Jewellery with a story
- Kasia's skills were honed under the master goldsmith Jytte Kløve
- She combines traditional techniques with unusual materials
- The MOMA in New York produces and sells her Leaf necklace
Kasia Gasparski always liked to make jewellery but it was only during her apprenticeship with Jytte Kløve that she discovered her love for gold. In 1996, as one of the youngest artists in her own country, she was nominated for the National Art Foundation three-year work grant, and in 1999 she had several works selected for the Danish Craft Collection. As a classically trained jewellery maker, Kasia considers gold and silver to be her most important materials, but she also likes to include elements such as silk, lacquer, bra straps, stones and beads in her pieces. Her jewellery "always comes with a reason and has a story to tell, even if I don’t always tell the full story, since it’s often very private and emotional," she says.
Discover her work
INTERVIEW
I have always been curious about different materials and good at using my hands to make things. After my apprenticeship, I realised that I could easily picture myself doing repetitive work and even go into a state of Zen while working with different materials.
Goldsmithing has fascinated me for a long time. I always thought I would go down the academic route, but a big burn on my upper arm led me to start making my own arm jewellery to cover up the burn mark.
The traditional side of my work is reflected in my choice of materials – silver and gold – and in using tools inherited from old masters. The innovative side is shown in the design and in the combination of silver and gold with unusual or unexpected materials.
I prefer to be addressed as a goldsmith. Contemporary jewellery is flexible in interpretation and I choose to stay closer to my heritage, being part of an unbroken chain of masters who have passed on their knowledge to apprentices since ancient times.
