SLOVENIAN JEWELRY WEEK
SIJW
This annual event presents and connects contemporary jewelry designers from Slovenia and around the world. SIJW collaborates with a variety of domestic and international institutions. It is a platform that encourages creativity, knowledge and innovation. It is a link between the past, the present and the future. It is a celebration of art, dedication and passion. It is a celebration of contemporary jewelry that reflects the creators' thoughts and ideas. It is a place where we can feel the designers' creative vision.
Jewelry is magic. It carries the power to elevate our inner and outer beauty and evoke the most beautiful feelings - from the nostalgic, when we remember the loved ones who gave it to us, to the inspiring, when we discover one-of-a-kind pieces of art. Feelings of connection to the past and of responsibility towards future generations. Each piece of jewelry carries a story that intertwines with our own, creating an emotional bond between the wearer and the artist. That is why the theme of this year's Slovenian Jewellery Week was SENSATIONS, as all the events were designed to bring us into the prism of diverse feelings.
At SIJW 2024, designers and visitors alike asked themselves about the sensations and reactions that jewellery evokes. How does the weight of jewellery resting gently on our skin feel? What sensations are evoked by the texture of materials that have been hand-crafted over centuries of craftsmanship? How do we feel the warmth or the coldness of metal, the sight of glittering stones? Do we detect in the pieces the feelings of the person who created the jewellery? Or the change that happens in us? Are we overwhelmed by joy, warmth, trust, sentimental warmth, attraction? Or unknown sensations that are just waiting to be known? Or even all of the above?
Kristina Drnovšek was awarded the prize for the Best Young Designer 2024.
The designer entered the world of jewellery after graduating from the Academy of Fine Arts and Design in Ljubljana, where she learned her first goldsmithing skills in Martina Obid Mlakar's workshop.She later honed her goldsmithing skills at the Metallo Nobile school in Florence, and her love of jewellery design and crafts led her to pursue her own creative path.She has participated in group exhibitions in Slovenia and abroad.
*Her Dreamers is a collection of brooches that invites us into a world of endless dreams. Fluffy clouds become a vessel for dreamers who drift away with their minds to unknown places where the boundaries between reality and imagination blur. The gentle touch of soft clouds evokes a sense of calm and reminds us how important it is to preserve the magic of dreams in our fast-paced lives, how important it is to persevere and believe in our dreams.
Sanda Vidmar is the recipient of the award for the Best Slovenian Designer of 2024.
She tried her hand at silver and metal design at a course led by designer Olga Košica and later further developed her skills under the mentorship of Martina Obid Mlakar. Since the beginning, she has continuously improved her knowledge and discovered new techniques through courses, workshops and experiences.
*Human fingerprint is used as the main element of her designed pieces. It is used to confirm one's original identity, while at the same time the touch of the pad is proof that the object we are admiring really exists. A step away from the conventional wearing of rings is the concept of thimbles, which adorn part of our most sensual tool - the finger pads. By touch we perceive jewellery in physical form, we wear it on our skin. The messaging of such an original body part is the inspiration behind the thimble collection, which glorifies fingerprints and the ability to experience and feel jewellery in the most authentic and sincere way.
Yuki Yoshioka from Japan wins the award for Best Foreign Designer 2024
The designer trained at the Hiko Mizuno College of Jewellery in Japan. She is the recipient of numerous international awards. At SIJW 2024 she presented her collection Metal = Heavy and Hard Image.
*Material can also be seen as a heavy and hard image. And the more we create this preconception, the more we might be surprised by the feeling the moment we pick it up and the freedom of movement when we wear it. The so-called honeycomb structure, which is created by layering and gluing thin metals, is commonly used in architecture and aeronautics because it has strength in a small surface area. However, the designer wanted to express the gap between the visual and tactile properties of this material as jewellery to create a new image of the metal, so she made an exceptional brooch and ring for this purpose.
The Special Achievement Award for Jewelry Design 2024 was awarded to Christoph Steidl Porenta
The designer trained at the Hiko Mizuno College of Jewellery in Japan. She is the recipient of numerous international awards. At SIJW 2024 she presented her collection Metal = Heavy and Hard Image.
*Material can also be seen as a heavy and hard image. And the more we create this preconception, the more we might be surprised by the feeling the moment we pick it up and the freedom of movement when we wear it. The so-called honeycomb structure, which is created by layering and gluing thin metals, is commonly used in architecture and aeronautics because it has strength in a small surface area. However, the designer wanted to express the gap between the visual and tactile properties of this material as jewellery to create a new image of the metal, so she made an exceptional brooch and ring for this purpose.