4 2020 28 JANUARY, 2021 JEWELLERY
Jewellery demand in 2020 dropped to its lowest annual level on record, decimated by the combination of the global pandemic – with its resultant market lockdowns – and record high gold prices at a time of economic slowdown.1 ●
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Total annual jewellery demand dropped to 1,411.6t, the lowest in our annual data series and 34% lower y-o-y At 515.9t, Q4 demand extended the sequential quarterly recovery from Q3, but was nonetheless 13% weaker y-o-y (compared with an already relatively soft Q4 2019) and the lowest Q4 in our quarterly data series The two largest markets, India and China, were the two major contributors to the annual decline.
Tonnes
2019
2020
World total
2,122.7
1,411.6
▼
-24 %
India
544.6
315.9
▼
-42 %
China
638.0
415.6
▼
-35 %
COVID-19 THUMPED ANNUAL GOLD JEWELLERY DEMAND Tonnes 3,500
140
3,000
120
2,500
100
2,000
80
1,500
60
1,000
40
500
20
YoY
Although jewellery demand showed continued signs of quarterly recovery from the lows reached in Q2 when market lockdowns were at their peak, it remained very weak in Q4. Global demand clambered back above 500t in Q4, but not convincingly: 515.9t is the lowest Q4 in our 21-year data series. On an annual basis, demand collapsed to 1,411.6t – a 34% drop from 2019. In light of gold’s strong price performance during the year, the value measure of jewellery demand was far more resilient. In US-dollar terms, demand in Q4 grew 11% to US$31.1bn – the highest quarterly value since Q2 2013. After a very weak H1, in which – despite higher average gold prices – the value of jewellery demand fell to an 11-year low of US$29.6bn, H2 witnessed a sharp recovery to US$51.6bn – a rise of 3% y-oy. The steep increase in the amount that consumers were prepared to spend on gold jewellery could be indicative of diverting expenditure away from experiences (such as travel, restaurant meals, theatre tickets, etc.) towards consumer goods. Such trends were noted in some markets. While jewellery demand volumes are likely to remain relatively subdued as COVID-19 continues to impede the normal functioning of many markets across the globe, mass vaccination programmes and signs of improving economic indicators imply that we expect to see continued, if tentative, improvement in the sector in 2021. While India and China together generated much of the annual decline in gold jewellery volumes, they were similarly influential in driving the quarterly improvement in Q4. Meaningful recovery in either market will bode well for global demand as we head into 2021.
0 1995
2000 ● Jewellery
2005
2010
2015
0 2020
−− Jewellery value (rhs)
Sources: ICE Benchmark Administration, Metals Focus, Refinitiv GFMS, World Gold Council; Disclaimer Note: Data as of 31 December 2020. Jewellery value is calculated by multiplying the tonnage figure and the annual average LBMA Gold Price PM in US dollars. Note: For an explanation of jewellery demand, please see the notes and definitions download: www.gold.org/goldhub/data/gold-supply-and-demand-statistics.
CHINA Traditionally a seasonally strong period for gold demand in China, Q4 demand of 145.1t was 10% lower y-o-y. 2 Although China’s economy recovered further in Q4, registering 6.5% y-o-y GDP growth, the high gold price and regional COVID19 outbreaks in some areas weighed on demand. Full year demand fell by a sizable 35% to 415.6t – the lowest annual total for China since 2009. Throughout 2020, China’s jewellery market has been buffeted on two fronts. On one hand, the economic damage and restriction on social activities wrought by COVID-19 in Q1 left a lasting dent in annual gold jewellery demand. And on the other hand, structural changes – including retailers reducing their inventories, industry consolidation reducing jewellery retailers’ point of sales in general and the continued shift in young consumers’ preference towards lighter products – also played a role in weakening gold jewellery demand. Heritage gold jewellery products outperformed other categories in the last quarter and performed strongly in 2020 overall. With their intricate craftsmanship and inclusion of traditional cultural elements, these products grew in popularity – particularly among high-end consumers whose incomes were less impacted by the pandemic. In addition, pent-up wedding demand, also supported demand for these well designed, Chinese culture-embedding products.
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INDIA 2020 marked a new low for Indian gold demand in our data series: down 42% to 315.9t. Losses narrowed significantly in the fourth quarter, with demand just 8% lower y-o-y at 137.3t, a significant q-o-q improvement. In local currency terms, the value of Indian gold jewellery demand reached a quarterly record of Rs610.6bn, a sharp recovery from the 12-year low of Rs183.5bn in Q2. With the easing of lockdown restrictions from September and a reported steady reduction in COVID-19 daily cases, some positive signals of domestic economic recovery came through in Q4. Together with the sharp pullback in the domestic gold price, these factors supported the quarterly recovery in gold jewellery demand. The reopening of the economy and the announcement of successful vaccines also boosted consumer sentiment – the Reserve Bank of India’s Consumer Confidence Index increased to 52.3 in November 2020 from 49.9 in September. 3 Underscoring the pick-up in economic activity, Goods and Sales Tax (GST) revenues reached a record high of Rs1.15tn in December – the highest since the tax was introduced in 2017. 4 The average gold price for Q4 at Rs50,195/10gm was 32% higher y-o-y but 2% lower q-o-q and 10% below the all-time high of ~Rs56,000/10gm from early August. The correction in the local gold price to back below the key psychological level of ~Rs50,000/10gm for much of December spurred bargain buying and pent-up demand. Festivals and weddings in Q4 offered the traditional seasonal boost to jewellery demand, although it remained soft on a historical basis. With the end of Adhik Maas on 16 October, sales picked up during Navratri. 5 And during
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Dhanteras – considered to be an important gold purchase festival – footfall and gold jewellery volumes improved still further, exceeding local industry expectations.6 Some retailers adopted a strategy of spreading Dhanteras promotions over a couple of days to avoid a rush and help maintain social distancing during the festival. The correction in the gold price during the week of Dhanteras helped demand, but a 32% higher gold price y-o-y was a deterrent for some and, overall, Dhanteras volume sales were lower y-o-y. Pent-up demand from weddings deferred from earlier in the year and rescheduled for Q4 also provided a fillip to jewellery demand. But, with higher gold prices, consumers preferred gold-for-gold exchange for wedding purchases. Commenting on the performance for Q4 2020, Titan in its quarterly update released on 6 Jan 2021 said, “…the growth trend was visible even after the festive season ended… The division has continued to see…very good growth in wedding jewellery sales…and higher share of wedding related products...”. Resilient rural demand helped support quarterly recovery. Rural demand received a boost in the fourth quarter from a good monsoon, with rainfall 9% above the long-term average. Furthermore, relatively low COVID-19 infection rates, higher minimum support prices for crops and expectations of higher Kharif food grain production (0.8% higher y-o-y) also buoyed the rural economy.7 Indicative of the relative health of the rural economy, India’s leading tractor manufacturer Mahindra & Mahindra reported increases in domestic sales of tractors during November and December of 55% and 23% respectively. Gold jewellery retailers in tier2 and tier 3 cities, where economic activity is more dependent on agricultural and allied activities, reported better volume sales in the quarter. Despite the economic improvement in Q4, some indicators point towards the recovery being fragile and not yet broadbased. Bank credit growth remained relatively soft and Industrial Production shrank by 1.9% in November after two months of consecutive growth. 8 This suggests that any continued quarterly improvement in jewellery demand is likely to be tentative. Indian consumers remain sensitive to changes in the gold price – particularly at such historically high levels – and this could generate a rapid response to any price volatility, especially around the psychological Rs50,000/10gm level.
B A LT I C J E W E L L E R Y N E W S
Lightweight hard-24K gold jewellery products with trendy designs maintained their significance in China’s gold jewellery market in 2020. To some extent, the economic slowdown had a relatively positive impact on the popularity of these products; as they are more affordable and trendier than traditional items they were able to maintain their appeal to consumers, especially young consumers with limited budgets. In addition, many jewellers restructured their inventories towards lighter hard-24K products in order to lower their costs of capital during the economic hardship of 2020. Realising the potential shortcomings of ‘per-piece’ pricing (which may not give consumesr enough clarity on fine gold weight and labour charges), some jewellers started to price these hard24K gold jewellery products by grams, hoping to win consumer trust – our consumer research identified a lack of trust in the purity of gold as a key barrier to gold jewellery purchase in China. Looking ahead to 2021, our fieldwork indicates an optimistic attitude among major jewellers in China, who experienced strong sales in recent months. The main reasons behind the more positive outlook over the coming months are: ● The expectation of continued strength in China’s economy, leading to faster growth in consumer disposable income; ● Chinese policy makers have positioned domestic consumption as a priority in coming years; ● Industry consolidation in 2020 weeded out jewellers with weak brand value and problematic cash flows, putting the industry in a healthier position, and ● COVID-19 is widely expected by those in the trade to remain well contained in China.
INDIA AND CHINA DOWN BUT NOT OUT AS Q4 SEES QUARTERLY RECOVERY Tonnes 800 700 600 500 400 300 200 100 0 Q1ʼ14 Q1ʼ15 Q1ʼ16 Q1ʼ17 Q1ʼ18 Q1ʼ19 Q1ʼ20
● Rest of World
● China
● India
Sources: Metals Focus, World Gold Council; Disclaimer Note: Data as of 31 December 2020. For an explanation of jewellery demand, please see the notes and definitions download: www.gold.org/goldhub/data/gold-supplyand-demand-statistics.
BUSINESS INSIGHTS / WORLDWIDE JEWELLERY REPORT
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MIDDLE EAST AND TURKEY Gold jewellery demand in both Turkey and the Middle East slumped by around 30% in 2020 to their lowest annual levels in our data series. Turkey was one of the few markets not to see a notable q-o-q uplift in gold jewellery demand in Q4. Demand reached 6.8t – up 3% from Q3, but down 25% y-o-y. Gold price movements helped to explain the relatively subdued quarter, as the local gold price in Turkey followed a different trajectory to the US$ price. Significant lira depreciation between August and early November pushed the local price to an all-time high of TL540/g – an increase of around 86% from the start of the year. Unsurprisingly, gold jewellery demand was subdued as a result. The appointment of a new central bank governor in November – and hefty interest rate hikes shortly afterwards – boosted the lira and saw gold prices drop back, settling at around TL290/10gm by the end of the year. Unfortunately, this also coincided with curfews imposed in December to combat an uptick in COVID-19 cases, which negatively impacted consumer sentiment. Markets across the Middle East saw double-digit declines in annual demand, with Q4 also seeing some sizable y-o-y losses as the economic impact of the pandemic, together with high gold prices, continued to weigh on demand. Demand in the UAE in Q4 fell 20% y-o-y, but jumped 80% q-o-q thanks to a return of some degree of tourist demand and decent festival buying as the gold price dropped. Saudi Arabia saw the steepest y-o-y decline in Q4 (-26%), due to the continued impact of VAT being levied on gold jewellery. THE WEST Gold jewellery demand in the US totalled 118.2t for the full year, 10% lower than 2019. The decline was, unsurprisingly, driven by damage to income and sentiment from COVID-19.
Fourth quarter demand of 48.7t was relatively robust, down just 1% y-o-y due to the release of some pent-up demand from earlier quarters and spending being diverted from travel and dining out. However, the quarterly uplift from Q3 (+73%) was in line with average Q3-Q4 growth over the previous five years, so does not represent an unusually strong recovery. A review of jewellery in value terms reveals a more positive picture for the US in Q4, with high gold prices helping demand jump to a quarterly record of US$2.9bn. It should be noted that US demand figures could be subject to greater than normal revisions going forward, due to varying levels of uncertainty in the data from different sources amid COVID-19 disruption. Having averaged 75t over the prior eight years, gold jewellery demand in Europe dropped 21% to 56.7t in 2020 amid the chaos wrought by COVID-19. The cancellation of weddings, naming ceremonies such as christenings, and similar events had a material impact. OTHER ASIA Annual gold demand among the smaller markets in Asia was, without exception, well below 2019 levels. Q-o-q recoveries were universal across the region in Q3 and Q4, but were insufficient in magnitude to reverse H1 weakness. Thailand and Indonesia posted the steepest losses, with annual demand only around half that of 2019 levels. High local gold prices – which encouraged Thai consumers in particular to sell back their existing gold – together with the economic impact of COVID-19 explained the drop. Japan and South Korea saw the smallest y-o-y declines, of 19% and 16% respectively. Countries across the region were on high alert for a possible second wave of infections – a further burden on consumer sentiment already weighed down by widespread economic slowdown and high gold prices. ■
FOOTNOTES 1.
The annual data series for Gold Demand Trends goes back to 1995 and our quarterly data series starts in Q1 2000. Where we quote record numbers in annual or quarterly gold demand, they are in relation to these respective data series. Gold ETF data is available from 2003, when the first funds were introduced. 2. The ‘Golden week’ national holiday in Q4 is traditionally a popular time for weddings, while consumers also buy gold jewellery – both for gifting and as a symbol of good luck – in preparation for the most important festival in the Chinese calendar, the Lunar New Year. 3. Reserve Bank of India - Publications (rbi.org.in) 4. https://pib.gov.in/PressReleaseIframePage.aspx?PRID=1685332 5. Navratri is a Hindu festival which spans nine nights and is celebrated as a mark of victory of good over evil. in 2020, Navratri was celebrated in India from 17 to 25 October. It is a popular gold jewellery shopping occasion. Adhik Maas is an extra month in Hindu calendar occurring every 32.5 months and is considered inauspicious for gold jewellery purchases. In 2020, Adhik Maas ran from 17 September to 16 October. 6. Dhanteras is the first day of Diwali, one of the most important festivals in the Hindu calendar and a traditional gold purchase occasion 7. India has two main cropping seasons: Kharif and Rabi. Kharif crops are sown during the summer monsoon, beginning with the first of the rains in July, and are harvested in the winter. Rabi crops are sown during the winter months, with a spring harvest. 8. Refinitive Eikon; www.mospi.nic.in/sites/default/files/press_release/IIP%20Nov%2720%20Press%20Release-Approved%20.pdf
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BUSINESS INSIGHTS / UKRAINIAN JEWELLERY REPORT
DIAMOND VIEW TM – HIDDEN OPPORTUNITIES Іgor Iemelianov, Katerina KORMAKOVA. State Gemological Center of Ukraine
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The authors have highlighted some issues related to natural and synthetic diamonds in previous publications. Brief historical information on the first attempts to obtain diamonds in laboratories have been given as well as the overview of the main methods of synthesis, the crystal morphology of natural and synthetic diamonds were considered, the principle of operation of the Diamond View TM device was described. In this article, we will continue to open up the opportunities of Diamond View TM use for other precious stones diagnostics such as rubies, blue sapphires, emeralds and alexandrites and proof for some kinds of treatment.
The
experts of the Gemological Laboratory in SGCU as well as the other gemologists throughout the world tried to expand the boundaries of the Diamond View TM device use on the matter of diagnostics of other mineralogical groups of stones, as well as methods of their treatment. Nowadays, the production of synthetic stones has increased significantly due to their lower cost, easy accessibility and high grading characteristics, but their determination may become a difficult task even for experienced gemologists. The results of our research illustrated with photo are represented below.
COMMON TREATMENT METHOD USED FOR DIAMOND IS FRACTURES FILLING WITH A COLORLESS HIGHLY REFRACTIVE SUBSTANCE TO ENHANCE CLARITY AND APPEARANCE OF THE STONE. In order to make diamond defects less noticeable, a method of fractures and cavities filling with highly refractive substances (presumably molten glass, silicone oil, silicone-based mass) has been developed. The technologies for filling fractures in diamonds appeared in the 80s of the 20th century. A treated stone looks more attractive than the untreated one, so it became very popular soon. The main criteria to reveal this treatment method is the presence of “flash effect”, which is caused by the difference in reflection index of filler substance and the diamond. The Diamond View TM device easily helps to diagnose filler in the fractures. The filler becomes noticeable during the stone exposure under the ultraviolet light (Fig. 1). DIAGNOSTICS OF NATURAL AND SYNTHETIC MINERALS OF THE CORUNDUM GROUP Gem-quality corundum stones growing became possible at the end of the 19th century and they are still popular in Ukrainian jewelry market. Experts of SGCU often deal with synthetic rubies and sapphires. To determine the origin of the corundum group stones, usually use gemological microscope and other laboratory equipment.
DIAGNOSTICS OF NATURAL AND SYNTHETIC RUBIES Diagnostics of the origin of raw rubies is an easy task due to the distinct crystal shapes of natural and synthetic stones (Fig. 2) After the lapidary, the task becomes more complicated because the main diagnostic criterion, the crystal shape, is no longer a characteristic feature of origin. Despite the Diamond View TM is an auxiliary tool for synthetic rubies determination, it gives very good results in determining synthetic rubies grown by Verneuil and hydrothermal methods. The typical growth structures appear during the short-wave UV-light exposure on natural rubies. The most common are structures along a hexagonal prism or their fragments. (Fig. 3B) During the Verneuil synthetic rubies study, besides the intense fluorescence, curved growth lines appear, which is reliable criterion of this synthesis method (Fig.4B). Presence of angular, narrow chevron-like structures are typical for rubies grown by the hydrothermal method (Fig.5B) and is an important diagnostic criterion for synthetic rubies grown by this method. Fractures filling treatment in natural rubies with a glasslike substance with a high Pb content is very common. Gas bubbles are observed (Fig.6A) during the glass-filled natural rubies study. The bubbles become more contrasting and the filler glows (Fig.6B) during the UV light exposure. Diagnostics of natural and synthetic sapphires Natural blue sapphires have the same characteristics as rubies, but the different color and intensity of fluorescence due to the presence of Fe, which replaces Cr in the crystal lattice. The growth structures appears in the form of fragments of hexahedral pyramids, which are typical crystallization form for sapphires (Fig. 8B). Very contrasting curved growth structures are typical for synthetic blue sapphires grown by the Verneuil method (Fig.9B), their appearance is a very reliable criterion for this synthesis method. Synthetic blue sapphires grown by the hydrothermal method also show typical signs for this synthesis method. Angular chevron-like growth structures become clearly visible under the UV light exposure and their appearance differs depending of the view: crown (Fig.10A) or pavilion (Fig.10B) There are similar criteria to those described earlier in rubies, namely, gas bubbles and thickening of color along the filled fractures in natural blue sapphires, treated by the fractures filling method with high Pb content glass-like substance (Fig.11A). The gas bubbles appear more contrasting and the filler becomes clearly visible under the UV light exposure (Fig.11B). DIAGNOSTICS OF NATURAL AND SYNTHETIC EMERALDS When studying the minerals of beryl group, namely emerald, since it is the most common and expensive variety on the jewelry market, well-shown growth structures along the hexagonal prism, which are typical for emerald (Fig. 13B)
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A
B
Fig. 1 Fracture filling with a colorless substance in natural diamond. Crown view. Brilliant cut. 0,50 ct. Visible light (A); UV light (B).
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Fig. 2 Raw rubies of natural (A) and synthetic (B) origin.
B
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Fig. 7 Raw natural sapphire crystals (A) and raw synthetic sapphire (B).
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Fig. 8 Natural blue sapphire. Pavilion view. Oval. 3.20 ct. Visible light (A), UV light (B).
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Fig. 3 Natural ruby. Crown view. Oval cut. 2.03 ct. Visible light (A), UV light (B).
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Fig. 4 Synthetic ruby. Crown view. Diamond cut. 1.73 ct. Visible light (A), UV light (B).
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Fig. 5 Synthetic ruby. Pavilion view. Octagon, 4.66 ct. Visible light (A), UV light (B).
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Fig. 6 Fractures filling in natural ruby. Pavilion view. Octagon. 4.95 ct. Visible light (A), UV light (B).
Fig. 9 Synthetic blue sapphire. Сrown view. Oval. 7.80 ct. Visible light (A), UV light (B).
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Fig. 10 Synthetic blue sapphire. Crown view (A). Pavilion view (B). Octagon. 3.81ct.
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Fig. 11 Fractures filling in natural blue sapphire. Pavilion view. Oval. 2.84 ct. Visible light (A), UV light (B).
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Fig. 12 Raw natural emerald (A) and raw synthetic emeralds (B)
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BUSINESS INSIGHTS / UKRAINIAN JEWELLERY REPORT
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Fig. 13 Natural emerald. Pavilion view. Oval. 0.33 ct. Visible light (A), UV light (B).
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Fig. 14 Synthetic emerald. Pavilion view. Octagon. 0.33 ct. Visible light (A), UV light (B).
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Fig. 17 Natural alexandrite. Crown view in visible light (A) and pavilion view in UV light (B). Oval. 0.96 ct.
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Fig. 18 Synthetic alexandrite. Pavilion view. Square. 1.24 ct. Visible light (A), UV light (B).
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A
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Fig. 15 Fracture filling in natural emerald. Pavilion view. Octagon. 1.45 ct. Visible light (A), UV light (B).
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Fig. 19 Synthetic flux alexandrite. Crown view. Oval. 1.58 ct. Visible light (A), UV light (B)..
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Unconventional approach is highly recommended in the gemological practice in the issues of origin diagnostics as well as precious stones treatment Fig. 16 Raw natural alexandrites (A) and raw synthetic alexandrites (B)
are not common. The stones without clear structures or with insignificant fragments of structures, with red fluorescence due to the presence of Cr in the crystal lattice are more common. Synthetic emeralds grown by the hydrothermal method show angular chevron-like structures. The structures are clearly seen even in visible light (Fig. 14A), and become more contrasting under the UV exposure (Fig. 14B). In the case when emerald is treated by the fracture filling method, the presence of the filler is clearly visible in UV light (Fig. 15). DIAGNOSTICS OF NATURAL AND SYNTHETIC ALEXANDRITES The authors observed weak or insignificant fluorescence and the absence or insignificant fragments of typical structures for the rhombic crystallization system during the alexandrites study. In some cases, there were specimens with full and obvious structures (Fig. 17B).
marks revealing. Red fluorescence due to the presence of Cr and elongated gas bubbles are observed in synthetic alexandrites grown by the Czochralski method and they are reliable criteria for stones diagnostics grown by this method (Fig. 18) Synthetic alexandrites obtained by growing from a solution in a melt (flux method) have red fluorescence and elongated flux remnants as well as veils, which are observed in both visible and UV light and are diagnostics criteria for this method (Fig.19). CONCLUSION Unconventional approach is highly recommended in the gemological practice in the issues of origin diagnostics as well as precious stones treatment marks revealing. Even though Diamond View TM has been designed for a very specific task of diamond origin determination, it shew itself as a reliable assistant for a wider range of gemological tasks and this article is demonstrative evidence. ■
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“AMBER TRIP” POSTPONED TO AUGUST 18-21
After long discussions and preparations, the jewellery community has voted to postpone the XVIIIth International Jewellery Show “Amber Trip” from March to August 18-21. However, at the end of March, both buyers and participants of the largest jewellery event in the Baltic States will be able to attend a virtual exhibition.
“E
ven though some organizers are planning their exhibitions in the spring, we do not expect that there will be any significant changes in the currently imposed movement restrictions. Postponing “Amber Trip” to the end of the summer is becoming a big challenge for us as organizers. It can even be called a new project which will require additional time, human resources and materials. Our goal is to bring together the participants of the jewellery exhibition and the most important buyers under one roof so that they can physically meet each other and finally shake hands after making a deal,” says Giedrius Guntorius, organizer of the “Amber Trip” jewellery exhibition.
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According to the organizer, although this year’s exhibition will be postponed to August due to COVID-19, “Amber Trip 2022” will be held in March, as usual. “We understand that August is a holiday season, but 2021, just like the previous year, is non-typical for all of us. That is why we had to be and must be flexible and creative in finding ways to involve the entire jewellery community and its fans during this difficult time. As
a result, our “Amber Trip” team launched a new project at the end of 2020 – a virtual Baltic jewellery art gallery (https://lt.exhibitjewellery.com), where you can purchase exclusive and original Lithuanian jewellery. Currently, the virtual gallery contains works of 19 Lithuanian jewellers selected by a competent commission. In the future, the Baltic jewellery art gallery will enable original jewellery
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BUSINESS INSIGHTS / LITHUANIAN JEWELLERY REPORT
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BUSINESS INSIGHTS / LITHUANIAN JEWELLERY REPORT
art representatives of neighbouring countries to participate as well. MOVING TO A VIRTUAL PLATFORM A virtual “Amber Trip” jewellery exhibition is planned to be held at the end of March using the platform of this gallery. All the exhibitors and buyers will not only be able to meet each other on this virtual trading platform, but also use Youtube Live integrated in the platform for meetings. “We understand that we will not be able to launch the “Amber Trip” virtual exhibition as quickly as we would like, since this project requires a huge budget, as well as a lot of time and human resources. However, I am convinced that it is important for every creator to have an e-commerce platform, therefore our project will also be a tool for those who
do not yet have such a platform. Also, every buyer who purchases jewellery on our platform will automatically receive a guarantee that the bought jewellery is not a falsification,” says G. Guntorius.
Organizers of the “Amber Trip” exhibition are also moving
international jewellery art contest to the virtual
the
Baltic jewellery art gallery. This year’s “Surveillance Jewellery” contest invites its participants to consider the positive and negative consequences of COVID-19. The deadline for entries is extended to May 1, and the best entries, traditionally
selected by the commission and the public, will be displayed on the virtual gallery platform at the end of May. Last year, the theme of the international jewellery contest “Ecosight” was dedicated to ecology, where 75 jewellers from 22 countries around the world presented their contemporary jewellery. “We hope that “Amber Trip” will get back on track and will be held as usual in 2022, since during the pandemic we all saw how important it is for exhibitors and buyers to meet each other in person instead of virtually. The virtual Baltic jewellery art gallery will not replace the exhibition, instead serving as an additional platform for jewellery trade,” says G. Guntorius, organizer of “Amber Trip”.
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MORE ABOUT THE EXHIBITION Each year, the International Jewellery Show “Amber Trip” brings together professional jewellers, amber artists and designers, as well as manufacturers of technological tools and equipment for jewellers under one roof. The event includes the presentation of the latest jewellery from around the world and amber market trends, state-of-the-art jewellery industry technologies and the latest works of professional jewellers. Around 60 percent of the exhibition’s area is used for presenting amber and articles thereof, and around 40 percent – for presenting jewellery. At least half a thousand wholesalers, museologists and collectors visit the exhibition every year. Last year, “Amber Trip” was attended by almost 240 jewellery and amber manufacturers
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and artists from 30 countries around the world. “Amber Trip” includes various events and seminars covering relevant topics related to jewellery and amber, where insights are shared by experts from different countries around the world. The “Amber Trip Raw Trade” platform is also being organized. In 2020, it included large suppliers of raw amber from Russia, Ukraine and Poland, as well as raw amber brokers. The show organized in Vilnius is also unique due to its international jewellery art contest. The Author Jewellery Zone, which brings together professional jewellers, receives exclusive attention from visitors. Last year, 40 jewellers from Lithuania, Latvia, Poland, the United Kingdom and the USA took part in the contest with their exclusive works.
The virtual Baltic jewellery art gallery, which was launched last December, exhibits and sells original authors’ works. It also includes interviews with jewellers and educational seminars. It is planned that in the future, probably in spring, visitors who register in the gallery and select their desired jewellery will be able to remotely meet the author of the jewellery, allowing them to get to know the jeweller and his or her work better. QUOTE UNDER PHOTO “Amber Trip” organizer Giedrius Guntorius: “Our goal is to bring together the participants of the jewellery exhibition and the most important buyers under one roof so that they can physically meet each other and finally shake hands after making a deal.” ■
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SWEDISH BLUE – SOMETHING NEW AND RARE Interview with Ann-MARIE Berslaggsten or Swedish blue? Bergslaggsten is a difficult word and utterance for anyone who does not speak Swedish. This has led to the stone being given the name swedishblue after the blue colors the stone has. We can say that gemstone has the name swedishblue and Bergslaggsten is the name of the raw stone. Bergslagen is also an area in Sweden? Is it famous for gemstones? Bergslagen is a mining district in Central Sweden, from Värmland to Uppland. Bergslagen has had mining, metal smelting and metalworking since the 13th century. Most important are
various kinds of iron ore, including manganese-containing types. In 1873, there were operations in 646 deposits, with a total production of 823,000 tonnes of iron ore. Some of the largest fields are Grängesberg, Dannemora, Blötberg, Idkerberget, Håksberg, Pershyttan, Stripa, Stråssa, Riddarhyttan, Norberg and Långban. Several minerals are first found here. In addition, there are also many sulfide ores with copper, lead and zinc, as well as silver and gold in varying amounts. The largest and most well-known occurrences are Falun, Saxberget, Garpenberg and Åmmeberg. The area has many memories of the quarries in earlier times, not least by
the local names. Several large Swedish industrial companies have their roots in Bergslagen. The name comes from Swedish law, ‘law’, and refers to the old mayoral judgments that had their own, local jurisdiction. Why Swedish blue is special? The stone is a residual product from Swedish iron production over three hundred years ago. Production took place in small coal-fired ovens, where the ore was melted to a liquid mass. The stone is formed when the furnace has a sufficiently high temperature to glaze the ore. The rock is the slag that is formed during metal smelting. The
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BUSINESS INSIGHTS / SWEDISH JEWELLERY REPORT
How did you came across swedish blue? It all began after a longer stay in Provence, in southern France. There I became fascinated by the beautiful colors along the Azur coast. The fantastic blue color inspired me to use it in combination with silver, which looks beautiful together and that become the foundation of my design. After some thinking about what stones I wanted in my jewelry I decided for Larimar and Blue Turquoise. It was these stones, with their beautiful colors, which best recreated the vision I had received. When I had decided, I sat on the flight to Tucson in the United States to visit the world’s largest stone fair. It is the only fair with a large selection of stones, to good quality, all at the same place and at the same time. I made my trip and well there I bought Larimar and Turquoise, but ... I have not used them for my jewelry. At the fair
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What is the story behind jewellery making with Swedish blue? At the beginning of the sixties, a Swedish goldsmith found the blue stone deep in the Swedish forests, in an area where there had previously been mining. All early traces of mining were removed, and the slagheaps were grown over and covered with vegetation after being untouched for hundreds of years. He named the stone Berslaggsten, named after the area, where he found it. He started making jewelry with the stone, which quickly became very popular locally in Sweden. But unfortunately, it turned out that the gemstone quality of the Bergsslaggstenen was very rare, which limited his production.
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slag floats at the top of the melt and is discharged from the blast furnace before the metal. The slag is available in all possible colors and textures. What distinguishes Berglaggsten is precisely the blue color and the texture. The color can change from light blue to clear blue and dark blue via green to black. The appearance depends, among other things, on what it contains for minerals. The structure is glass-like and brittle. The blue-green shades come from the elements of copper in the material, which otherwise consists mostly of silica. The structure is glasslike and when sanded it gives a shine. Regarding the composition, it’s like glass or silica. You can say it’s very similar to Vulcanic glass.
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BUSINESS INSIGHTS / SWEDISH JEWELLERY REPORT
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I met a Swedish couple who showed me some incredibly beautiful blue stones. Swedish Blue, or in Swedish Bergslagsten. I had seen these stones earlier, but not as beautiful as they now showed to me. It was like the world appeared in the beautiful rocks, they also reminded me of blue summer sky from my childhood in Skövde, Sweden. When you fall in love, nobody else exists. My love for this beautiful stone, which surpasses all that I saw earlier, brought me back to Sweden. It has been a long trip to where I am now, from the
time the Swedish couple show me the stones to the finish silver jewelry we now present. How jewellery making with swedish blue is different from other gemstones? We cut every stone by hand, the reason for this is the stone‘s structures, only the human eye and abilities can bring out the fine images in the stones. For us, it‘s like painting a picture, but vice versa. Instead of adding, we take away. We cut forward until we have the unique and beautiful image before final polishing. Swedish blue is not very known stone? Where are your customers from? Which markets are familiar with Swedish blue? You are right the stone is not well known, and that is our big challenge, and, in a way, we must find new markets. As you said the stone was popular in Sweden back in the 60 -70, but the interest for the stones in comming back. But Sweden is a little country, and we have bigger visions for our jewelry. In fact, it is too main market for our products: people with Scandinavian heritage or people that are interested in Scandinavian history and design. And all
the people that’s fall in love with the beautiful stone and our jewelry design. What other jewelers that work with Swedish blue do you know? The are some small artists in Sweden uses the stone in their jewelry design, but no other professionals. We are selling finish cut stones to local and international jewelry designer to increase the interest and to make the stone ore known How is your jewelry different from other makers? All our jewelry is unique and handmade. As we are Scandinavian based our jewelry on Scandinavian design and heritage, it’s in our bloodline and hopefully it’s shows in the finish product. It’s also important for us focus on the ethical and sustainable. We are participating personally in every step of the process, from the little idea to the finish product in used by the costumer. Do you work with other stones? Our profession is jewelry design and production, with focus on Scandinavian stones. The Swedish Blue stone is just the first. We will soon launch jewelry with Norwegian Thulite, Larvikite, Cordierite and the Swedish quartz/hematite. ■
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HANDMADE JEWELRY WITH SWEDISH BLUE STONE
w w w. s we d i s h b l u e. s e
SCANDINAVIAN DESIGN NATURAL, CLEAN AND ELEGANT EVERY PIECE IS UNIQUE
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BUSINESS INSIGHTS / WORLDWIDE JEWELLERY REPORT
3D PRINTING AND UNLIMITED DESIGN POSSIBILITIES By Mariam ATEF
We live in a world in which technology dominates, and new ways of doing things make our lives easier than ever.
3D
printing, for instance, is one revolutionary technique in the jewelry industry. It has been replacing the classic ways of making jewelry—like handcrafting and lostwax casting, which are very time-consuming and mistakeprone—and making it easier to create unique, sophisticated jewelry designs. Without question, digital jewelry-making techniques bring new possibilities to the world of jewelry production, as well as new thrilling options for consumers! Here are some ways by which jewelry businesses benefit from 3D techniques: UNLIMITED DESIGN POSSIBILITIES One of the biggest advantages of 3D printing is having design freedom, where jewelry designers have infinite design choices that would be hard to achieve with traditional ways. 3D printing has brought precision, uniqueness, and attention to detail to the jewelry-making world. Moreover, having a desktop 3D printer at an affordable cost has set the bar much higher for the quality of jewelry designs. Formlabs, for example, have been able to achieve striking precision in their designs using the latest technology in 3D printing. They’ve been able to effectively couple the
smoothness you get from stereolithography (SLA) with the precision of laser technology to create very unique, beautiful designs which are easily mass produced. They used castable wax resin designs with exceptional attention to detail, such as raised text, delicate filigrees, and detailed pavé stone settings. Now, after these design restrictions have been removed, we’re witnessing entirely new design styles, which emerge from jewelers who have digital tools and capabilities in the United States, South Asia, Asia Pacific, and the Middle East. 3D PRINTING SIMPLIFIES COMPLEX DESIGNS Since the classic ways of making jewelry—like handcrafting and lost-wax casting—are not only time-consuming and mistake-prone, but also require very highly experienced designers to do the job right, it used to require a great deal of experience to start a jewelry business and bring your ideas to life. Digital tools, on the other hand, not only make jewelry customization much easier, but they are also perfect for the mass-production of designs. Formlabs’ Jewelry Vertical Product Manager Amos Dudley says: “With the quality that you can get with SLA 3D printing for printing these jewelry pieces, you can jump straight from the 3D printed part to a master mold,” “The surface finish is already so smooth that it doesn’t require very much finishing. You can use that as the rubber mold for creating the final wax parts that go into production.”
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FACTORS DRIVING THE GROWTH OF 3D PRINTING IN JEWELRY It’s clear that the market of 3D printing in jewelry is in continuous growth, and there are three main factors that control this growth: 1. The rise of new fashion trends and the increase of fashion consciousness among consumers. 2. The growing popularity of e-commerce among consumers also favors the 3D printed jewelry market since jewelers are targeting those consumers via online platforms. Moreover,
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WHAT 3D PRINTERS ARE THE BEST? There are several 3D printers for jewelry, all of which have their pros and cons. So, if you’re going to enter the endless world of 3D-printed jewelry designs, you should at least know some of the names of the best 3D printers available! Here is a list of printers ranked based on resolution, price relativity, material compatibility, and smooth exposure. Peopoly Moai 130 Formlabs Form 3 3DSystems FabPro 1000 Zortrax Inkspire Photocentric LC Precision 1.5 Solidscape S300 Series EnvisionTEC Vida cDLM DWS 029JL2 Prodways ProMaker LD3 EOS M100 THE FUTURE OF 3D PRINTING IN JEWELRY INDUSTRY Although 3D printed jewelry has great potential, it currently represents a small fraction of the jewelry market. However, owing to the accessibility of 3D printing technologies, the arrival of new skilled designers, and the creation of other foolproof hardware and materials, the market of 3D printed jewelry is very promising and is expected to grow further in the near future.
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THE EXPANSION OF 3D PRINTING TECHNOLOGY AMONG SMALL JEWELRY BUSINESSES Naturally, as new technologies come with hefty prices and complicated interfaces at first, so did the early 3D printers. They needed deep pockets and highly skilled operators to function properly. But the good news, according to Dudley, is that “3D printing has become much more affordable, offering unique opportunities to independent jewelry makers.” The spread of 3D printing technology in the market has allowed for more competition, giving us more options to choose from and thus making it much less expensive and more feasible. “In the coming years, we’re going to see a growing trend in that segment, with smaller jewelers adopting these technologies and becoming less centralized,” Dudley stated. This shift will not only affect large jewelry manufacturers, but it will also have an increasing impact on small, independent jewelers and artists. Until very recently, the industry of 3D printing jewelry had been dominated by expensive and complicated wax printers, but fortunately for smaller businesses, affordable desktop 3D printers, such as the Form 3, are becoming more available for jewelers.
some e-commerce platforms offer augmented reality (AR), which allows potential customers to virtually try any piece of jewelry before purchasing it. 3. These factors have encouraged more businesses to adopt new methods of designing jewelry, including CAD, induction, and laser technologies, among others. One of these forms of technology is rapid prototyping, which when used in 3D printers, can help designers evaluate design concepts and understand the design in its complex details. This will definitely aid the growth of the market. But let’s face it, 3D printing technology requires very skilled technicians, as well as necessary materials and data management. Not having skilled manufacturers definitely restricts 3D printing in the jewelry industry.
BUSINESS INSIGHTS / DANISH JEWELLERY REPORT
BE GLOBAL SHOP LOCAL
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By Trine NYGAARD WIBRAND
Things move fast these days. Just a little over a year ago The Jewellery Room was the company that built a bridge between fashion and fine jewellery connecting press and buyers with brands fashion week style. Their PR events during Copenhagen and London Fashion Weeks became the place to be for media and influencers.
D
escribed as “a first mover in the jewellery industry with the aim to set a global agenda for jewellery en vogue by empowering the most forward-thinking brands in the jewellery industry – The Jewellery Room is a digital-first-mover in a non-digital industry”. Now they are digitally first moving the way we buy high-end jewellery through a nerdy expert portal that functions as a global display window for jewellery
designers around the world. The company has evolved from high-end PR and branding into an e-commerce company with a strong presence on social media. They want to reinvent the way people buy jewellery, they say. “We want to give independent designers a platform for global exposure and sale so that they can keep on creating their beautiful products. We want to be the go-to-platform for genuine and high-quality jewellery”.
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SILVAMEX Andrzej Szczypior ul. Kielnieńska 60 80-299 Gdańsk, Poland Tel. (48) 58 5209700 Fax (48) 58 5209701 Mobile. (48) 501 236895
According to sisters and founders Pernille Møbjerg Knudsen and Charlotte Møbjerg Ansel-Henry, the transition was already on the drawing board by the end of 2019. “More and more we experienced that end consumers reached out to us on social media and wanted to know where they could purchase the jewellery we exhibited. As we readily sent them to vendors, it dawned on us why not take it a step further. 2020 only served to kick the process into gear as the world shut down and consumers turned to internet shopping. 2020 forced them out of the physical space and online adhering to the current trend of focusing on the end consumer. But the platform will be more than just a place for transactions as the founders intend to share their deeply founded knowledge about trends, styling and materials from many years of working in the industry as PR-executives, securing a trusted source for high-end jewellery buying. “We come to the consumer with expertise and guidance so that they stay atop of materials and trends. By
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offering tutorials showing how to style an outfit using your jewellery according to current trends, we inspire you to keep your precious jewellery relevant always as a part of your individual storytelling”. Love for jewellery, precious stones and metals and profound respect for
2020 only served to kick the process into gear as the world shut down and consumers turned to internet shopping. the craftsmanship drives the sisters as well as the longevity - quality jewellery will last you forever. A genuine piece of jewellery will last a lifetime and add personality to your look. “We want to challenge the throwaway culture that, like fast fashion, dominates some parts of the business. We want
to sell jewellery that lasts, so you will primarily find precious like gold and silver in a broad and carefully curated collection”. We will be exhibiting/showing individual jewellery designers who would otherwise not have been able to get noted by a larger audience. At our platform, they will be able to reach a global audience. You will however also find some selected bijouterie brands as they complement the more high-end pieces in the playful luxurious way that characterizes the “The Jewellery Room style”. Mixing fx bracelets made of colourful glass beads with precious metal pieces for a relaxed and playful yet lush approach to a personal look. Always on the lookout for new talent, The Jewellery Room takes to social media as travel is, of course, set on hold for a while. “We will be scouting new talent globally. That way you can log on to our platform and find the little independent jeweller from around the corner that you would only discover, if you were there in that street, in that city”. ■
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25 YEARS OF THE IAA B A LT I C J E W E L L E R Y N E W S
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By Anna SOBECKA The International Amber Association (IAA) is an organisation which brings together the community of Baltic amber manufacturers, researchers and enthusiasts from all over the world.
The
organisation’s beginnings are very closely related to the Amberif Fair in Gdańsk. In the first years of the Association, its founding members emphasised the promotion of amber and Gdańsk as the main centre for the manufacture of amber products. The community, initially concentrated in the region, aimed at establishing the Amber Museum in Gdańsk. Founded in 1998 by the then new Mayor of Gdańsk, Paweł Adamowicz (1965–2019), the institution grew with the Association’s immense support. In the same year, the Museum of Amber Inclusions was established at the University of Gdańsk. Since the beginning of the 21st century, the amber industry, the collecting movement and the manufacture of amber art pieces have been developing very intensively. By working with other institutions, including museums and research institutes, the Association has become part of exhibition and publishing initiatives. The Association began publishing a newsletter, which was the initial format of the Bursztynisko. The Amber Magazine. Gradually, and
also owing to its members’ participation in trade shows around the world, the organisation began to internationalise in a robust way. Currently, the IAA has members from 41 countries worldwide. The first President of the Association was Wiesław Gierłowski, followed by Wojciech Kalandyk, Mariusz Gliwiński, Mariusz Drapikowski, Anna Sobecka and Ryszard Uliński. Twenty-five years ago, the founding members of the Amber Association believed that amber, when wellpromoted with an emphasis on the quality of workmanship and design, would be an excellent symbol of Gdańsk; they knew to think about promoting amber education in a deliberate and long-term manner. They also believed that, in collaboration with the industry and scientists, it would be possible to create a classification of Baltic amber. Moreover, the Association contributed to establishing the Gdańsk—World Capital of Amber strategy. The IAA supports its members, promotes good design and amber education; together with the MTG SA Gdańsk International Fair Co. and the local community, it organises the Mariacka Street Festival. For five years now, the IAA Office has been located in Warzywnicza Street, Gdańsk, where its amber product certification laboratory operates. Additionally, it provides an opportunity to conduct research for scientific
purposes and validate the authenticity of amber. The IAA Experts, who are researchers from various universities, support the laboratory. The trust in the IAA laboratory comes from many years of experience of a whole array of people; it is the result of collaboration between the amber industry and researchers in geology, chemistry, biology, art history and archaeology. An integral part of the IAA’s Office—its gallery—holds several presentations a year. The first exhibition by the members of the International Amber Association took place in Warzywnicza Street six years ago. In 2016, to mark 20 years of the IAA, we held the Bursztynowe przemiany/ Amber Metamorphoses jubilee exhibition. In 2017, a series of presentations of the works by IAA members entitled Showroom was launched in the gallery. The following year, an exhibition of pieces by Michalina Owczarek Black’n’Amber attracted much attention and, in 2019, there was Artistic Jewellery with a presentation of works by Nico Delaide and Nele Blanckaert. In the pandemic year 2020, the IAA gallery held an exhibition entitled Materialisations to showcase examples of jewellery and artistic objects by Jarosław Westermark. WE VERY MUCH LOOK FORWARD TO THE TIME WHEN WE CAN SEE YOU AGAIN AT WARZYWNICZA STREET IN GDAŃSK. ■
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BUSINESS INSIGHTS / POLISH JEWELLERY REPORT
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01. 15th aniversary of the IAA, 2011.
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Photo: PB Studio
02. Fashion show during Mariacka Street Festival, 2013. Jewellery Aleksander Gliwiński, fashion Magdalena Arłukiewicz. Photo: MTG S.A 03 & 04. IAA Amber Laboratory, Gdańsk. Photo: Keenys Studio
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OROAREZZO, with physical attendance, from 12th to 15th June 2021 at the Expo Centre in Arezzo, and, also with physical attendance, VICENZAORO, T.GOLD and VOVintage, from 10th to 14th September 2021 in Vicenza. Prior to that, 23rd March 2021 will see WE ARE Jewellery,
WE ARE JEWELLERY – THIS YEAR ONLINE
an unprecedented digital B2B format specifically designed to present new jewellery collections to remotely linked buyers from all over the world.
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With
forward momentum, Italian Exhibition Group, which heads the sole management of international B2B gold and jewellery events in Italy, announces the reorganization of its 2021 calendar, thus providing immediate response to requests from the international gold and jewellery community which looks at trade show reprisal as an essential business multiplier. And it is doing so in conjunction with all the stakeholders and Association representatives involved, determined to get activities and relations going again.
WE ARE Jewellery backstage
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BUSINESS INSIGHTS / ITA LI A N JE W ELLERY R E V IE W
VICENZAORO, the event of reference for the entire international goldjewellery supply chain, T.GOLD, the international show for machinery and the most advanced technologies applied to jewellery design and processing, VOVintage, the exclusive vintage watch and jewellery marketplace and OROAREZZO, the event specifically devoted to the best Made in Italy jewellery, will all be back, live, over the
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coming months, once again opening their doors to international companies and buyers. And they will do so by following a well thought out schedule which will benefit from the progressive effect of global vaccinations and as the European Union discusses the revival of international mobility. By listening to and actively and constantly monitoring the market, IEG
has been able to draw up an authentic roadmap marking a prompt reaction to the variability of a highly complex scenario which requires every player to be flexible and innovative, thus favouring comparison and exchange within the entire industry. Elements that IEG immediately saw as a common factor for the sector, as it demonstrated last September at the Expo Centre with VOICE – Vicenzaoro International Community Event, the only international jewellery event to take place in 2020 with physical attendance and in total safety.
INTERVIEW WITH MARCO CARNIELLO,
B A LT I C J E W E L L E R Y N E W S
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GROUP BRAND DIRECTOR JEWELLERY & FASHION IEG
How did your community of exhibitors and visitors reacted to your decision to move your event WE ARE Jewellery online? Given the situation of the pandemic, exhibitors and visitors expected that it would not be possible to attend Vicenzaoro in presence. They are all enthusiastic and quite interested in experimenting this new online format, since they know how important it is to keep open and alive the relationship and the communication with the buyers around the world until the next, longawaited physical fair will.
What was the most difficult when you created the platform? What do you think are key risks during the event? We believe that to “copy and paste” a physical fair on the web simply doesn’t work: they are different and complementary initiatives. The challenge is to think of a new model, which differs from the trade exhibition but keeps its aim of creating business opportunities for companies.
Who is responsible for an online event? Your old team or did you employ specialists with experience of online events? Italian Exhibition Group’s Team has long been made up of professionals working on both traditional and digital fairs. We were ready for this transition before the pandemic, and Covid-19 accelerated it. We have strengthened ourselves with a Digital Manager who’s giving a boost to our digital transformation but the “core Team” is always the same as in Vicenzaoro and Oroarezzo.
How is promotion of online event differ from regular exhibition? There are different specificities but in our opinion the winning approach is multichannel, allowing the continuous engagement of the visitor on all channels and up to the minute before he connects online. ■
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WE ARE Jewellery backstage
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BUSINESS INSIGHTS / ITA LI A N JE W ELLERY R E V IE W
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BUSINESS INSIGHTS / RUSSIAN JEWELLERY REPORT
JUNWEX ST. PETERSBURG 2021- FIRST JEWELLERY OFFLINE EXHIBITION IN 2021! Annual
exhibition JUNWEX ST. PETERSBURG 2021, which took place from 3-7th of February in EXPOFORUM venue, opened the jewellery New Year and gave rise to a new term of partnership between suppliers and Russian jewellery trade for the period of 2021. The total number of visitors, calculated by external audit, which takes place at the exhibition every two years showed a figure of 26,492 people. Last year there were 31,758, which reflects the realities of modern life influenced by the COVID 2019 restrictions. The number of participants this year estimates in 327 exhibitors. The wholesale business contacts ratio of this year’s event was 7,230. Pre-New Year sales showed interest in restock for local buyers and in Februry they finally had an opportunity to meet their suppliers face-to-face. According to the reviews of participants, they finalized that it was a lucky event for them because buyers placed a lot of orders and made prepayments. As the participants themselves estimated, “There are as many active wholesalers as there are at the exhibition, there are simply no other living ones – and this is our new reality”. By spring and our next event JUNWEX New Russian Style 2021, which will be held from 19-23 of May on VDNH venue (Moscow), we expect that demand for jewellery products will return and in May there will again be interest in new collections, as for summer people will require a new mid-season variety. Nevertheless, we are very grateful to all our participants, trade visitors and guests of the exhibition for their attention to the work of the Organizing Committee of the Jewellery Russia Exhibition Program, for the warm feedback on the work of our employees, for indulgence in possible errors. We are proud of the fact that JUNWEX ST. PETERSBURG 2021 exhibition opened this year and marked as the one and only jewellery offline exhibition in all Europe. ■
www.junwex.com overseas@junwex.com junwex_ofcial
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BALTIC DESIGN STORIES Interview with Laura BĒRZIŅA
Some team members of the Baltic Design Stories: Kristine Sproge, Laura Berzina and Aiga Skrastina.
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What are the activities of this Baltic Design Stories? The main activity is to link Baltic designers with Design lovers in Belgium. Thanks to digital world, it is possible not only in Belgium, but also with wider audience. We have created a cooperation platform www. balticdesignstories.eu, where you can find our members, from their profiles you can go to their web sites and e-shops, and discover their beautiful creations. We gather Baltic Designers, who introduce customers to the identity of the Baltic design. We all know the Scandinavian design, but what is the Baltic Design identity? Through different workshops and events, our parallel and very important work is to find, formulate and present the Baltic Identity. A vivid recent example that we are going in the right direction. When I was visiting new venue for future projects, the property manager, Belgian by nationality, gave compliments to our designers. He said: “I thought that the Baltic design does not exist, I had imagined that design products look the same as 30-40 years ago. But I found that your designers create beautiful things and they could easily stand next to Belgian designers. Thank you for showing us!” However, we are communit y: designer must want to get involved, we do two-side communication in strong cooperation with each other. Now, in Covid-19 circumstances, we have developed more digital communication. Five or six times per year we are meeting online to get to know each other and to cover topics that are important specifically to our designers. Topics are different: copyrights, marketing, export capacity, country knowledge etc.
Very important is to physically show design products, so people can appraise work of designers by themselves. One or two times per year, we are planning to organize our own POP UP projects. Apart of these projects, we are looking for cooperation and infrastructure partners. It could be an existing concept store that would be interested in welcoming Baltic Designers for a shorter or a longer period. There can be different ways in cooperating with us. Just ask and let’s brainstorm together!
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non-profit organisation. Since then, the team has already changed several times, but that is normal, as we are a very new organisation and on top of that we are also non-profit, and we are still trying to find the best way to work long term. The name ‘Baltic Design Stories’ makes you think of different stories behind products and designers who create them. I believe that there is its own story behind everything, and my aim is to introduce a wider audience with it, especially outside the Baltics.
B A LT I C J E W E L L E R Y N E W S
How did you come up with an idea to create non-profit organization, which helps Baltic designers to be noticed in Belgium? I have been living in Brussels for 9 years now, and since the very beginning, I have been involved in organisation of different cultural events, including fashion and design events. I work at the European Commission, but after office hours, I love ‘to play in shops’: my husband and I have participated in different Christmas markets in Belgium several times presenting Latvian products. It was a great experience and the best way to assess interest, see the reaction and talk to people. I was the Head of the Latvian Association in Belgium from 2005 to 2009, and after finishing my duties there I was looking for a new ‘playground’ in area of fashion and design. I have a dream to open a concept store one day, where Baltic Designerscould be presented. I passionately support our talented designers. They are not worse than well-established brands, but they need some additional support. Besides, it is not only support, I really like those designs. Colleagues always notice when I wear something from Baltics; it looks special on the usual mass production background. So, in September 2019, I noticed a venue that was rented for POP UP shops on weekends. It perfectly fitted with my needs, and I started to plan the realisation. Firstly, I was thinking of Latvian design pop up shop only. I had contacts back in Latvia and it seemed easier from organisational point of view. However, I turned idea into ‘Baltic Design Stories’ pretty soon: we as small countries with common history and past have to work together. Outside our countries, for example, here in Belgium, people can’t tell us apart. They confuse Lithuania with Latvia very often. They do not know which capital belongs to which country, and, if they have been there, mostly they have visited all three countries together, so called a Baltic trip. Moreover, it is not only in Belgium. It is not for nothing that many joint projects have launched recently, like Baltic Culture Fund and others. After the concept was ready, I was looking for a team, and in the beginning of November, together with five other active ladies, who believed in our Baltic Design Stories, we founded this
Linda Berzina
We are also preparing our online selling platform; at the moment, we don’t have an online shop. News will be coming soon. What is your role in the organization? I am the founder, the visionary and the Chairman of the Board. What do Baltic Design Ambassadors do? The main task is to connect designers to our platform and community, to see and develop opportunities for them. To help perform our activities and to achieve our goals. Currently, we are looking for our Ambassadors in Lithuania and Estonia,
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BUSINE S S INSIGH T S / BA LT IC STAT E S J E W EL L ERY R EPORT
who could spread information about us and introduce new designers to our mission. Currently we have only Latvians in our team! We receive a great support from all three Baltic Ambassadors and Embassies in Belgium, as well as from honorary consuls representing Baltic countries in Belgium.
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How do you see the role of Baltic Design Stories today, when COVID19 has changed our lifestyles? How are you helping designers in these uncertain times? Our main role to connect a Baltic Designer with wider audience is now getting even more important in designers’ paths. We are developing our web site, a cooperation platform, and we are planning to open an online selling platform soon. We, as a community will meet online throughout the year, and we will see how to work better together in order to meet our expectations and achieve our goals. ■ 01 Fashion Jewellery by Laura Daili 02 Ring by Enameli 03 Jewellery by Maija Vitola 04 Anna Fanigina 05 Ring by Andris Lauders
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How many jewellery designers do you represent? Could you name them? At the moment, we represent following jewellery designers: Daili (LT), Andris Lauders (LV), Verba (LV), Maija Vitola (LV) and Enameli (LV).
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BUSINE S S INSIGH T S / BA LT IC STAT E S J E W EL L ERY R EPORT
GET TO KNOW YOUR
JEWELLER B A LT I C J E W E L L E R Y N E W S
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BALTIC JEWELLERY ART GALLERY
J
ewellery has always been a reliable gift idea for absolutely any occasion! It is a creative way to show someone you care. Besides, it is a notable gift for yourself and it is a great opportunity to express your personality. We want our customers to be able to unleash their inner personalities. Jewellery is a great way to express yourself even in the positions where you are not allowed to for example business meetings. Even looking at the current situation of the global pandemic, when the main communication happens through video calls, which makes it even more difficult to show your personality. Jewellery helps to express the identity of the person who wears it. Especially when our platform is designed to allow creating a piece of special jewellery together with an artist. Just simply message the jeweller you like the most, let them know what kind of idea you have in mind and you will have individual jewellery made for you.
efforts to connect individuals more directly with the jewellery community. It helps to get acquainted with a piece of jewellery in the digital space not only visually, but also to understand the artist's idea and hidden thoughts.
Our online platform allows jewellers to communicate better and faster with their clients. The gallery always has the manager online to inform both the jeweller and the client about any updates. We are expanding our
Eglė Čejauskaitė-Gintalė
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“Jewellery has the power to be
B A LT I C J E W E L L E R Y N E W S
Our gallery has an array of beautifully curated work from new and established makers. It is always a dependable destination if you're after a unique gift or something rather special to treat yourself. We currently have over 20 artists from Lithuania and we are expanding every month. Our main fear is not to become a simple catalogue. We want our platform to be interactive. We provide live videos where customers get an opportunity to know the jeweller as a person and ask questions they are curious to get the answers to.
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Šarūnė Vaitkutė
the one little thing that makes you feel unique.” – Elizabeth Taylor.
Our job as a gallery is to promote artists and we also incorporate online marketing strategies to achieve our goals.
Ernesta Statkutė
Stay in touch by exploring our jewellers and their works online!
Karolina Šiburkytė
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Website: www.exhibitjewellery.com Facebook: @Baltic.Jewellery.Art.Gallery Instagram: @Baltic.Jewellery.Art.Gallery YouTube: @AmberTrip Mobile, Viber, WhatsApp: +37068856063 Email: gallery@ambertrip.com
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BUSINESS INSIGHTS / RUSSIAN JEWELLERY REPORT
NEW JEWELRY RUSSIA
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By Marina KUDRINA, JEWELRY GARDEN
Time has set its accents, and new, very small firms that have come to the jewelry market in Russia have become particularly visible. Basically, these are author’s brands that carry their own special appeal. I want to focus on them. JEWELRY GARDEN magazine pays special attention to their development, supports and gives way to creative brands with their own identity.
Moscow
jewelry brand LIBERI is poetry, inspired by love and emotions. It’s a hymn of free feelings, free forms. Nona Dronova is Author of jewelry, professor in the field of jewelry, member of the Union of Russian Artists. LIBERI is a variety of textures, shapes, symbols and colors. The textured surface and blackening make the collection luxurious. There is not a single millimeter of surface on which the texture is repeated. To obtain natural effects, casts were taken from the bark of trees, minerals, and Mediterranean plants. The author is not afraid of contrasting combinations. This is a confirmation of the freedom of creativity, where each product is not repeated twice. Only natural stones and nacre are used in jewelry. Amethyst and morion - from Brazil, rose quartz and garnet-from India, turquoise-from the USA, coralfrom Italy, green quartz - from Norway, topaz-from Sri Lanka. St. Petersburg jewelry brand SVETLANA LUZANOVA is the author's brand of a traditional designer, selflessly dedicated to his work. These are modern works of jewelry art based on the most complex traditional technologies, aesthetic and charming jewelry items that fill with special joy and pleasure when you hold them in your hands. The peculiarity of jewelry is the complexity in the technology of hand-made products: the finest openwork ornament, made by setting a complex pattern of scanned wire, decorated with
grain and filled with hot transparent stained glass enamel. An extraordinary combination of precious and non-precious stones, a piece-by-piece approach to manufacturing and getting incredibly strong emotions from a man-made flower miniature in a single copy –Svetlana Luzanova’s creative credo. The jewelry brand LES MASCARONES is based in Moscow. Each decoration of a cultural project is a history of architecture in a jewelry embodiment. The jewelry is based on mascarons from historical buildings in Moscow. Each mascaron is a special mood and energy. It is associated with the image of a mythical hero, which is located on a particular building in the form of an artistic bas-relief. Inna Macaron is owner of the brand and the author of the project, she is orientalist, international lawyer and a very creative person. It turns jewelry into real art objects, and they become priceless, as they carry a piece of the history of Russia. Mascaron (French- mascaron, Italian-mascherone, literally "big mask") is an architectural decoration, a stucco element that depicts the face of a person, the muzzle of an animal (mainly a lion) or a mythical creature, in fact, masks that have always been amulets from evil and adversity. In jewelry made in silver with gilding or ceramics, only handmade work is used, which stores the warmth of the master's hands. Each brand's jewelry is a collectible item, as well as additional accessories included in the brand's collection (bags, shawls, light souvenirs). LES MASCARONES is a social brand, as it promotes the historical memory of Russia and all the best, in terms of culture, artistic and architectural creativity. ■
good luck, recognition and creative inspiration! We wish the brands
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CARTOONS /
1# place & Public choice – Šarūnas Jakštas
JEWELLERY COVID-19 We
live in unique times, we see that jewellers like the rest of the artists are in difficult situation at the moment. We believe that the Baltic Jewellery Art Gallery will help Lithuanian jewellery art creators to reduce losses, will help to adapt and display their
work. Before we opened the Baltic Jewellery Art Gallery we collaborated with the Lithuanian National caricature association Humor Sapiens. Together with the chairman of the association we announced caricature competition – Jewellery COVID-19.
Lithuanian caricaturists offer to look at Covid-19 topics through a different perspective. In this Baltic Jewellery News issue we publish best 5 caricatures. ■
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CARTOONS /
2# place – Jurijus Dobrovolskis
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CARTOONS /
3# place – Adomas Žilinskas
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CARTOONS /
Ilja Bereznickas
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CARTOONS /
Rimantas Dovydėnas
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GET TO KNOW YOUR JEWELLERY ARTIST exhibitjewellery.com
A M B E R I N C LU S I O N S INCLUSIONS
AMB ER W AMBER WARES, ARES, INCLUSIONS INCLUSIONS B BERNSTEINSCHMUCK, ERNSTEINSCHMUCK, INKLUSEN INKLUSEN G GINTARO INTARO D DIRBINIAI, IR B IN I A I , -
IINKLIU NKLIU ZAI Z AI
Amber IInclusions Amber nclusions MB MB Talino T alino 33/1, 33/1, 05200, 0520 0, Vilnius, V ilnius , L Lithuania it huani a tel.: tel.: +370 +370 699 69 9 576 576 77, 7 7, + +370 3 70 6 646 46 3 302 02 3 34 4 e -mail: info@amberinclusions.eu e-mail: i n f o @ a m b e ri n c l u s i o n s . e u www.amberinclusions.eu w w w. amberinclusions .lt w w w. amberinclusions .eu
A R T I S T IC I N S P I R AT ION S / S PA N I S H J E W E L L E R Y R E P OR T
MASKS AND NEW TRENDS My Mariam ATEF
Since the outbreak of Coronavirus, many businesses have been racing to create the perfect, one-of-a-kind face mask.
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Some of them succeeded in bringing great-looking protective masks to the table, and for that exact reason, we picked up the most creative face masks in the market for you. Our favourite pick is a mask by MAM because it looks good and is practical.
THE FUTURISTIC FACE MASKS Electronics company Razer™ created The Project Hazel masks aimed to ensure optimal breathability, as they have high bacterial filtration efficiency (BFE) Smart Pods that filter more than 95% of airborne particles and regulate airflow. The mask has a transparent, clear design that allows people around you to tell when you’re smiling, laughing, or frowning.
If it gets dark, lights inside the mask activate automatically, which allows wearers to express their feelings under any lighting conditions. Co-founder and CEO of Razer Min-Liang Tan said: “The Project Hazel smart mask concept is intended to be functional, yet comfortable and useful for interacting with the world while maintaining a sociable aesthetic.”
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THE BRIDE‘S FACE MASK Created by a Turkish goldsmith, the golden face mask was made to give pandemic brides the bridal feeling they deserve. “We saw that the regular face mask does not really visually comple ment the brides,” Creator Hacı Mustafa Öz said. Without a doubt, wearing this eye-dazzling, $10,000 golden mask at your wedding will surely leave a lasting impression!
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THE ARTISTIC FACE MASKS Anne Sophie Cochevelou, a Londonbased jewellery and costume designer, has created a few of the most artistic face masks we‘ve seen. To create them, she used pop culture toys, faux gems, and decorative accessories. Anne Sophie views masks as a new way to shape our faces, not to hide them: “T hey bring new narratives to the face. Another layer of meaning through another layer of fabric”.
THE EMPEROR’S FACE MASK Fashion designer Kennedy Gasper took regular face masks to a whole new (royal) level! If empires were still as prominent, you’d probably see emperors wearing this luxury face mask. Kennedy Gasper said that both the face mask and the headdress are inspired by Thai fashion.
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The MAM team has even been designing bags recently, and not surprisingly, their success can already be noticed worldwide, especially in Asia and Spain.
THE SUPER STYLISH FACE MASKS OF MAM Once we took a look at the successful business, MAM, we decided to talk to its creative director about their start, beautiful jewelry collection, and of course, their notable success of MAM's unique face masks. A STORY OF SUCCESS 4 years ago, MAM started to design and sell unique watches, especially the wooden ones. Founded by Jordi Enrique Albert and Anthya Tirado, they wanted to make something new, innovative, and practical, away from the big wooden watches common in the market. So, they set themselves a goal to create watches that are as thin and minimal as they could be, despite the nature of wood, which makes it hard to create such thin watches. And guess what, MAM now has the thinnest wooden watches in the market. After achieving massive success in selling watches, they dreamed bigger and decided to create their own unique accessories. And now they are an enviably successful accessory brand. And they didn’t stop there. MAM went further in 2019, designing eye-dazzling jewelry that attracted buyers from all parts of the world. And as a result, jewelry is now their biggest category.
WHAT MAKES MAM STAND OUT Once you go MAM you can’t go back! Most of MAM’s customers become loyal and re-engage with the brand. In turn, the brand engages with them, which makes it different from other brands in the market. Their uniquely designed jewelry can’t be found anywhere else, as it doesn’t distinguish itself through just design, but by reinventing the way people interact with their jewelry, as well as the way they wear it. For them, jewelry goes beyond body parts (ears, neck, fingers, etc.). For example, MAM creates innovative jewelry for hair, like hair cuffs. Their jewelry has the liking of a modern person who’s into the city lifestyle, for most part people whose ages range from 25-40. For those people, MAM’s jewelry is a source of empowerment through style. It’s about enjoying good art, and because they love the social lifestyle of a city, they like jewelry that expresses their individuality and makes them stand out from the crowd. Good news is their jewelry is genderless, so the sky is the limit when it comes to combinations. IF WE’RE GOING TO WEAR MASKS, WHY NOT DO IT IN STYLE? During their trip to Asia, Anthya Tirado, the creative director of MAM, and partner Jordi Enrique Albert, noticed that wearing masks was already part and parcel of their culture. They noticed in Japan, for example, that people were really well-dressed. However, they were missing one important accessory: good-looking masks. Starting at that point two years ago, they decided to make fashionable masks. They made their very first prototypes from scarves, and after putting 10 different designs under trial, they finally came to this spectacular design. It’s true that they created these masks before the crisis of Covid-19, but now the demand on their uniquely-designed masks is at its peak! What’s so special about their design is that there are several versions of the same design but with different colors, so you can always play around with the different combinations. THE CREATIVE MINDS BEHIND MAM Anthya and Jordi are always trying to think outside the box and create extraordinary designs that the world has never seen, and that’s where it all started. Their biggest challenge is trying not to go overboard with the designs, as they need to be comfortable and relatable to people. Anthya sees that being a jeweler or a designer is a plus in terms of creativity, as jewelers can always try their ideas out and see whether they work or not. When we asked Anthya if there’s any other jewelry brand she looked up to, her answer was no, as searching for creativity in the world of jewelry wouldn’t work. It’s all about inspirations in other worlds. Everything they do is based on the latest trends in fashion, and they are always responsive to changes in these trends.
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CAMILLA DINESEN STORY
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By Trine NYGAARD WIBRAND
Danish jeweller Camilla Dinesen has actually never worked in Denmark. After graduating as a jeweller she moved to the UK where she has worked as a sought after jewellery designer ever since.
And
although she was a part of the creative crowd that birthed the movement of Young British Artists in the nineties, today she is working out of her studio on her property in rural surroundings in the countryside near Winchester, in the most southern part of England. Her designs can be acquired by appointment only and her clients find her by word of mouth on exclusive events locally or in Copenhagen or London. Or on her Instagram account which, she says, she needs to update more. Growing up she knew, that she wanted to do something creative and had played with the idea of either glassblower, something with jewels or photographer. But it wasn’t until she took a year off travelling that she decided on becoming a jeweller. In South America, she felt so inspired by the traditional silver jewellery and visited areas where gemstone was mined. And that was it. She knew that working with jewellery was her thing. So she went home to Denmark now in search of an apprenticeship. “In my mind, it was all about which jeweller I loved and whom I wanted
to learn from and I was surprised to find that this is not how it works. They choose you!”. While applying for apprenticeships, she was lucky to get a bench at the studio of Danish jeweller Flemming Bo Hansen and here she learned bare necessities like sawing and filing. And then she successfully acquired a prestigious apprenticeship at Danish jewel icon Ole Lynggaard in Hellerup in Copenhagen.
“I had four wonderful years there, and besides learning the craft I learned the value of being able to work within a tight timeframe. The value of being able to create a saleable collection and not only create unique time-consuming designs”. Af ter her apprenticeship, she worked in different design projects in Copenhagen before she and her lawyer husband left to settle in London. “I always knew, that I did not want to become an employee. I wanted to create something on my own. And in
London, I became a part of the creative scene in Hoxton Square in Shoreditch where a lot of artists, photographers, designers and other creatives lived and worked in the old warehouses”. She teamed up with a Danish furniture designer in a huge ice-cold studio, fortunately with a working fireplace in the corner. “It was like Manhattan in the old days. We were at the top of the building and below us was a piercer, a travel photographer and the studio of Gavin Turk. When we all started having kids, Gavin and his wife Debra and we created a kindergarten and took turns taking care of the children while the others worked. Moving to London also meant starting over from scratch. “I did not make it easy for myself. I had no network. I had no idea where to buy my materials. Luckily I knew this woman from Lynggaard who was also in London and she pointed me in the right direction”. And so she began participating in fairs like Cockpit Studios and Goldsmiths’ Fair where the important buyers came. And this was where she got discovered by Barneys New York who was known for finding new upcoming talent. “Back then you did not see many indie brands and in London, there certainly was no tradition for buying indie brands like in Scandinavia. People more often than not went for well-known brands like Tiffany’s”. Camilla had developed her distinct personal style as a jewellery designer and created a now-classic in her
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collection, the twisted pearl earring. And this was the design, that resonated with Barney’s.
“I wanted to take a new spin on an immortal classic, the pearl earring and made different versions of it.
But things worked out and after Barney’s along came Harvey Nichols, several galleries, it-boutiques in Copenhagen and when developers moved into Hoxton Square, the creatives moved on to Notting Hill and Camilla became a part of the wildly fashionable Ruby Red on Ladbrook Grove where supermodels like Kate Moss bought their jewellery. When the Ruby Red closed Camilla moved on to the old jewellery area on Picadilly where she had a studio side by side with old watchmakers and engravers. When her fourth child was a baby the family left the hustle and bustle of London and relocated to the small village of Woomancott wheres she works from her home studio. Here
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Barney’s took all of them. It was a big deal for me. I was pregnant and gave birth to our oldest daughter two months later and after one and a half week maternity leave I was back in the studio with my husband as my assistant. And at the same time, I had an exhibit due at the Danish Embassy in London. I kind of forgot to put the baby in the mix”.
she mainly works with private clients who adore her quirky somewhat schizophrenic - her own words - strict architectural meets soft and organic, sometimes even romantic design style. Always working in silver, gold and white gold, not surprisingly she finds
her inspiration in nature, old jewellery, architecture and art. The latter especially when it comes to colour combinations. She is wildly fascinated by the different expression you can create according to the colour of the stone you put in a piece.
You can see more works of Camilla on Instagram: camilladinesenjewellery
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JUHA KOSKELA THE MASTER OF ANTICLASTIC RAISING By Henrik KIHLMAN
Juha Koskela
Photo: Johanna Talso
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RETURN TO FINLAND. After the intermission in St. Louis Juha came back to Finland to finish his education at the Goldsmith School in Lahti. After graduation he returned to St. Louis where he finished his master’s degree at Washington University under Heikki Seppä. Back in Finland Juha started his studio in his hometown Lahti. After a few years he decided that he wanted to try his wings on a larger stage and in 1986 he moved to Rockport, Maine and started to work
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Mokume- Gane and silver bracelet
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Photo: Johanna Talso
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LEARNING A UNIQUE SKILL Juha Koskela comes from an artist family. As a young boy school was not his favourite object of interest. So instead of continuing to the gymnasium the handy and practical youngster found himself studying at the Goldsmith school in the city of Lahti, Juha´s hometown. When his father was offered a teaching vacancy in the USA, Juha intercepted his education in Finland and was accepted to study at the Fine Art School´s metal department at Washington University in St Louis. There he studied under the legendary Finnish master silversmith Heikki Seppä who has developed the technique of anticlastic raising into the form of art we can see today in jewellery and sculptures created by artists around the world. The technique enables one to create the most complex forms using only a hammer and a stake. Learning to work with this technique was to become Juha´s faith and future.
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In the historic region of Isokyrö in the Ostrobothnia region of Finland we can, among other sights, find two very interesting specialties under the same roof. The place, an old local dairy, was originally famous for its exquisite cheese but now it hosts a local whiskey distillery and is also the home of a world champion awarded gin named after the region, Kyrö. But since this article isn´t about beverages let us move on to the other specialty in the same premises. The local goldsmith who is famous for his work where he applies the anticlastic raising technique combined with titanium, mokumegane and precious metals.
Titanium and gold, bracelet and earrings Photo: Juha Koskela
for Michael Good, who also is a master of the anticlastic technique. For eleven years he developed his skills, both as an employee but also as an independent entrepreneur and acquired an exquisite reputation as an artist among his large clientele. However, when Juha´s children
reached the age of starting school it was time to rethink the future once more. In this situation the Finnish educational system seemed more preferrable, so the family moved back to Finland once again. Juha became part of a jeweller’s collective called Union Design where he
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The creativeness and brilliance of his designs rendered him the title
“Goldsmith of the year” 2003. worked for eight years and the Finnish public got to enjoy the beautiful designs created with the new technique and the skills he had processed during the years in Rockport.
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A UNIQUE MIX OF TECHNIQUE AND MATERIALS. In Juha´s work the anticlastic method is present as the main theme. A bold use of different materials is also a significant factor in his designs. Titanium is an interesting metal. Hard but yet light and it has a special feature. It can be coloured in just about every nuance using heat or electrical current. The element of colour is obviously a very important element for Juha. Also, the old Japanese mokume-gane technique of fusing layers of different metals into a block from which you can create metal plate in gorgeous patterns has become an important element in Juha´s artwork. The creativeness and brilliance of his designs rendered him the title “Goldsmith of the year” 2003. SETTLING DOWN IN ISOKYRÖ. After eight successful years in Helsinki he left the metropole and moved to his wife´s family estate in Isokyrö in the Ostrobothnia region in western Finland. Here he has his shop and workshop, both situated in the same building that now serves as a whiskey distillery under the name Kyrö Distillery Company. Even though Isokyrö is a remote destination the distillery draws crowds and gives as such the best of conditions for a creative artist. A very intense summer season with a large number of visitors that are interested in luxury and skill, be it distilled beverages or exquisite jewellery, and a more peaceful winter season with time to explore and create new pieces and works of art. A must destination when visiting Finland. ■ Buoey earrings, gold Photo: Juha Koskela
https://juhakoskeladesign.com/
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The "Bolmman" in the palm of a hand Photograpy: Tiina Tahvanainen
GULDVIVA FLOWER WORTHY OF A PRINCESS By Henrik KIHLMAN
The Åland islands, situated right between Finland and Sweden offers a tourist the most beautiful piece of archipelago the Baltic has to offer but it is also known for its shipping industry. Before the second world war it hosted the world´s largest commercial sailing ship fleet that would carry wheat from Australia and guano from Chile back to Europe. This seemingly remote location was definitely connected to the big world at an early stage. Its enterprising people are still known for their diligence and has the highest employment rate in Finland. Among these thriving companies we find a local goldsmith company Guldviva, founded and run by goldsmith Maria Karlström.
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DEVELOPMENT THROUGH DETERMINATION. In the spring of 2018, the business had grown to the point that a decision to enlarge the shop was made and a brand-new annex was built in connection with the old shop. This finally gave enough space to fulfill a dream of an own flagship store decorated in our own style and to have the workshop, behind a glass wall, open for customers to see how the jewellery is being made. The road to this point of success hasn´t always been easy. It has taken a huge amount of work, stubbornness, sleepless nights and worries about the future.
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Coming from a family of entrepreneurs Maria has a strong will and the belief in success. If you are determined in your beliefs and work hard for your goals, there are no limits. A company is a little bit like a child. You can´t leave It alone and it needs nourishing all the time whatever the situation might be. After ten years of running her business Maria noticed that things had developed, and the business started to be quite successful. It was time to elaborate new ideas, designs and stories. There was no time for subcontracting and repairs anymore so this bit of the work pallet came to an end. Now all focus was put to develop her own brand.
Photograpy: Lundberg
WORKSHOP IN THE SEA QUARTERS. Walking the shore of the east harbour in Mariehamn (Capital of Åland) you will find the idyllic sea quarters hosting traditional boatyards, souvenir shops and restaurants. In one of the traditional red buildings, you find an inviting glass door that leads you in to a tastefully decorated jewellers´ shop and studio where you, apart from shopping, also can see the jewellery being made on site. The Guldviva company was founded in 1989 as a small showroom in an old sawmill in Mariehamn. Maria had trained to become a goldsmith as an apprentice in the workshop of the highly skilled master goldsmith Kaj Rinman. Right from the start Maria has been open to new methods of enterprising and from the beginning utilized the new technology available to start a web shop on the side to enhance the sales. When the millennium changed the year 2000 the company moved down to the sea quarters in the east harbour. At first, they shared the premises with a cafeteria. The concept of a jewellery cafeteria was very successful and attracted a lot of customers. In fact, the location was so attractive that Maria decided to purchase an old fish smokery, renovate it and set up her shop permanently.
Photograpy: Lundberg
Photograpy: Lundberg
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MOST SUCCESSFUL DESIGNS. The concept was easily found in the nearby surroundings. The archipelago generates easily topics originating from nature, boats, fish and the sea that are inspiring the design. The familiar topics are popular with the customers and have had a good success. Timeless and simple is Maria´s motto. The signature piece of jewellery for Guldviva has always been the “Blomman (Flower)”. A piece that is very familiar but yet unknown. Almost everybody that has travelled on the Viking Line ferries between Finland and Sweden has come across the “Blomman” in the tax-free shops from where it has spread widely. - Another hit has been the “Angel”. It was from the beginning meant to be a Christmas product but it´s popularity took us by surprise, and it became our other permanent hit product, says Maria. As a symbol it is appropriate for so many occasions and it carries so much positive symbolism.
WORTHY OF A PRINCESS. -When I heard that the crown princess Victoria of Sweden was about to visit Åland I sent the royal court a couple of pieces and a letter where I explained about crafts and culture on Åland. Before the princesses’ visit, I received a thank you note court. Dream of my surprise when the princess exited the plane, and she was wearing the “Blomman” necklace. That was a proud
Photograpy: Lundberg
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moment. Apparently, she likes the necklace since she has been seen wearing it at several different occasions. It gives me great pleasure to state that we have been able to establish a local jewellery production that reflects our heritage and culture here on this little island. After a rough initial stage, we are now on a solid ground and our capacity of handmade jewellery already exceeds 10.000 pieces per year.
The Guldviva building in winter
Photograpy: Tiina Tahvanainen
PRESERVING THE TRADITION. In the shop there is a corner decorated as an old goldsmith’s shop. Maria has actively collected memorabilia from old goldsmiths’ workshops and shops. This gives the new shop a warm and welcoming ambience and the workshop an aura of tradition.
- By showing and using these old furniture and tools want to be able to pass on the Ålandic tradition of goldsmithing to my customers and also to a younger generation. For me this is an important cultural deed. It seems like Guldviva has achieved what many small entrepreneurs only dreams of. So, when I ask Maria what more she could wish for she smiles and says – After 30 years of building a working concept it would be nice to expand and find serious retailers that see potential in our concept outside Åland. ■
https://www.guldviva.com/en/
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LOD A FIXED STAR ON THE SWEDISH JEWELLERY SCENE
Necklace, “Water lily”, silver with citrin. Model: Petronella Eriksson. Photography: Christian Habetzeder.
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Since
1999 the Swedish public has been able to enjoy an interesting mixed collection of jewellery and corpus silver at the gallery and workshop of the jewellery cooperative LOD on Norra Agnegatan 40 in the Kungsholmen area in central Stockholm. For 22 years This group of young artists has grown into a wellestablished and known establishment providing exhibitions, happenings and many other forms of activity besides offering what you would call normal jewelers´ services to a solid customer base. It all started when six young artists after their graduation from Konstfack, University of Arts- Craft and Design, were thinking about their future and how to utilize their skills for the best benefit. The answer was found in the shape of a collective where each artist could develop their own skills but as a group have the support of colleagues and create a more interesting and diverse concept for the public. The fuonding members were Erik Tidäng, Åsa Lockner, Tobias Birgersson, Klara Eriksson, Eva Wistedt and David Taylor.
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- We wanted to create a platform to earn a living of making jewellery and corpus silver. Run a gallery shop with a work studio, have the possibility to have individual exhibitions and create other exciting projects as a group as well as individually. - The name LOD has several meanings and illustrates in many ways the craft we are working in. LOD means solder and solder is of course something that holds pieces together, like our group. Lod also means a plummet. A devise for indicating a straight vertical line using the law of gravity. Of the original six founding members only Erik Tidäng and Klara Eriksson are left. Lod has proven to be an excellent platform where the members have been able to develop their artistic direction and grow as artists. All of the original members that have left LOD during the years are still working as appreciated artists in the field of jewellery and design carrying with them the experience of LOD. LOD is of course after 22 years a cemented part of the jewellery scene in Stockholm. When asked what role they have on the Swedish jewellery scene they state:
Brosch: “I am ok”. Model: Anna Nordström
Photography: Christian Habetzeder.
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Photography: Christian Habetzeder.
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Silver necklace: “Arch”, Maki Okamoto.
- We desire to be an open meeting place. A place where upcoming artists can get guidance. A place where you can pop in for a bit of advice or just to borrow a tool if needed. This is for us a way to reach out and share our vast combined competence and experience. LOD is a shop, a gallery and a workshop. It is a place for people to meet with the unexpected and find what they need. A working community and a place for inspiration and discussions where the love for metal as material is the recurring theme. Working in a community raises the question of how to get all the bits and pieces in place and how to share the responsibility? LOD has created a structure that works for them. Every Monday is started with a meeting where current things are being discussed. The meeting is followed by a designated time when everybody is contributing to the common good. Everybody does the things they are good at. Everything from marketing, display, economy, social media to everyday chores such as cleaning and maintenance of the premises. During the week everybody has one day assigned when in charge of customer service. - We like to reach out to our customers by doing some special events, the whole group together. During Christmas season we usually make a collection of simple objects. Last year’s theme was light and shadow and ended up in
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The dinner, table set with productsa from LOD.
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Shell glasses, Pernilla Sylwan.
jewellery, design and art. A place to see experience and explore whether you are an artist, goldsmith or a customer and shear a passionate interest for all the possibilities the field of metalwork and art can offer. It is also the home and workplace of six talented and experienced artists whose combined talent makes the magic happen. There will shortly be a book released about the 22 great years of LOD.
When visiting Stockholm, you are most welcome to pay us a visit. ■ www.lod.nu Henrik KIHLMAN Teapot: “Tea online”, Erik Tidäng.
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lanterns, Christmas tree decorations, a lamp and a sundial. We also like to make simple small things like cocktail cutlery for customers for them to get used to buying silver objects. Our specialty is that we can produce almost anything from metal. Everything from wedding bands to lamps and furniture. Since LOD has six individual artists working everybody has their own style and specialty. Erik Tidäng is driven by exploring new techniques and methods that he develops and combines with traditional silversmithing. This gives him a very broad range to create everything from very precise wedding bands to big sculptures in steel. Maki Okamoto works within the extended field of contemporar y jewellery. Deeply caring for the relationship between human and object. Maki works metal into pieces where the functional and sensory meet reoccurring themes such as memory and emptiness. Never with a downhearted sense of loss or hollowness but with a life affirming melancholy whereby Maki passes her work to wearer or viewer with a notion that it only marks the beginning of the story. Petronella Eriksson is educated as a goldsmith. She gets her inspiration from forests and plants. Her pots like to be covered with soot from the campfire and to be washed in a stream. Her jewellery grows with the traces of use. The art consists of the use of the piece. Pernilla Sylwan has a background in scenography. It is very detectable in her approach to her creations. She examines expression and form through quantities and groups, where every group becomes a scenography in itself. Anna Nordström is the most recent member of LOD. She appreciates harmony in lines and the fragility of the graceful, but through the roughness in forging. Welding and hammering are her thing which you can clearly see in her sculptural wall pieces made by welding. Klara Eriksson likes to examine the nature of curves in different objects such as bowls and rings. She loves for her objects to be used and worn during long periods of time bringing joy and satisfaction to the user. Her objects will bring an element of luxury and wellbeing in your everyday life. LOD is a meeting place, a market place and an important center for
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VENICE DESIGN WEEK Interview with Lisa BALASSO
What is the main mission of the Venice Design Week? Venice Design Week creates a network between designer, dealers, manufacturers and public. We promote brands and young designers. We love to create synergies to give new opportunities to the participants. Venice Design Week is in October, this month is dedicated to design, giving locals and tourists alike the opportunity to discover the Venice Design Week and at the same time the Biennale of Art or Architecture. VDW was founded by Lisa Balasso in the 2010. How many events took place during 2020 edition? Did corona virus have some impact? We had 30 events 8 of them only digital the other with the possibility to take part in it in person. In other years we have more participation but the corona virus limited the public, we
had every event by reservation, it was more difficult for us to organize it with both systems physical and digital. What we loved of streaming events it was the direct connection with people who were on the other part of the world. What role jewellery plays in this event? It is important many newspapers in Italy speak about our design week like specialized in jewellery because we have more event about this subject. We love the Jewelry Selection because it was the first one that we decided to have each year. Now we are at the 7th edition.
Lisa Balasso and Anna Fanigina
What is the idea of INSTRUMENTADESIGN 2020? Each Designer can be inspired by ancient objects, ruins and can develop a contemporary concept. We worked with Italian Museum in 2020 and we
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Anna Fanigina Winner of INSTRUMENTADESIGN contemporary design inspired by archeology
are open to other museums for 2021. We believe that there are humankind basic necessities that have forged some shapes and we like to suggest the public to think about it. How many participants did INSTRUMENTADESIGN 2020 have? From which countries? The Competition INSTRUMENTA DESIGN had 64 participants from Italy, Taiwan, India and Latvia. The Jewelry Selection had 78 projects from Italy, Germany, Romania, Switzerland, Croatia, Slovenia, Olanda, Israel, Brasile, Corea, United States, Czech Republic, Iran, Latvia. Anna Fanigina from Latvia won the award. What was special about her work? The collection of earrings dedicated to the heroines of Roman frescoes of the 1st century AD from Pompeii
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and Stabia won the first award INSTRUMENTADESIGN because her work was really particular and very well done. The patterns for jewellery were such famous frescoes as “Flora”, “Leda” and “Diana” from a villa in Stabia, now presented in the Archaeological Museum of Naples, as well as other, less well-known images of dancers, flying figures and deities. It comes laden with a sense of flight, lightness, joy, so characteristic of ancient art. The main part of the earrings is made of silver with inserts of artificial gems or acrylic, the colour palette of which is selected according to specific samples of Roman wall painting. Each earring is unique due to its shade and impression transferred to the flat surface of gem using laser engraving. The works demonstrate the desig ner admiration for ancient culture and art, backed up by many years of work
Wu Meng Ju student prize – project Land – archeological inspiration tomba della Biga at Museo Nazionale Archeologico Adria RO Italia
in her experience in the archaeological expedition in the Roman villa in Stabia. Anna Fanigina has been selected also for the exhibition Jewelry Selection 2020. Are there any plans for Venice Design Week next year? We have organized the new Venice Design Week Jewelry Selection 2021 which has the theme "dazzle me!" and will end on June 28th, 2021. The winners will exhibit in Venice in October. And for jewellery designers we have also the option inSHOP: if a designer looks for a retailer in Venice we can suggest this option it is an easy way to expand the network. Next Venice Design Week will be from the 9th to the 17th of October 2021. ■
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Amedeo Bonini special mention – project Tene me ne mori – archeological inspiration slave collar at Museo Terme di Diocleziano Kirkeriano Roma Italia
The
contemporary artists from Poland, France, Belgium, Lithuania, Germany, Slovakia, the Netherlands, Great Britain and China, to name a few. The most impor tant element of Legnica SILVER Festival is the International Jewellery Competition, which features numerous works by artists from several dozen countries every year. Each year the Competition has a different leitmotif, referring to significant, universal problems and issues of the contemporary world and contemporary people, seen in the social, cultural, sociological or anthropological perspective of everyday life. In the catastrophic year of 2020, the Competition participants had many reasons to creatively reflect on the condition of contemporary man, and the starting point for these reflections became the leading theme: STILL HUMAN?
The works submit ted to the competition show a wide spectrum of interpretations of the competition leitmotif, sometimes representing very different approaches to the issue. The artists referred to, among other things, ecological themes - showing the destructive influence of human activity on the natural environment, as well as shared their reflections on the consequences of technological development. There are also many personal themes – about intimacy, relationships, and jewellery quoting the authors' very personal stories. The manufacturing techniques and materials used by the artists were also varied. Apart from traditional golden and silver objects, submitted jewellery is made of plexiglas, wood, human hair, everyday objects or bioplastics, such as PLA created from corn. On 19-22 February, the debate of the Competition Jury took place. An international group of Jurors, consisting of: Caroline Broadhead (United Kingdom),
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41st edition of Legnica SILVER Festival will take place in May and will once again bring together artists and lovers of contemporary artistic jewellery. The event will culminate on 28-29.05.2021. This year's programme will include exhibitions planned, prepared and ... cancelled due to the pandemic last year. This time - ready for different scenarios - we are preparing the event in a hybrid form, enabling participation regardless of the current epidemiological situation. Legnica will host 15 solo and group exhibitions, cross-sectional and problem-based, presenting various examples of artistic jewellery by
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jewellery based on objects received from other members of the project. The Legnica edition will be held under the motto Extranalities, and will feature works by the initiators - Herman Hermsen and Timothy Information Limited – as well as invited artists: Peter Vermandere, Felieke van der Leest, Sofia Björkman, Denise Reytan, Sara Gackowska. During the Festival Legnica will also host exhibitions organised within the framework of: International Competition of Artistic Jewellery PRESENTATIONS 2019, held under the motto of Prosthetics. The competition is organised by the Association of Goldsmithing Artists; The 24th International Competition for the Design of Jewellery with Amber AMBERIF DESIGN AWARD 2020, under the theme Ultimate Beauty, which is held annually as part of the International Amber and Jewellery Fair Amberif in Gdańsk; and Eco-sight Competition, organised in 2020 by the International Baltic Jewellery Fair in Vilnius. The festival will be accompanied by a number of fringe events, which will be conducted in a form adequate to the current epidemiological situation and with respect to all safety regulations. You are welcome to follow our website and social media, where we share news and information about the event. ■ silver.legnica.eu/en IG: legnica_silver_festival FB: Legnica Jewellery Festival Silver
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with spatiality and three-dimensional compositions, and treats her jewellery like small architectural works. As every year, young artists, students of art and design, will also have a chance to present their work. This time Legnica will host shows prepared by students and professors from two Silver Schools: The Metal and Jewellery Studio S+M+L_ XL (Academy of Fine Arts and Design in Bratislava, Slovakia), under the direction of Prof. Karol Weisslechner, and the Jewellery and Metal Department at the Academy of Fine Arts (Shanghai University, China), led by Prof. Shannon Guo. The debut exhibitions will include jewellery by Luiza Mężyńska and Justyna Kowalczyk - young graduates of Władysław Strzemiński Academy of Fine Arts in Łódź. A retrospective look at the Polish artistic jewellery of the 1980s and 1990s will be provided by the exhibition Handmade. Polish Silver Art 1979-1997, presenting the silverwork collections of the Copper Museum in Legnica co-organiser of the exhibition. It will bring closer the specific character and development of Polish gold- and silversmithery of that period through the prism of the National Review of Goldsmithing Forms SILVER. It will be accompanied by a presentation of works by Marek Huculak, a member of the Association of Jewellery Artists, who died in 2020. Another point in the SILVER schedule is the sixth edition of the international Mechanorganic / Mechanic-organic project, the idea of which is to create
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Magdalena Kwiatkiewicz (Poland), Georg Dobler (Germany), Darijus Gerlikas (Lithuania) and Sławomir Fijałkowski (Poland) evaluated 357 works by 186 artists from 35 countries, including: Germany, Italy, Taiwan, Mexico and New Zealand. Works by 44 artists were selected for the post-competition exhibition. The list of qualified participants is available on our website. Works sent to the Competition, but not qualified by the jury will go to the exhibition of "the rejected", named Holownia after the traditional place of presentation (the Old Town Hall). The announcement of the Compe tition results and the award ceremony will take place on 29 May (Saturday). The event will also be available on our communication channels. The programme of Legnica SILVER Festival includes 15 exhibitions of artistic jewellery and accompanying events. As part of the series of solo exhibitions called About the Authors, an extensive cross-sectional show of works by Professor Andrzej Szadkowski, one of the most important Polish jewellery artists, founder of the Department of Jewellery at the Faculty of Textile and Fashion at the Academy of Fine Arts in Łódź, will be organised. We will also learn about the following authors: Marion Delarue and Delphine Perrache. The former’s work focuses on the problem of illusion, imitation and the state of transformation, generating collections such as: Agate Jewellery and Parrot Admirers. Dephine Perrache, on the other hand, is known for her fascination
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A RTISTIC INSPIR ATIONS / POLISH JEW ELLERY R EPORT
A RTISTIC INSPIR ATIONS / RUSSI A N JEW ELLERY R EPORT
WHAT MAKES A PIECE OF JEWELRY A MASTERPIECE?
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By Olga NIKONOV
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Natalya, your most famous works were created from a substance that one cannot dare to call jewelry – paper. How did the idea to use such a non-trivial material come about, and why did you find it more worthy of attention than the usual gold or silver? In fact, jewelers have always tried to go beyond the usual shapes and materials. When Tatiana and I started participating in jewelry design contests in 1996, we wanted to come up with something completely unusual. It is interesting for us to do large, shocking, podium things, to combine the incongruous. We tried many things – feathers, wood, fibers ... But it was paper, which revealed itself to us as a very plastic and textured material. Paper gives an invaluable opportunity for a jeweler to control color and shape – you yourself create a material in which you can materialize your idea. After all, jewelers usually work from the opposite – they take a stone or metal and figure out how to beat it, what design will favorably emphasize its beauty.
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Precious metal, diamonds and gems, sophisticated and sophisticated materials processing techniques – this is the first thing that you imagine when it comes to jewelry. Nevertheless, the famous St. Petersburg artists, sisters Natalya and Tatyana Tarasova convincingly prove that the material is not decisive, and the times when the cost of jewelry was determined mainly by the weight of the metal and the quality of the stone are gone forever. Repeated winners of international jewelry design competitions, including such famous ones as the International Jewelry Design Excellence Award-2017 competition in Hong Kong, masters whose works are in the collection of the State Hermitage Museum and the Museum of Modern Jewelry in Pforzheim, (Germany), they create jewelry masterpieces from the most unexpected materials. We talked with Natalya Tarasova about the search for new forms and features of the development of Russian jewelry art. Probably, it is much easier to work with paper? Not as easy as it seems. Initially, we create blocks by gluing together multi-colored layers of paper. One block takes about a month. In addition, the end of this initial stage is unpredictable: not everything is successful the first time. However, at the end we get a pliable material, light, although not the most pleasant in processing, which allows you to fantasize endlessly with color, shapes, rhythm and texture. And yet, why not metal? Is there a Makume Gane technique that creates metal with a variety of streaks and layers? Is there a titanium that gives a magical play of color? Of course, we considered all these options, but we did not find one that would give such limitless color options as paper. Moreover, the products are becoming too expensive and heavy. In addition, the appropriate equipment must be selected. This does not mean that we do not experiment further – we still
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A RTISTIC INSPIR ATIONS / RUSSI A N JEW ELLERY R EPORT
Each appearance of your products at competitions creates a sensation – numerous prizes are proof of this. Nevertheless, the works are insultingly few, and for 10 years, you did not take part in competitions at all and did not show your products. Why? Time for everything is sorely lacking, because we also have serial production, where administrative tasks require constant attention. We have to distinguish very clearly between work and hobbies, which the creative process has become for us. On the one hand, the availability of production helps us to realize our ideas – we have machines, equipment. Sometimes creative ideas flow into mass-produced products. However, the combination of these two realities always comes at the expense of creativity. There are many ideas and it is really a shame that not all of them come to fruition. Wasn’t there a temptation to engage exclusively in creativity? Unfortunately, in our country, the jewelry art has found itself in a very difficult situation, the art market has remained outside the attention of society, and, more recently, practically outlawed. New amendments to the Federal Law of June 23, 2020 N 188-FZ “On Amendments to the Federal Law” On Precious Metals and Precious Stones “ has regulated very clearly the process of turnover of precious metals, which was useful and correct from the point of view of taxation and increasing the transparency of the industry. Nevertheless, jewelers-artists were left behind – only few of them will master all this reporting in order to continue working with precious metals. Few will be able to present their works at international exhibitions. The government simply did not consider us, our interests in the new law. In addition, we have very few exhibitions, museums almost never buy the works of jewelers – and this is one of the conditions not only for the development of the creative potential of artisans, but also for the formation of consumer taste. The existing secrecy inherent in our workshop leads to the fact that technologies are
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Since you are talking about the taste of the consumer, how ready, in your opinion, is he for such experiments, isn’t it? In general, is there a tendency to reject jewelry, because in the modern world there are so many substitute products, that can also show status, taste, and emphasize individuality? A person will never give up jewelry. Moreover, in times of crises, paradoxically, the industries involved in “decorating” a person – fashion, cosmetology and jewelry – flourish. People are trying to create the best version of themselves, and thereby increase their competitiveness in the market – to become younger, more beautiful, look richer. Nevertheless, during the crisis, the tastes of society become more conservative – everyone wants stability and confidence that investments in expensive purchases are made correctly. However, the consumer in Russia is already overly conservative – the majority need the classics, so that, like everyone else, there is a brand, which is tested and approved by society. We often came across the fact that the mere fact of jewelry made of paper disgusts the nonprofessional. He does not understand this and does not admit it. However, in Europe, our products are accepted with much greater interest. It is also funny that the few “wearable” things we create often end up in the collections of art historians – professionals correctly assess the artistic and conceptual value of what we do. Is it possible to change the taste of society, to influence its formation? Exhibitions, screenings, inclusion in museum expositions gradually form an interest in new forms and concepts. However, work is not fast. Moreover, the tastes of society change radically in an era of change. When Tatiana was writing her diploma on the theme of the avant-garde of the 1920s, I was very interested in this topic. This was an era of total breakdown of foundations, when absolutely everything changed; a society was built with a new consciousness, way of life, education and new aesthetics. In addition, this gave such a powerful impetus to the development of creative thought that the Russian avantgarde became the source from which artists have been drawing inspiration for a whole century. Something similar happened in the 90s, during perestroika. Everything in the country collapsed, no one had money, but a huge number of creative people appeared who created amazing jewelry from scrap materials – wood, plastic, medical droppers, from all kinds of trash. They managed to find new forms, new plastic solutions. I am sure that the more restrictions, the better the artist works, because he needs to come up with something original with a minimum of resources, and this greatly excites the creative thought. ■
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But the very concept of jewelry kills away from precious materials, isn’t it? In general, is it possible to equate jewelry and jewelry? On the other hand, does it not become a piece of jewelry because of what it is made of? At all times, a person adorned himself, using for this everything that was at hand: wood, stone, leaves, flowers, bones. Nevertheless, these fragile objects have not reached us; archaeologists find only those decorations that were made of metal and stone, that is, what could physically survive. In general, this has formed the concept of jewelry as a piece of jewelry. However, if you can see beauty, are able to extract and present it, is it so important what material is used? There is a huge industry in the gold and diamond niche. There are tons of classic, but alas, quite the same type of things, in which there is no special artistic value, their value is determined by the material costs of production. In addition, there are designers who work with unconventional materials and come up with something
lost – we cannot repeat much of what Faberge did, which it is customary to look up to when speaking of Russian jewelry art. We have no co-working system, no grants and no gallery owners. You see, for example, in Europe, workshops have been created, equipped with the necessary equipment, tools and equipment – the master does not need to buy all this on his own, it is enough to rent a workbench, and you can use all the equipment. Grants allow Western artists to develop conceptual art rather than survival.
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work with metals and stones, with wood and other materials. Yes, and with paper, not everything is clear yet – every time we try new ways of processing it, we get very unexpected and inspiring results.
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SIMPLY BRILLIANT
ARTIST-JEWELLERS OF THE 1960s AND 1970s
In Cooperation with the Cincinnati Art Museum 27 March through 27 June 2021
Simply
put, jewellery of the 1960s and '70s was revolutionary. If the 1950s were demure and controlled, the 1960s became an era of youthful rebellion and radical cultural change -and a new style of jewellery was part of that zeitgeist. Rock 'n' roll, the Vietnam War, the Kennedy assassinations, the civil rights and women's movements, the widespread use of hallucinogenic drugs, and the concept of free love are all associated with these tumultuous decades. From space-age plastic hoop earrings to the hippie's beaded necklaces, jewellery expressed individuality, nonconformity and the aesthetic, political, and intellectual values of the person who wore it. Beyond these expressions in inexpensive costume jewellery that was available to all, fine jewellery took an equal turn to incorporate the mood of the times. Young jewellery designers
Veracruz Necklace Gold, platinum, amethyst, diamonds Jean Vendome (1930-2017) France, 1972 Courtesy of the Cincinnati Art Museum, Kimberly Klosterman Collection, Photo Tony Walsh
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For more information, please visit www.schmuckmuseum.de
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Brooch Gold, malachite, diamonds Karl Stittgen (*1930 in Germany) Canada, 1970s Courtesy of the Cincinnati Art Museum, Kimberly Klosterman Collection, Photo Tony Walsh
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Bracelet Gold, pearls, garnets David Thomas (*1936) England, 1965 Courtesy of the Cincinnati Art Museum, Kimberly Klosterman Collection, Photo Tony Walsh
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no longer wanted simply to create demure baubles that accessorized current fashions. They thought of themselves as artists first, jewellers second, approaching their work as any painter or sculptor. They worked in gold, focusing on organic forms, favoring abstract shapes, and concepts related to spaceage trends. They incorporated unconventional materials and were unrivaled in the texture and scale they brought to their designs. Drawn from one of the most important private collections in the world, assembled by local Cincinnatian Kimberly Klosterman, this exhibition features the work of an international set of independent jewellers as well as major houses as Cartier or Van Cleef & Arpels. The jewellery designers and makers of the 1960s and '70s were uncompromising in their vision. They took jewellery to a new level of artistry that paralleled the radical changes in society during these decades. ■
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A RTISTIC INSPIR ATIONS / GER M A N JEW ELLERY R EPORT
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TODAY LATVIAN JEWELLERY COMMUNITY IS A STRONGER FORCE
Interview with Ginta GRUBE LJAA Board Member
What is the mission of the Latvian Jewellery Art Association? Latvian Jewellery Art Association (LJAA) brings together professionals active in the field. The aim is to organize exhibitions and other events and promote Latvian jewellery art locally and internationally. Also focus on fundraising for jewellery related projects. The association gathers information and facilitates the exchange of experience among young and experienced jewellers. We wish to collaborate with educational institutions as well as other related organizations. How many members does this association have? Today there are 22 members in LJAA. To illustrate the diversity of members the youngest are in their 20’s and among the senior members are prominent Latvian jewellers of whom one recently celebrated his 70th anniversary. How was it established? What is the story behind? LJAA was established in February 2018 by jewellery artists Janis and Zane Vilki (husband and wife) and Valdis Broze (the first LJAA Board Members). ”Crucial
moment to establish an association was after the very successful exhibition SYNERGY. Contemporary Trends in Metal Art and Design at the Museum of Decorative Arts and Design in the end of 2017. The exhibition broke a 20-year hiatus since the previous exhibition of a similar scale. One of the goals of the association became to continue regular exhibiting,” remembers Zane Vilka. From August 4, 2020 the board is represented by Zane Vilka, Maris Sustins and me (Ginta Grube). What projects did Latvian Jewellery Art Association do? The first jointly organized art project was the exhibition A PRIORI in Latvia, Cesis Exhibition Hall (June 21 – July 27, 2019) with the support of the State Culture Capital Foundation (SCCF). The concepts a priori and a posteriori are philosophical terms used to distinguish two types of knowledge. A priori stands for the starting point of the LJAA thus the first exhibition gathered members regardless of previous experience. Some had a wealth of experience while others were fresh from school. Both experienced and well-known artists as well as young graduates joined together to show their latest works. LJAA second joint art project was the exhibition MARK in Daugavpils Mark Rothko Art Centre (07 February – 12 April 2020). MARK was a keyword to each
LJAA group photo, from left – Zane Vilka, Darja Semjonova, Maija Vitola-Zitmane, Ilze Egle, Janis Brants, Una Mikuda, Paula Treimane, Anita Savicka, Guntis Laudres, Maris Aunins, Anna Fanigina, Andris Lauders, Rasma Puspure, Ginta Grube, Gints Strelis, Maris Sustins, Laura Selecka and Valdis Broze. Photographer – Kaspars Filips Dobrovolskis. Members absent in the photo – Jelizaveta Suska, Vladislavs Cistjakovs, Janis Vilks and Peteris Ripa.
author’s individual interpretation of the well known painter Mark Rothko or his city of birth or the art centre itself as it is located in the historical artillery arsenal building of Daugavpils Fortress. Brooch was selected as a connecting type of jewellery that would bring it all together through its fundamental features. As Zane Vilka explains: “In jewellery arts, the brooch is traditionally compared to a miniature artwork or painting. (...) This jewellery item has an amazing capacity to highlight the individual traits of its wearer. Oftentimes, artists choose to make a brooch when they want to carry across a certain message that goes beyond functionality. To a jewellery artist, a brooch is what a blank canvas is to a painter. This complex set of ideas finds a brief and concise expression in the exhibition title: MARK. A mark, or a sign, is a loaded word with a substantial range of meaning in many languages. The exhibition title is a tribute to Mark Rothko, a vivid marker of his time, whose art is among our sources of inspiration.” The exhibition was closed ahead of time due to Covid-19 restrictions in
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BUSINESS INSIGHTS / L AT V I A N JEW ELLERY R EPORT
March 2020. Notwithstanding this, the exhibition was highly attended and is considered a success. The latest project funded by the SCCF is the LJAA website – latvianjewellery. org which is about to start off in the beginning of 2021.
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Ginta Grube, brooch for the exhibition Apriori. Photographer – Maris Grinbergs.
MARK exhibition openeing. Photographer – Ginta Grube.
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Una Mikuda, brooch for exhibition MARK. Photo courtesy – author.
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In your personal opinion how does jewellery communities in Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia differ? Which one is the most active? This is not an easy question. It seems as Estonians are more united with the Scandinavians. As an example they were a part of the project From the Coolest Corner. Nordic Jewellery in 2013. The massive project (symposium, a travelling exhibition and a book) presented jewellery from Northern Europe naming Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Norway, Sweden and the Baltic States (information from press release). The Baltic States however were presented by only one of the three Baltic countries – Estonia. Latvian jewellery history has a close connection with Estonia regarding the education in the 80’s when several jewellery artists graduated the Art Institute of Estonia. Some of them are also members of LJAA. Lithuanians are forming their own community separate from Estonians. Probably due to geographical location and historical means Lithuanians form a common interest with Poland. There have been joined art projects between the Art Academy of Latvia, Metal design department and metal artists from The Lithuanian Art Academy. I have personally participated in the exhibition “Latvijos ir Lietuvos metalo menas” that took place at the gallery TITANIKAS in Vilnius in March 2011. The exhibition was a response to an event
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Why jewellery artists need an association? Coming together in an association brings a stronger force to each of the member and helps to withstand stronger competition among other art fields in the context of fundraising. “The broad spectrum of generations and styles among the association is a definite strength that enables us to be at the forefront of the new developments and, at the same time, to ensure unbroken continuity in our field,” says Zane Vilka, the Chairman of the LJAA Board.
BUSINESS INSIGHTS / L AT V I A N JEW ELLERY R EPORT
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in order to reduce the impact of the negative consequences of Covid19 on the cultural sector and the creative persons working in it. In the first competition 347 creative persons received funding and later a second round was announced and 663 creative persons received funding and several jewellery artists were among them. In the second round a total of 1,003,908 EUR was granted. Eligible for support were artists (creative persons) with the average monthly income under 538 EUR per month (for a certain few month period) and the beneficiaries received a lump sum of 1614 EUR. The funding aimed to support those whose incomes had fallen sharply due to the restrictions to avoid Covid-19. SCCF also announced a Creative Person Support Scholarship to artists that have been granted a state old-age pension.
LJAA Board Members, from left – Maris Sustins, Zane Vilka, Ginta Grube. Photographer – Kaspars Filips Dobrovolskis.
of the same kind held in 2009 at the Arts Academy of Latvia. The friendship was based on the previous generation and I hope that the new generation will reconstruct the bound between the two countries once again. Latvia is somewhere in the middle both geographically and figuratively, concerning the organization of jewellery art community. Which country is the most active seems to me as a provocative question aiming to highlight one of the countries. Although healthy competition between neighbouring countries seems inevitable I see the Baltic States and their relations differently. I prefer to encourage cooperation highlighting reasonable strengths of each community. Although in the nearest past a common event of all three countries has been but a dream, I see a possibility of such a measure thanks to the communication capabilities of the new generation. From my point of view educational institutions
have been the central meeting point for each country’s jeweller communities. From now on I believe that new nongovernmental organizations (as LJAA) should play a more important role in transnational communication. This also seems to be a good time and place to announce LJAA desire to engage in closer communication with the two neighbouring countries, which could hopefully result in joint exhibitions and other events in the future. This would help to mark the Baltic States as a jewellery community evolving point in a worldly context. Did your government have any measurements to help artists that felt covid impact to their economic wellbeing? The upper mentioned SCCF announ ced Creative person employment pro gr am that was established on the initiative of the Ministry of Culture
In general did Covid-19 have much impact to jewellery community? How did Latvian jewellers dealt with it? Somehow it seems that the impact is only about to come. Too little time has passed to see the true changes in the community. Jewellery artist in general is a loner. With rare exceptions work with contemporary jewellery is basically one person in his/her workshop. The regulations of gathering don’t change the everyday work in the workshop. People still have money so they are able to commission new work. But how will the situation develop in the following months is hard to predict. What do you think are the prospects for 2021? Will jewellery industry recover fast? As I already wrote previously, I think the worst is yet to come. So the question about recovery is also asked too early. The small businesses might have more problems in comparison to large companies but this is due to a new tax policy rather than Covid-19. Constant changes in the tax system in my opinion are a major problem in Latvia and in such unstable times it is even worse to cope with jet new changes. ■
The information on the Creative person employment program and scholarship was gathered from www.km.gov.lv; www.kkf.lv and www.lsm.lv.
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MARKET REVIEW / WORLDWIDE JEWELLERY REPORT
The Worldwide
Gold Price
Monthly average 2019–2021
EUR per troy ounce 1700 1650 1600 1550 1500 1450 1400 1350 1300 ● 84
1100 2019 2020 2021 01 02 03 04 05 06 07 08 09 10 11 12 01 02 03 04 05 06 07 08 09 10 11 12 01
B A LT I C J E W E L L E R Y N E W S
1200
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www.gold.org
1250 1150
Data/EUR per troy ounce
31/01/2019 28/02/2019 29/03/2019 30/04/2019 31/05/2019 28/06/2019 31/07/2019 30/08/2019 30/09/2019 31/10/2019 29/11/2019 31/12/2019
1 131,3 1 163,5 1 151,6 1 145,1 1 147,8 1 203,1 1 260,0 1 347,2 1 372,9 1 352,3 1 330,3 1 328,7
31/01/2020 28/02/2020 31/03/2020 30/04/2020 29/05/2020 30/06/2020 31/07/2020 31/08/2020 30/09/2020 30/10/2020 30/11/2020 31/12/2020
1 406,5 1 464,5 1 441,3 1 548,6 1 573,4 1 538,5 1 605,7 1 665,0 1 630,9 1 614,4 1 575,0 1 526,3
29/01/2021
1 534,4
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MARKET REVIEW / WORLDWIDE JEWELLERY REPORT
The Worldwide
Silver Prices Monthly average 2019–2021
Eur / ounce 30 28 26 www.silverprice.org
24 22 20 18 16
Data / USD/OZ
01/01/2019 01/02/2019 01/03/2019 01/04/2019
16,7 16,16 15,55 15,33
01/05/2019
14,87
01/06/2019 01/07/2019 01/08/2019 01/09/2019 01/10/2019 01/11/2019 01/12/2019
15,64 16,73 18,68 17,32 18,36 17,29 18,22
01/01/2020 01/02/2020 01/03/2020 01/04/2020 01/05/2020 01/06/2020
18,26 16,62 14,34 15,26 18,87 18,9
01/07/2020 01/08/2020 01/09/2020 01/10/2020 01/11/2020 01/12/2020
24,46 28,73 23,61 23,76 22,67 26,5
AMBER TRIP RAW TRADE trade@ambertrip.com
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01/01/2021 01/02/2021 01/03/2021
26,91 26,43 26,68
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14 2019 2020 2021 01 02 03 04 05 06 07 08 09 10 11 12 01 02 03 04 05 06 07 08 09 10 11 12 01 02 03
MARKET REVIEW / WORLDWIDE JEWELLERY REPORT
The Worldwide Price for
Raw Amber 2021
AMBER FROM UKRAINE
AMBER FROM RUSSIA
Semi-processed amber (15%)
March 21
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No.
Regular Amber Piece Size
August 20 Price / 1 kg – EUR
No.
Regular Amber Piece Size
Price / 1 kg – EUR
1
/-4 fraction
5
1
0-1 gr.
50
2
/+4-8 fraction
6
2
1-2 gr.
90
3
/+8-11.5 fraction
18
3
1-2 gr. Bead
130
4
/+11.5 fraction
35
4
2-5 gr.
160
5
/+14 fraction
65
5
5-10 gr. Clear
270
6
/+16 fraction
130
6
5-10 gr. Matte/semi-matte
360
7
2 gr. – 5 gr.
130
7
10-20 gr. Clear
410
8
5 gr. – 10 gr.
260
8
10-20 gr. Matte/semi-matte
610
9
10 gr. – 20 gr.
700
9
20-50 gr. Clear
910
10
20 gr. – 50 gr.
1050
10
20-50 gr. Matte/semi-matte
1110
11
50 gr. – 100 gr.
2100
11
50-100 gr. Clear
1205
12
100 gr. – 200 gr.
2350
12
50-100 gr. Matte/semi-matte
1410
13
200 gr. – 300 gr.
2600
13
100-200 gr. Clear
1510
2
300 gr. – 500 gr.
2800
14
100-200 gr. Matte/semimatte
1810
AMBER FROM UKRAINE Raw amber
August 20 No.
Regular Amber Piece Size
Price / 1 kg – EUR
1
0-1 gr.
35
2
1-2 gr.
70
3
1-2 gr. Bead
130
4
2-5 gr.
220
5
5-10 gr. Clear
300
6
5-10 gr. Matte/semi-matte
340
7
10-20 gr. Clear
510
8
10-20 gr. Matte/semi-matte
765
9
20-50 gr. Clear
935
10
20-50 gr. Matte/semi-matte
1020
11
50-100 gr. Clear
1190
12
50-100 gr. Matte/semi-matte
1270
13
100-200 gr. Clear
1530
AMBER TRIP RAW TRADE trade@ambertrip.com
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PERSONALITY / FRENCH JEWELLERY REPORT
JEAN VENDOME INNOVATOR IN THE FIELD OF MODERN JEWELRY
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extraordinary ingenuity: opened its first store in the 11th district of Paris, as well as the money from it was not seen, to create what – or objects, exhibited in the showcase store their pictures, hoping, that it will make customers come and transform your old ornaments. “Those were difficult years, but I wanted to blaze a new path in my profession,” the jeweler recalled.
Jewelry “Jean Vendome” is a completely recognizable identity that cannot be confused with anything. Jean Vendome left the world a legacy of over 30,000 items. Jewelry innovator Ohan Tugdaryan, aka Jean Vendome, is a jeweler with exceptional talent. He used rare stones, feeling their poetry. At over many years’ jewelry items for Jean Vendome they had not been linked to the value of the materials: only with the natural beauty of the stone and the originality of the design.
The
source of inspiration for the jeweler became René Lalique, designer jewelry products in the style of Art Nouveau and the master of glass, for which in the greater degree have significance not tradition, and art embodiment. “His love for art has inspired me”, – wrote Jean Vendome. The jeweler was born in Lyon in April 1930 the year. He felt the urge to paint early. In the workshop of his uncle, a Parisian jeweler studied the basics of the traditional jeweler business and very wanted to go his way. Already in 18 years, aiming to creative independence, Vendome has shown
WORKING WITH THE MATERIAL In the course of many years, the jeweler examined the materials, inspired by the artistic movements of the XX century. First Vendome collided with the metal in the 1950’s years. Creating modern jewelry items, he erased the boundaries between artistic precious stone and high jewelry products. Their graphic lines and exclusive nature gave jeweler unique creative approach, which lost all desire to classify rocks. Violating the generally accepted norms, he gave preference to the beauty of the object, travel and dreamy aspiration, not attaching importance to the quality of stones. On the contrary, as the precious stone has inclusions, then it such unique characteristics become a great opportunity for creativity Vendome. The precious stone in his works became an art object, sculpture, work of art, and a search for natural beauty,
expressed in radiance, color and texture. Jean Vendome became for a certain alchemist – a jeweler who left an indelible impression of his era with the greatest intellectuals of his time. WORKING WITH FORMS Already in 1960’s and 1970’s respectively, when most jewelers showed flat symmetrical decorations, Jean Vendome creating products, representing a blast of organic forms and unconventional volumes. He has become a real leader of jewelers – garde. Jean Vendome ver y seriously approached to the process of the study body. All his ornaments are organically fit into its mold. It seemed jewelry became part of the body that, for which it was manufactured. Moreover, the vanturistic Creator, passionate about gemology and mineralogy, he constantly explored new forms and felt equilibrium. As for the many years, he studied the shape and materials, inspired by the major artistic movements of the 20th century: from pop – kinetics to the spatial dream of Apollo, which were embodied in his jewelry, embodied in itself the most unusual images and forms. COLOR OF FREEDOM Geometric volumes of ring structures represented his passion to urban architecture, and 1980’s were inspired by “ unrealistic walks “, where he plays in the mimetic analogies agates, fragments of eternity, matt and shiny gold jewelry with a phantom quartz. 1990’s were sealed using minerals with a strong color. Their Jean Vendome called “wandering color” or “color of freedom.” It was the time to dream and Jean Vendome used it for his creativity. ■ Project Image & Jewelry Garden First published: www.jewelrygarden.ru
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