Jewelry design might be among the more demanding of art forms. Writers have endless pages to work with until they get their words just right, and musicians can jam for hours until the song takes shape. A jewelry designer must take inspiration from the world and condense it through painstaking work into an item someone can wear, a set of earrings, for example, or a brooch. But jewelry designer Valentina Podshivalova always puts in the effort and makes the magic.
“I put a piece of my soul into every piece of jewelry I make,” says Valentina. “It’s an interesting creative process, and I pay attention to form, lines, and details.”
Valentina was born and raised in Izhevsk, a city in Udmurtia, a Russian Federation republic in the foothills of the Ural Mountains. It is at the very border of West and East, where Europe blends into Asia. These diverse influences, along with the area’s nature, inspire Valentina.
“I am inspired by flora and fauna,” she says, “anatomy and geometry.”
Valentina’s artistic predilections manifested themselves already at an early age. As a child, she loved needlework and threw herself passionately into embroidery. “I could spend the whole day working on some creation with no breaks,” she recalls. Valentina also enjoyed crocheting, sewing, painting, and drawing. In high school, she also began to raise eyebrows for her talents, winning awards for her embroidery. And getting into a design program at Udmurt State University was a breeze. She outperformed other candidates who had graduated from prestigious art schools.
“Creativity always kept up with me,” she says.
From 2000 to 2005, Valentina studied at the Institute of Art and Design, becoming familiar with using 3D programs to make jewelry. She credits her background in embroidery with making this transition. “In embroidery, you have to pay attention to detail, the smoothness of the lines, the combinations of colors, contrasts, and different themes, such as flowers and birds,” she says.
After graduating, she interned at a jewelry firm called Golden Orchideus in Izhevsk. She became an apprentice 3D designer, working under the supervision of master designer Shadrin Vasilievich. “It was love at first sight,” she says of this time. And it set her on her current career path. “We were not making everyday jewelry, but high jewelry art,” remembers Valentina. Her own designs started to get their awards at international jewelry exhibitions, and exclusive jewelry became her main focus.
From Golden Orchideus, she moved on to Master Exclusive, and she was also in Izhevsk, where she was named the chief designer of the 3D design department. Valentina had a broad pallet of responsibilities at Master Exclusive. She worked from scratch, creating jewelry at times from basic sketches and using different materials, such as cold and hot enamels, various stones, and textured surfaces. “I had complete freedom,” she says of her time at Master Exclusive. Again, she participated in international exhibitions, sweeping up awards for her breathtaking designs.
The Impact of the Pandemic
The COVID-19 Pandemic changed Valentina’s life, as it changed everyone’s. After spending 13 years at Master Exclusive, she decided to work independently rather than return to the office. She became a freelancer, making pieces for jewelers in Switzerland, France, Italy, the US, and China. She also started to present her personal jewelry at exhibitions.
Two of her pieces — the Chocolate brooch and Bat ring — were featured at Milano Jewelry Week, a week-long event in Milan, Italy, that celebrates international jewellery. Valentina’s Chocolate brooch was even featured on the cover of the event’s booklet, a great honor for her. As a freelancer, she has also collaborated with Juliana Donald, an American designer.
Her journey as a freelance jewelry designer continues. “I’d like to devote the next few years to my own products,” says Valentina. “I don’t want to be guided by how much they sell for or how many I can sell.” She would also like to encourage more designers to get out with their designs. There is a lot of labor for employers and their clients, but there are ways to showcase their work.
“You don’t have to stay in the shadows of your product, even if you made it for an employer,” says Valentina.
Finally, she is planning a few collections of her own, an effort that she calls a “special responsibility” but says is 100 percent worth it.
Image Credit: Valentina Podshivalova
Byline: Tom White