Ingrid Schmidt

Goldsmith

A thoughtful design of jewellery

Ingrid started as a textile designer
Jewellery making came through her interest in goldsmithing
She uses the Korean “Keum-boo” technique

Living and creating jewellery on the shores of Lake Léman, Ingrid Schmidt actually started her work life in another country with another craft. After studying textile design in Germany, her native land, she came to Geneva and discovered goldsmithing through the important presence of Haute Joaillerie in the city. Ever since then, she has been fascinated by the use of goldsmithing and the creation of jewellery. Mixing techniques from different cultures, using the Keum-boo technique from Korea, and different inspirations from her days as a textile designer, Ingrid brings an eclectic vision to the art of jewellery making. A thoughtful design combined with various inspirations and a masterful hand is what gives Ingrid’s pieces a unique twist.

Interview

How did you find jewellery making?: I started out designing fabrics for the fashion industry in Geneva. Here, jewellery is omnipresent with the Haute Joaillerie. Then I discovered the craft of goldsmithing, which really sparked my fascination. It is a working process that you have such control of with your own hands, from start to finish.
Was it the beginning of a new career?: After designing jewellery with silver wire for some time and combining it more and more with silversmithing, I discovered the Keum-boo technique through the goldsmith Diane Assam and in 2009, with the entry in the precious metals register, I founded my atelier in Geneva.
What inspires you?: I am really inspired by the fact that precious metals originated in our earth, and our ancestors discovered them and developed a refined technique that produced magical wearable objects. I feel this passion, and as a textile designer I am sensitised to always pick up new themes and work on them.
Can you take us through your creative process?: I am in constant dialogue, during the process of making of them with the client. As a designer I have developed a sensitivity to themes and techniques to create wearable objects. It is the design process and the craft activity that maintain a communicative and multifaceted process.

Ingrid Schmidt is a master artisan: she began her career in 2012 and she started teaching in 2015