Maite G. Tejedor

Ginger & Velvet

Jewellery maker

©Pablo Lanzillotta

©José Moreno

A dialogue with jewellery

Maite learned her trade from Jesús Márquez
She masters cold enamelling
She looks for textures and combines them

Maite Tejedor abandoned her desire to be a professional actress when she discovered the world of jewellery. She learned everything from her teacher Jesús Márquez and, today, her workshop Ginger & Velvet is a reference in the sector. Her specialties are related to enamel, colour, suspended enamel and volume. She is inspired by anything that sparks her curiosity and excites her. "It can be a piece of music, the character of a play, my mother's closet of old dresses and even my childhood memories," she says. She respects tradition as she believes it is the basis of any craft discipline. "I work unhurriedly, and calmly observing my surroundings and what each piece is asking me in the creative process. I observe, listen and create," says Maite. She focuses on finding more sustainable, recyclable, and environmentally friendly materials.

Interview

©Pablo Lanzillotta

©Pablo Lanzillotta

Did you always want to be a jewellery maker?: I wanted to be an actress, but this profession chose me. The moment I sat down for the first time at a jewelry craft table, all my creativity, my artistic inclinations found a channel through which they could tell things to the world.
Who taught you this craft?: I learned from a great master goldsmith, Jesús Márquez. An excellent teacher and a great person. He works for one of the main brands of fine jewellery. He was the one who taught me how to solder.
How would you define what you do?: Dialogue. Asking for cuddles, denouncing social issues. I used to call it storytelling. For a while, I would write them down, then play them on the piano, but growing up I realized that I wasn't just telling stories. I was looking for attention to express something.
What technique do you master?: I master cold enameling. It's a technique that is being lost and I am reluctant to let something so special be forgotten. I learned it in a factory that had hundreds of women enamelers who lost their jobs when technology evolved.

Maite G. Tejedor is a master artisan: she began her career in 2014 and she started teaching in 2017