Marius Zakaras

Jewellery maker

©Jurgita Ludaviciene

©Dainius Narkus

Black titanium

Zakaras likes to work with challenging materials
He nearly chose a career in architecture
His pieces balance tradition and innovation

As a child, Marius Zakaras loved casting miniature objects, so when the time came to choose a profession, he wanted to stay in the creative field. He was considering a career as an architect, but jewellery had a stronger pull. Today, he has a studio in Vilnius where he creates jewellery from gold and titanium. He became interested in the latter through his colleague’s hobby of spearfishing: the equipment used in it is usually made of titanium. However, this metal is not widely-used by jewellers. It is demanding and hard to work with, but that is exactly what Marius likes about it as he is not afraid of challenges. After turning his workshop into a laboratory, Marius dived into exploring the secrets of titanium. When he discovered black titanium, he realised it was the material he had been looking for. He combines the sheen of gold with the blackness of titanium to creating provocative jewellery pieces.

Interview

©Jurgita Ludaviciene

©Jurgita Ludaviciene

How did you first become interested in jewellery?: As a child, I really enjoyed casting all kinds of tiny objects, most of all armies of miniature soldiers who then faced each other in battles. Later I switched to all things anatomical, but everything remained miniature.
What do you like most about titanium as a material?: The fact that it is difficult to work with. I like that it takes a lot of effort to treat titanium, but then I can be sure that nothing will break. It is lightweight, durable and very pleasant to wear.
Do you use any special techniques?: At the moment, a new and very interesting area for me is titanium printing. Titanium powder is printed without any wax moulds. I first create 3D objects and then look for ways to print them out of titanium powder.
How do you incorporate tradition and innovation in your work?: Tradition is the use of gold: it is a traditional material in jewellery, and people continue to trust it. As for innovation, it would be my use of titanium and unusual shapes.

Marius Zakaras is an expert artisan: he began his career in 2007