Designers

Today, new Kalevala jewelry is created by jewelry design professionals. They interpret the beauty of northern nature, the Finnish mindset and contemporary social and cultural phenomena in jewelry. Stories are a strong common element for all Kalevala jewelry: each piece tells a story, and the wearers add their personal story to it. Jewelry lives in time, but also above and beyond time – intuitive design and powerful stories stand the test of time.

Take a look at the designers of the Kalevala Modern and Art by Kalevala - collections and their jewelry below. The Kalevala Originals collection features jewelry that is copied or adapted on the basis of pre-historic or historic jewelry found in Finland, or pieces inspired by them. Over the course of the centuries, the designers and makers of the original jewelry, kept in museum collections, have been forgotten and it is not always known how and from where the jewelry has ended up in the place where it was found.

In the creations under her namesake brand the apparel designer Anni Ruuth interprets the sensitivity of classical art and ballet. Her first jewelry series, the Summer Night Rose designed for Kalevala, emanates the same sensitivity – the series abounding with lavish and intricate details is a highly three-dimensional manifestation of the designer’s vision and eloquent design language. As a designer Anni Ruuth is inspired by the techniques, skills and materials used in creating traditional Haute Couture pieces. In Anni’s hands minimalistic silhouettes get combined with top-quality silk and dainty feathers – and now with jewelry, too.

“Roses are a promise of summer and light. The Summer Night Rose created in co-operation with Kalevala reminds us of the importance of finding joy and beauty here and now, in this moment”, says the designer and continues: “for roses bloom in the dark.” The remark is a quote from Saima Harmaja whose poetry Anni immersed herself in during the creative design process.

Established by Marta Valtovirta and Jukka Puljujärvi in 2017, hálo is a premium women’s wear brand whose collections draw inspiration from the eight seasons of Arctic Lapland. Hálo provides women with high-quality, timeless and distinctive clothing. Tundra is hálo’s first jewelry line.

The Tundra pieces are made of bright bronze glowing like gold, reminiscent of the short Nordic summer, its warmth and midnight sun. Over 80-year-old Kalevala and hálo founded only four years ago have many things in common: timeless design above and beyond ever-changing trends, uncompromising quality and ethical, responsible and transparent choices in regard to raw materials and production.

”I have always found the frail, lace-like and delicate form language of moss and lichen most inspiring. We wanted to create a jewelry series that emanates the same resilience and persistence as its wearer. Designing a jewelry line has been my long-cherished dream”

With their brand Juslin–Maunula established in 2015, designer Laura Juslin and architect Lilli Maunula are among the top names in today’s Finnish fashion and design scene. The duo is known for their aesthetic world combining colors and materials in an innovative manner. ”Our pieces of jewelry are like functional miniature sculptures – a natural mix of fashion and architecture”, Laura Juslin and Lilli Maunula say. ”The Alluring series we designed for Kalevala Jewelry drew its inspiration from simple basic shapes and their mirror images.” The key idea behind the Alluring pieces made of both silver and bronze is their puzzle-like combinability: the two-part earrings can be worn in a number of ways, and also the bracelets in the series can be worn either separately or as a set of two.

“A seemingly simple form disguises inventiveness and playfulness – things are not always what they seem to be at first glance.”

Antonio Mazzamauro is a fashion designer who considers fashion to be the language which he uses to interpret the future, nature and internationality. In his designs, jewelry and outfits complement and need one another. Mazzamauro has worked as a designer in several international fashion houses, and jewelry has always formed a part of the expression of his clothes designs. The inspiration for his collections comes from his continuous observations of life and its phenomena. Mazzamauro considers it important that his models produce a sense of internationality spiced with the Finnish identity.

Jewelry artist and sculptor Björn Weckström is the internationally best-known Finnish jewelry designer. Together with Pekka Anttila, founder of Lapponia, he developed the brand’s unique, sculpturesque design language. In the early 1960s, he created a series of gold jewelry inspired by gold nuggets from Finnish Lapland. The uneven soft glow of matte gold jewelry made them like miniature sculptures created by nature itself. The jewelry signified a revolution in the still highly conservative world of jewelry, and made Björn Weckström famous worldwide. Organic, sculpturesque designs and the warm glow of matte gold became a signature feature for gold jewelry designed by Weckström.

When working in silver, Weckström’s aim is to portray the snowy, Finnish winter landscape and frozen lakes through the unique finish, characteristic of his jewelry designs, the dramatic dialogue of crystal clear and soft shimmering matte silver. His boldly experimental designs include a surprising, unconventional combination of materials in the jewelry, including clear acrylic and fur. Weckström’s mission has always been to raise the status of jewelry design, elevating its profile to equal that of contemporary sculpture. Today, Björn Weckström’s six decades of unique design heritage are alive and well, continuing in the Art by Kalevala collection.

Taiwanese-born jewelry designer and master goldsmith Chao-Hsien Kuo is very active in the international contemporary jewelry field and has been exhibiting in many countries. Living in Lahti, Finland, she manages her own jewelry brand Chao & Eero she established with her spouse on Valentine’s Day 2005. The following year she was invited to design for Lapponia as the brand’s first female designer. Today, the jewelry Kuo designed for Lapponia is part of Kalevala Modern collection.

Chao-Hsien Kuo looks at nature with her heart and finds inspiration in different seasons. Her jewelry interprets simple beauty she sees and experiences in daily surroundings. Her design often starts with a spark of image, and then she works directly on materials such as wax or metal to visualize the image. During the process, more possibilities could be discovered. Her works are very sculptural, characteristic, and always with a touch of elegance. Her unique form language is very recognizable in different subjects she works on. In January 2022 Chao-Hsien Kuo was chosen the Goldsmith of the Year by the Finnish Goldsmith Association.

”In the Miss Spring jewelry you can see the first leaves of birch trees in the spring, still shy, delicate and careful, but full of life.”

Jewelry and object designer Heli Kauhanen (MA) has worked in the goldsmithing field as a designer, artisan and teacher. Heli’s mission is to create jewelry and objects that really speak to people. She is fascinated by the challenges involved in jewelry design, as you must consider not only a variety of cultural values, but also factors relating to usage, materials and scale. “I feel I’ve succeeded when the customer feels a strong connection to the piece and uses it,” says Kauhanen.

In 2017, the Arts Promotion Centre Finland (Taike) appointed Kauhanen as a Regional Artist in jewelry arts for a term of five years. As a Regional Artist, she will use her work to highlight the importance of jewelry arts, and also support the field through regional and international activities.

“The idea for Echoes came to me on a walk in the forest. I wanted the jewelry to be powerful and impressive, to reflect the way I saw the forest at that exact moment in time.”

Karim Rashid is one of the best-known and most prolific designers of his generation. Over 4000 designs in production, over 400 awards and working in over 35 countries attest to Rashid’s legend of design. Half English, half Egyptian, Rashid was born in Cairo in 1960. He was raised in Canada and has lived in NYC for the last 25 years. During his career he has explored numerous fields of design, from small everyday objects to grand interiors. His award-winning designs include luxury goods, democratic products, furniture, lighting, high tech products, brand identity and packaging. Brands and companies Rashid has co-operated with include Veuve Clicquot, Alessi, Citibank, Samsung and Hugo Boss, to name but a few. He also holds many honorary doctorate degrees from many universities and is a frequent lecturer at conferences, speaking about the importance of design in everyday life. The jewelry designed by Rashid is part of the Art by Kalevala collection.

Picture: Lupe de la Vallina

“I envision jewelry as an extension of oneself; a sculptural expression of the human imagination and its place in the natural world.”

Kirsti Doukas, designer, Master of Arts, is one of the best known jewelry designers in Finland. She has designed many of Finland’s most popular jewelry series, including Twinflower, Fountain and Dream. At first, Kirsti Doukas designed silver jewelry collections for Kalevala’s subsidiary, Kaunis Koru. At the turn of the millennium, Kaunis Koru was merged with Kalevala. The existing design lines moved with Kirsti Doukas to Kalevala’s collections. She was the Head of Design at Kalevala in 2014–2018.

Kirsti Doukas’ designs are based on very thorough background work, usability, and beautiful clear forms. Her production has a modern, bold touch and a clear design with detailed finish. In 1999, she received the Finnish Goldsmith Association’s “Goldsmith of the Year” award. She was awarded the State Prize for Design 2006 in recognition of her outstanding merits in the field of jewelry design. In 2014, Kirsti Doukas was awarded the Order of the Lion of Finland – Pro Finlandia Medal and for the period 2020–2022, she was appointed as member of the Finnish State Art Commission.

Designing new pieces of jewelry is Lina Simons’ passion and the nature, geometric shapes and even everyday objects are her sources of inspiration. Her designs are pure but still generous, with a graphic touch. Simons like designing jewelry that are slightly three-dimensional, allowing the shadows and the light to play freely. “High quality jewelry is characterized by the fact that it can be repaired and polished over and over again. I really like the thought of jewelry lasting over generations. I love designing these timeless pieces and to see someone wearing them is my biggest reward.” Simons says.

“The working name of the Lucky Pearl series was By the Seaside. Seaside is a place where you can put your mind at rest and clear your head.”

Mari Isopahkala works extensively and internationally in various fields of product design. She is one of the best-known and most awarded designers of her generation in Finland. She won Finland’s Young Designer of the Year Prize in 2013. This versatile designer has worked actively in jewelry design since 2009, after she won the Lapponia Next Episode jewelry design contest. The impressive Winter Pearl collection, based on her winning design, is part of the Art by Kalevala collection today.

Isopahkala wants to design jewelry that emphasizes the beauty of the wearer. When the jewelry is put on, the wearer’s posture straightens by itself and the person radiates self-confidence and presence. Well-designed jewelry brings out the best in the person wearing it.

Picture: Minna Kurjenluoma

“The sea of dew droplets at sunrise in meadows and forests. Winter Pearl jewelry immortalizes that magical moment at dawn.”

Paula Häiväoja (1929–2011) was Kalevala’s first female Head of Design. She graduated with a degree in art and design from the University of Art and Design in Helsinki in 1953 and joined Kalevala three years later. Häiväoja was the Head of Design from 1963 until 1967, when she left to open her own design studio.

Häiväoja’s ultramodern silver jewelry looks every bit as futuristic today as it did over half a century ago. The silver rings in the Art by Kalevala collection designed by Paula Häiväoja in the 1960s are fine examples of Häiväoja’s distinctive touch and the rings embody the open-minded and forward-looking spirit of the 1960s.

Picture: Designmuseum, Helsinki.

Tiina Arkko’s jewelry designs are timeless and clean-lined. “I prefer to strip all of the extras away and let the shape speak for itself”. She describes the design process as a collaboration of hand, eye and thought. “Designs are often created by drawing, actively looking for the optimal line but working with the material also guides the design towards a clear and clean whole.”

After graduating as a goldsmith from the Lahti Design Institute (name today Institute of Design and Fine Arts), Arkko worked in Denmark at Georg Jensen. Since 1977 she has worked in her own company, OZ Jewel. The Finnish Goldsmith Association named Tiina Arkko Goldsmith of the Year in 2007.

Master goldsmith, FGA, Tiina Lahtinen believes that the idea for a piece of jewelry may be born because of many things: feelings, details one sees in nature, or world-wide phenomena. Whatever the subject matter of the work, she feels it is important to approach the issue through the consideration of what this jewelry piece might mean for one individual personally. Lahtinen finds it important to make room for the user's personality and imagination, not to make any item too complete and unambiguous. A piece of jewelry is complete only when someone owns it and takes it to heart. When a design tolerates time and has a message, the jewelry piece becomes personal to the user: “This is how I feel, this is a part of my story.”

“Sun glittering on waves, raindrops shimmering on windowpanes, and city lights at night – tiny glimmers of light in fleeting moments. These inspired me when designing the jewelry series.”

"I think first, and create later". This is the design philosophy of designer Vesa Nilsson. Passionate about jewelry design and jewelry making, he feels design is a process that involves both the mind and the heart. Only through making can one give one hundred per cent to the art - it is thinking with your hands.

Sculptor and ceramic artist Zoltan Popovits joined the Lapponia team of designers in the mid-1970s. His first design for Lapponia was a silver chess set, with each piece a miniature sculpture. The roots of Popovits’ jewelry design reach back to the jewelry customs of indigenous peoples’ approach to wearing jewelry, where the wearer has a close bond with the jewelry. In his view, jewelry design is like solving a puzzle: the technical elements, materials, and ideas must be made to match. They must form a harmonious entity. Today, the jewelry designed by Zoltan Popovits for Lapponia are included in the Art by Kalevala collection.