Artist Statement
I grew up in a traditional family of goldsmiths. My college background is in oil and gas refinery engineering. I was supposed to work in
that field, but none of my family members carried on the family tradition as goldsmiths after my uncle died from an accident in his
studio. I decided to follow in my grandfather’s footsteps as a jeweler because I thought it was such a shame to end the family
tradition. Keeping the jewelry tradition for my family is the main reason I decided to become to a jewelry artist. My jewelry concept is
classical techniques and contemporary design in recognition of my grandfather’s past work mixed with the my future.
Using a historical jewelry process, my work is connecting to family memories. I remember that my uncle always used an old welding
tip to heat metals. At that time I was interested in how and why he changed a piece of gold into a really thin wire. My uncle told me
that he used magic to make those thin gold wires into a beautiful butterfly. Later, I figured out that was a traditional jewelry technique
from Russia named filigree. Filigree was used in every one of my uncle's works. Later, it became synonymous with my impression of
classic jewelry. Therefore, I decided to use filigree to symbolize “classical technique” in my jewelry.
The series I am currently working on is “Butterfly’s transformation.” This series continues to use the filigree technique. The butterfly's
metamorphosis is similar to how I use the raw materials – gold and silver – which are transformed through the use of fire and heat
into unique wearable art objects that enhance a woman's beauty. This process is also parallel to my own transformation from an
engineer into an artist who is trying to continue our long family tradition of goldsmiths and artists.When I twist tiny silver wires into a
small form, I can almost hear my grandfather’s voice “Always use your tweezers.” I saw the metals melt and reform. This working
process brings me back to my childhood. The butterflies and flowers are symbols to express the relationship between women and
jewelry. The women in my country always wore jewelry with butterflies and flowers. These two natural creatures are the simplest
figures that express beauty.
I grew up in a traditional family of goldsmiths. My college background is in oil and gas refinery engineering. I was supposed to work in
that field, but none of my family members carried on the family tradition as goldsmiths after my uncle died from an accident in his
studio. I decided to follow in my grandfather’s footsteps as a jeweler because I thought it was such a shame to end the family
tradition. Keeping the jewelry tradition for my family is the main reason I decided to become to a jewelry artist. My jewelry concept is
classical techniques and contemporary design in recognition of my grandfather’s past work mixed with the my future.
Using a historical jewelry process, my work is connecting to family memories. I remember that my uncle always used an old welding
tip to heat metals. At that time I was interested in how and why he changed a piece of gold into a really thin wire. My uncle told me
that he used magic to make those thin gold wires into a beautiful butterfly. Later, I figured out that was a traditional jewelry technique
from Russia named filigree. Filigree was used in every one of my uncle's works. Later, it became synonymous with my impression of
classic jewelry. Therefore, I decided to use filigree to symbolize “classical technique” in my jewelry.
The series I am currently working on is “Butterfly’s transformation.” This series continues to use the filigree technique. The butterfly's
metamorphosis is similar to how I use the raw materials – gold and silver – which are transformed through the use of fire and heat
into unique wearable art objects that enhance a woman's beauty. This process is also parallel to my own transformation from an
engineer into an artist who is trying to continue our long family tradition of goldsmiths and artists.When I twist tiny silver wires into a
small form, I can almost hear my grandfather’s voice “Always use your tweezers.” I saw the metals melt and reform. This working
process brings me back to my childhood. The butterflies and flowers are symbols to express the relationship between women and
jewelry. The women in my country always wore jewelry with butterflies and flowers. These two natural creatures are the simplest
figures that express beauty.