Ilgiz Fazulzyanov

Jewellery maker

©Ilgiz F

Dmitry Ternovoy ©Michelangelo Foundation

New horizons in jewellery

Ilgiz's jewellery is inspired by nature and exotic travel
His first equipment came from a dental surgery and chemistry class
One of his collections is dedicated to the world's most famous mountains

Ilgiz Fazulzyanov was just eight when his passion for art began. After graduating in design from an arts college, his first encounter with jewellery happened by pure chance when he joined a group of artisans in his hometown Zelenodolsk on a mission to revive Bulgar motifs in Volga Tatar jewellery. Learning from books and tireless practice, it was a very humble start. But dedication and talent did wonders. In 1994, after just two years in the business, Ilgiz won first prize at an international contest for young jewellers from Muslim countries with a setting for the Koran. Ilgiz first tried enamelling, now his signature medium, in late 1996, when a St. Petersburg friend came to visit. That fateful meeting was the moment Ilgiz found his perfect material – and the rest is history.

Where

Interview

Dmitry Ternovoy ©Michelangelo Foundation

Dmitry Ternovoy ©Michelangelo Foundation

What feelings do you seek to provoke with your work?: It is vital for me to be able to create pieces that can speak to your soul. As an jewellery maker, I want a new work to give me a sense of a new horizon. It is most rewarding to see a person holding a piece in their hands and admiring it silently, absorbed by the story it tells, eyes sparkling.
What was the first significant piece you made?: A pair of earrings in the folk Tatar style, which I still keep at the workshop as a reminder of the start of my journey. My real breakthrough work was a setting for the Koran, which won an award in Pakistan. But I never repeat my pieces, so every new work gives me the sense of a new beginning.
What do you like about enamel?: Enamel gave me what I was always missing: colour. I realised that enamel would marry my ideas and imagery in the best possible way and give birth to the shades, contrasts and colour play I seek to create. I also enjoy working with wax, and I carve models for 95 percent of the pieces I make.
When you create, what do you need to know about your customer?: I absorb the tiniest details, both physical and emotional. Everything has value, from the shape of their earlobes and fingers to their dressing style and music tastes. Even what car they drive and what speed they prefer!

Ilgiz Fazulzyanov is an : he began his career in