Anciently modern

Does jewelry, as a bearer of symbolic, aesthetic and material value, deserve a special approach?

Definitely. My approach is that I start by designing twenty different rings, from which I then select ten. I refine these ten a bit, so it is then easier to make another selection. When I choose five, I try to put all my knowledge into them and get the most out of them. The worst part is when you're in a hurry, then it almost certainly won't do well enough. That's why, as a rule, it's at such moments that I take time for a coffee and think about everything else, not just jewelry. When I sit down at the table again after half an hour, things start to "fly" together by themselves. In the end, I spend two to three weeks finishing these five rings, and put the other fifteen in a box. When the idea for one of these ripens, I let go of everything and devote myself completely to it. If he were to wake up in two hours, he would surely forget half the ideas.

How does a certain ring form from under your hands?

I am constantly changing my approach to the product little by little, because in jewelry, as in many other places, you learn all your life. If you get into a mold once, you don't change your riding approach and you don't adapt, you suddenly fall asleep. In short, usually the drawing is created first, then the product. However, it happened to me that I stocked the drawing and did not have data for the creation of the product, so I tried to make it from memory. Since I didn't have exact data, I naturally did certain things differently. The result was a product that, thanks to small changes, looked much better than the paper one. Out of excitement, I threw all the drawings I found that day into the trash. I found that you can make a product without precise instructions with small changes, but it is precisely because of this spontaneity that it acquires a greater value. Now I do everything by heart, first in silver - to see the look and when all the details are finished, then in gold. Since everything is made by hand, each piece is also unique.

Do trends in jewelry change as quickly as on catwalks?

No, it doesn't go that fast here, because then everyone would have a stock of jewelry at home. Jewelry must be made, at least we make it in such a way that each piece is useful for at least ten years. This means that the more modern or trendy the product is, the less time it will "survive". If the product is not studded, but with clean lines and made sensuously, we will all be happy to wear it for a long time.

Where and how are jewelry trends formed? Is any city in the world considered the jewelry capital?

Tough question. Trends are certainly being created in Europe. The Americans only work with "model makers", which seems to me to be jewelry without a soul, and there are a lot of them. In Europe, it is drawn from history, I think Italian, French and German, maybe even Swiss, because of the rich history of watchmaking. In Basel, Switzerland, there is also the largest watch and jewelry fair in Europe. But I couldn't say that a jewelry city dictates trends.

Is there a brand or jeweler whose work you particularly admire?

I don't know which jeweler I could single out. I really appreciate the success of the foreign brand Roger Dubuis. It is a top Swiss watchmaker that, with fifteen years of brand existence, is on an equal footing with top brands that have a 150-year tradition.

What combinations of materials and in what forms are currently considered top-of-the-line?

Everyone has their own taste. I like white gold jewelry with diamonds or a combination of white and rose gold the most. Yellow gold is out abroad, but if someone has all their jewelry in yellow gold, they won't be interested in trends and will just buy yellow gold. In terms of shapes, the aforementioned jewelry is dominated by simple shapes.

Do you have anything in common with the days of artisans, when jewelers designed jewelry without special technology?

A lot or even all of it. About ten years ago, I had the opportunity to make jewelry with a "model maker". This is a huge box with all possible blades, milling cutters, cutters, chips... The designer draws the ring on the computer (drawing, floor plan, side view) and then, after all the data and measurements are inserted, it transforms it into a three-dimensional shape. If you like what you came up with, press enter. After about four hours, you reach into the box and pull out the finished wax ring, which you then insert into a mold and cast in gold. You can do the whole process without any goldsmith's tools. However, over time I noticed that everything works too fast, you forget the details, in short, the result is jewelry without a soul. So I slowly went back step by step, to making with less and less modern technology and more and more manual work.

Did you get your wife engaged with a ring you made yourself?

Of course. I engaged my wife with my ring, which I had hidden in my motorcycle overalls for five days before. We went by motorbike over the Dolomites in Switzerland to St. Moritz. We got engaged on the Stelvio Pass. It was a nice surprise. At 2758 meters.

Do you spend your afternoons among jewelry or do you prefer to get away from it?

I spend my afternoons in the jewelry store anyway. In the evenings, my wife and I talk more and more about jewelry, since we are opening a new store in Ljubljana. She will lead the sale of wedding and engagement rings in the Wedding corner.

Where do you treat yourself to a creative coffee, lunch, dessert...?

I start the day with coffee in Europe, there is less time for lunch, so I eat something quickly. But if I want dessert, I go to the Leonardo cafe. I spend Saturday afternoons and Sundays with my family on some short trip, preferably in Kranjska Gora.

Does New Year's Eve deserve a special jewelry set?

It is definitely a special night of the year. At that time, it is best not to put on everything that is in the home bag. It's nice when a woman puts on the right piece. Maybe a necklace and definitely only one ring. Less is more.