Edu Tarin

Jewellery maker

A master of two worlds

Edu is a gemstone carver and goldsmith
He combines cutting-edge technology with tradition
He takes an artistic approach to jewellery

It is rare that an artisan can master two completely different materials, but the Spanish-born goldsmith and gemstone carver Edu Tarin combines his knowledge of processing precious metals and precious stones to create unique pieces of jewellery. So it comes as no surprise that his path was influenced by two different masters. “Since I was a child I have been learning goldsmithing techniques from my father Eduardo Tarin Ruiz, who has been a goldsmith for 50 years now," he says. "And for more than three years I learned the art of stone carving through my work with Hans Ulrich Pauly.” The remarkable quality of Edu’s work recently earned him the Preis des Handwerks given by the state of Rhineland-Palatinate.

Interview

©Patricia Domingues

Can you imagine a life without craft?: No. I grew up in a jewellery workshop so from a very early age I felt attracted to creating things. One of my earliest memories, probably from when I was six or seven years old, is being taught by my father how to create and polish a silver ring.
Despite your background, your works don’t seem very traditional.: I always had a tendency to get bored with the aesthetics of the repetitive and traditional mass produced shapes, so I suppose that’s why I started to feel attracted to a more design or artistic approach rather than keeping it on a technical level.
How is this reflected in your creation process?: By bringing together a very traditional technique like stone carving with new technologies like 3D scanning and CNC machines. Understanding the possibilities that are created through this combination, learning and understanding how to do things, is a great source of inspiration.
What does 'well made' mean to you?: Even though I might connect it with sophistication or quality, in the end something well made for me is something that contains the right mixture of idea and execution, between the ability to imagine and the ability to realise.

Edu Tarin is an expert artisan: he began his career in 2002