Fulfilling a calling
- Marc-Jens designs collections as vignettes
- His first design, at the age of 17, was a pearl ring for his first love
- He choreographs gems and gold into bespoke pieces
Marc-Jens Biegel can be found in his workshop in Frankfurt, rain or shine, mounting a kaleidoscopic selection of stones and transforming lumps of precious metals into jewellery. After an apprenticeship with his father, he broadened his horizons by studying product design at the Hochschule für Gestaltung in Offenbach and at Kingston University. Longing to perform each step from concept to completion, he opened his own workshop in 1998, right next to Frankfurt’s stock exchange. Like his father before him, he spends time gazing at his gems and gold through a loupe (a small magnifying glass), before reimagining them into surprisingly minimalist shapes. His designs have been exhibited across Europe.
INTERVIEW
It is not a rational choice, it is a calling. Musicians must feel the same – there is just something inside of you that you need to express.
Rhythm is everywhere, in the branches swaying in the wind at my favourite park to the pace of the traders rushing to our city’s stock exchange across the street. The exhibitions at the architecture museum of Frankfurt also inspire me because I am fascinated by the composition of architecture, the dynamics of skyscrapers.
You do not press a button on a computer to get a bespoke piece. It is a sequence of gestures which you learn by repeating them, by appropriating and exploring them, and then by applying them in an inspired way.
After working for hours with utmost concentration, there are completely blissful moments when you just enter a different state. Running a business has many facets, which means your time is often filled by other activities. But those moments of flow are indescribably precious.
Marc-Jens Biegel
Jewellery maker
Frankfurt, Germany
Recommended by Sebastian Herkner
AVAILABILITY
Tuesday to Friday 10:00-18:30; Saturday 11:00-16:00
PHONE
+49 69285908
LANGUAGES
German, English
