What do you like the most about practising your craft?
It is the freedom to create little artworks with leftover Murano glass pieces. I am completely free with regard to shapes and colours and that is how my creativity starts. I combine the great variety of Murano glass with gold and other metals, like copper, silver, bronze or iron.
How do you express tradition and innovation in your work?
Thanks to my four-year apprenticeship at Hemmerle & Co.KG, a renowned goldsmith company in Munich, I had the chance to learn all the traditional techniques. Now I am combining them with a modern touch and unusual materials. The knowledge of traditional goldsmithing techniques gives me the chance to try out new things.
Do you master any specific techniques?
I grind and file down big leftover pieces of Murano glass as though they were gemstones. The technique itself is not new, but, as far as I know, I am the only one working Murano glass this way. Of course glass is not as hard as gemstones, so I have to be very careful. By holding a glasspiece, I can almost feel how and where it might break.
Is this the most challenging aspect of your craft?
Yes and also the fact that I do not use any kind of glue. Thanks to the traditional techniques I learned, I have developed a method to combine multiple pieces of glass together in one of a kind jewellery. I have to assemble the elements in a very consistent way, so that the jewels are permanently fixed and do not fall apart.