Anna Fanigina

Jewellery maker

©Vladimirs Svetlovs

©Darren Kane

©Kaspars Teilans

©Darren Kane

A dialogue with time

Anna's pieces are inspired by antiquity and archaeology
She founded her jewellery brand VERBA in 2010
She has been awarded national prizes for her creations

Jewellery maker Anna Fanigina was born in Bulgaria, but her creative journey is entwined with Latvia. After receiving a bachelor’s in mathematics, she soon realised that her life was meant to be linked to art. Anna opened her first studio in 2000, but her current brand VERBA was founded in 2005. The stylistics of VERBA are inspired by antiquity, they are simple in form yet traditional in technique. The minimalistic style, love for a reserved colour palette and grey tones can be interpreted as Latvian influences. Each piece of jewellery has a meaningful and laconic inscription in Latin, encoding wisdom, thoughts and feelings that are transmitted to its wearer. Anna believes that “jewellery is not only a dialogue with the present, but also with the past and mostly with the future”.

Interview

©Anna Terzi

©Darren Kane

How did you start this craft?: In 2000, after graduating from college, I didn’t hesitate, I knew I wanted to practice my new craft. In the autumn of that year, I equipped my first jewellery making studio. I only had the most basic equipment - a gas stove, minimal set of tools and an amateur polishing machine.
What was the first piece of jewellery you made?: My first piece was a series of six rings with cabochons. I was inspired to create them after seeing historical rings at the Gold Rooms of the Hermitage Museum. In 2001, came the next important jewellery piece - the first ring with an inscription in Latin, from which VERBA developed.
Do you master any specific techniques?: In my studio, we practice quite simple techniques. A lot of these techniques have been invented by me, sometimes spontaneously, when I was creating my first jewellery pieces. Some of them have changed over time, but some remain the same.
Where do you find your inspiration?: It took some time for me to realise that my main sources of inspiration come from the Ancient World. This is the art of Ancient Greece and Ancient Rome, but no only jewellery, its whole cultural heritage. I even took part in archeological expeditions to have contact with original material.

Anna Fanigina is a master artisan: she began her career in 2001 and she started teaching in 2001