I have always loved drawing, and I got interested in jewellery making very early on. My father was working at a state jewellery enterprise in Yaroslavl – his job was to make rubber moulds – and he would sometimes take me with him. I caught the bug instantly, and never doubted my choice.

It was a large ring decorated with the owner’s initials. It was a chance assignment: I was training at my friends’ studio when a client came by, and they invited me to try and make the ring for him. It came out well, and gave me the confidence to move on from being a trainee and start my own career.

Each of my works has a little hidden treasure, an element that only the owner knows about. For example, a ring in the form of a fantasy bird’s head opens up, and inside there is a head of a sleeping girl. The back of a woodpecker brooch which I made for my wife is decorated with maple leaves.

I admire the building of the Stieglitz Academy of Art and Design in St. Petersburg, designed by Maximilian von Messmacher. It reminds me of an enormous fabulous piece of jewellery, and I would spend ages marvelling at its astounding decor. Also, I am a big fan of Arthur Rackham’s book illustrations.