![\"\"](\"https:\/\/gjepc.org\/solitaire\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/03\/Liisa-Tallgren-Faberge-Portrait.jpg\")
<\/a><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\nJewellers, like all other artists, need immense discipline. As said beautifully by Peter Carl Faberge, \u201csince there is nobody to scold me, I have to do it myself\u201d. For Liisa Tallgren, designer at Faberge, this discipline is driven by her passion for jewellery and precious materials. And if you need proof of that, it can be seen in her favourite creation, which was also her first-ever at the House: the \u2018Pearl Egg\u2019. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Each pearl in the piece is natural, created by chance in nature and not cultivated like most pearls today; very much like the Faberg\u00e9 woman, they are truly one of a kind,. \u201cThe design came out of thoughts of the ocean and the oysters that made the pearls: slowly, underwater and by themselves,\u201d she says. Nostalgically reminiscing on the subject of Easter eggs, Ms. Tallgren shared that her grandfather had fled from St. Petersburg during the Russian revolution. At the time, he gifted a beautifully decorated golden egg pendant to her grandmother as an engagement gift, which marked the birth of an avid collector; be it wooden, porcelain or even felt, her grandmother kept them all! With creativity being greatly encouraged in her household, making Easter eggs every year, to contribute to her grandmother\u2019s passion, became Ms. Tallgren\u2019s tradition too!\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n
<\/a><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<\/a><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\nAs she looks around herself, she finds that not just nature, but also \u2018geometry as a design language\u2019 inspire her design deeply. \u201cPieces designed in this manner are not random; curves, angles, colours, densities and patterns have their own capacity to express meaning. Just as you can decipher a person\u2019s mood by looking at his or her face, you can read meaning in the geometry of a design. Shapes, forms and colours can evoke strong feelings and associations and I navigate these when designing,\u201d she says.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
An unbelievably stunning example of that is a bespoke 195-carat sapphire and diamond necklace she made for a client. This precisely designed piece is not only beautiful for its fascia, but also for the back which incorporates smaller sapphires nestled within curves of diamonds. It’s a design that exhibits simplicity and complexity in the same vein.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
In the wintry days of late 19th century Moscow, the House of Faberg\u00e9 came under complete control of Carl Faberg\u00e9. It is said that his son, Agathon, and him, \u2018wow-ed\u2019 at Moscow\u2019s Pan-Russia Exhibition held in 1882. The Tsar, Alexander III, even declared that he could not distinguish Faberg\u00e9’s work from the original 4th-century BC gold bangle from the Scythian Treasure. It was then ordered that objects by the House of Faberg\u00e9 be displayed in the Hermitage as examples of superb contemporary Russian craftsmanship. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Keeping in line with Carl Faberg\u00e9\u2019s passion and title of \u2018Master Goldsmith\u2019, Ms Tallgren too, is duly trained in silversmithing as well as goldsmithing, which are often considered lost arts in the 21st century. She believes that bringing about awareness around these techniques and their consequences on the end products would garner a larger interest from the younger generation and workforce. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Personally, the jewellery she adores are Egg pendants that lovers gifted in Russia, ancient signet rings and jewellery with intricately carved gemstones. Admittingly a chameleon, Ms. Tallgren likes to sometimes style her jewellery big and bold, and on other occasions like its barely even there. She does believe however that decoration shouldn\u2019t be used to cover up otherwise poor design. And as a designer at Faberg\u00e9, the Rainbow Fluted Band is her favourite piece due to its intricacy and the vast amounts of colour.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\nThe Art & The Technique<\/strong><\/h4>\n\n\n\nDesigning jewellery is a talent few can master. The process is exhaustive and detailed. For the layman, however, the process can be divided into three stages, as explained by Ms. Tallgren. The creative, the technical and the refinement stage. The unique aspect of the art is that its three steps aren\u2019t linear or set in stone in any way. \u201cYou could jump and go back and forth between each stage during the process. You need to be able to \u201czoom in and out\u201d, concentrate on the detail but also see the bigger picture,\u201d she says. For her, the most tedious aspect is the technical drawing, but she pulls her way through via room for creativity that the step allows for. Technicality and creativity both go hand in hand in aiming for perfection, which is imperative in jewellery design. In hindsight, she finds that no stage is easier or more enjoyable, it\u2019s just a case of finding the flow. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
The material being used is what makes the personality of a jewellery piece, adding its own contribution not just to the design and production process but also to the very soul of how the wearer chooses to dress. As Ms. Tallgren beautifully puts, \u201cfor example, gold is malleable yet hard; it can be work-hardened, and it can be annealed soft again. Its surface can be matte and dull or polished so fine that you can see your face on it. It can be liquid or solid and when heated up, for a moment it becomes a light source.\u201d Just like all of nature\u2019s creations, different precious stones have their individual beauty. Ms. Tallgren personally enjoys unusually cut gemstones as she believes they give the designer more freedom and have a more contemporary aesthetic.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Out of the many intricate techniques that go into making a piece of jewellery, \u2018enamelling\u2019 is her favourite, which coincidentally has a passionate history with the brand\u2019s predecessors. As\u00a0Christie\u2019s\u00a0explains, \u201cFaberg\u00e9 created varied designs on the surface of precious metals and covered them with richly pigmented layers of glass enamel. Most notably, he perfected the extremely challenging technique of enamelling en ronde bosse (in the round), which can be seen on the firm\u2019s most impressive eggs. Faberg\u00e9 enamels are often created by layering enamel in a variety of colours to create depth.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Ms Tallgren explains this often underrated technique: \u201cEnamel is ground glass mixed with water and applied on top of often engraved or textured metal. It is then fired in a kiln where the glass melts, forming a continuous, either opaque or transparent coloured surface. The colour of the enamel is affected by the metal alloys it is applied on and even by the amount of time it\u2019s fired in the kiln.\u201d Admiring both the physical result and the ethos behind it, she enjoys how enamels add beautiful colours and surfaces to jewellery and how something not precious (glass) becomes precious in the hands of a skilled craftsperson. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
A Historic Legacy & the Future After 2020<\/strong><\/h4>\n\n\n\nAt Faberg\u00e9, bespoke jewellery is a customer favourite. Some clients have specific wishes while others want to be wowed unknowingly. \u201cWe usually offer two or three initial design options to choose from but, especially with bigger projects we may design several sets with many variations, taking months just for the design stage,\u201d Ms. Tallgren explained. For a brand as enigmatic and historic as Faberg\u00e9, incorporation of its legacy is essential for which its designers need to have a sensitivity to visual language and an understanding of the client\u2019s wishes. It is all about quality and personalisation, but ultimately it is the client that creates the real story of the piece according to this versatile designer.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
At Faberg\u00e9, bespoke jewellery is a customer favourite. Some clients have specific wishes while others want to be wowed unknowingly. \u201cWe usually offer two or three initial design options to choose from but, especially with bigger projects we may design several sets with many variations, taking months just for the design stage,\u201d Ms. Tallgren explained. For a brand as enigmatic and historic as Faberg\u00e9, incorporation of its legacy is essential for which its designers need to have a sensitivity to visual language and an understanding of the client\u2019s wishes. It is all about quality and personalisation, but ultimately it is the client that creates the real story of the piece according to this versatile designer.<\/p>\n\n\n\n