Designer
Björn Weckström
The Planetoid Valleys necklace worn by Princess Leia in the first Star Wars movie brought Weckström to global fame.
Jewelry artist and sculptor Björn Weckström is internationally recognized as the best-known Finnish jewelry designer. Alongside Pekka Anttila, the founder of Lapponia Jewelry, he developed the brand's distinctive, sculptural design language. The Planetoid Valleys and Darina necklaces, created by Weckström in the late 1960s, are among the most famous Finnish jewelry pieces worldwide. They gained international fame in 1977 when they appeared in George Lucas's Star Wars film as Princess Leia's jewelry.
In 2005, Kalevala Koru acquired Lapponia Jewelry, and the iconic pieces designed by Weckström are still crafted with skilled Finnish craftsmanship at the Kalevala Jewelry factory in Helsinki. Björn Weckström’s six-decade-long design legacy continues to thrive in the Kalevala Jewelry collection.
Planetoid Valleys and Princess Leia
Planetoid Valleys and Darina's bracelet designed by Björn Weckström for Lapponia at the end of the 1960s are the most famous Finnish jewelry internationally. They rose to world fame in 1977 as Princess Leia's jewelry in George Lucas' Star Wars movie.
Read how jewelry ended up in one of the world's most popular movies.
"A jewelry piece is a miniature sculpture with a person as its canvas."
In his silver pieces, Weckström aims to capture the essence of Finland's snowy winter landscape and frozen lakes. This is reflected in the jewelry’s dramatic interplay between mirror-clear and matte silver. He boldly embraces unexpected materials, such as acrylic, in his designs.
In the early 1960s, Weckström crafted a series of gold jewelry inspired by the natural gold nuggets found in Lapland. The organic, sculptural shapes and the interplay of matte gold define his pieces and remain a hallmark of his work.
In the photo, the Aalto International collection styled with the Planetoid Valleys necklace at the Fashion in Helsinki 2023 fashion show.
See more images from the fashion show.
Photo: Guillaume Roujas
"When I designed my first silver collection in the late 1960s, I aimed to capture Finland's winter landscape—the snowdrifts and frozen lakes—through silver. I also wanted to make the wearer a part of something larger and more mysterious."
As an artist, Björn Weckström has consistently been ahead of his time. His jewelry pieces resemble miniature sculptures, and their timeless designs continue to captivate. Weckström's mission is to elevate the appreciation of jewelry design, placing it on par with modern sculpture.
Read the Björn Weckström - Creator of Lapponia article from Kalevala Journal.
Weckström's iconic jewelry pieces are still handcrafted by skilled goldsmiths at the Kalevala Jewelry factory in Helsinki, Finland. Among the new classics reintroduced to the collection are the golden Hippu and Jotos bracelets, inspired by the rugged beauty of northern nature and the soft glow of Lapland's gold nuggets.
Weckström's six-decade long unique design heritage lives and continues in the Kalevala Jewelry collection.
Björn Weckström's masterpieces
Space Silver
Planetoid Valleys necklace and Darina's bracelet gained international fame in the 1970s when Princess Leia wore them in the final scene of George Lucas' first Star Wars movie. The jewelry was part of the Space Silver collection designed by Björn Weckström for Lapponia in the 1960s. Read the full story of how the jewelry ended up in the Star Wars movie.
Acrylic jewelry
Weckström's acrylic jewelry pieces showcase a captivating blend of silver and acrylic. The series includes designs from the 1970s and 1980s, such as the Otus No. 5 necklace, Sorgente earrings, and the Petrified Lake ring, which gained fame after being worn by Yoko Ono.
Our acrylic jewelry pieces are available in limited quantities, depending on the number of original acrylic components we have.
Other sculptural gold and silver jewelry by Björn Weckström
Tenochtitlan Bracelet 14K gold
Tenochtitlan II necklace gold
