Perm Jeweler Weaves Silver Earrings on a Loom

One of the most unusual exhibits at the recent exhibition «Who We Are» in the Central Exhibition Hall was a pair of silver earrings, woven on a real loom like a tapestry. We spoke with their creator — Perm-based jeweler Alexandra Gutina. We learned not only about this piece, but also how Alexandra conceives her collections at the intersection of jewelry-making and art.

Komi-Permyak Collection

The idea to weave those very earrings on a real loom was born when Alexandra was invited to participate in the «Who We Are» project, dedicated to Komi-Permyak culture.

«I tried to dig deeper, searching for something that could move me,» the jeweler says. «What struck me was the handmade creativity of Komi-Permyak women: weaving, embroidery, birch bark weaving. I wanted to literally touch this tradition.»

Of course, weaving with metal threads is not at all the same as with ordinary ones. But the Perm woman wanted to create earrings using precisely this technique.

«Two things moved me. First — Komi-Permyak looms were made from pine, and that»s my dad«s favorite tree. Second — the women wove with gray-silver flax (that was its color before dyeing),» shares Alexandra Gutina. «I decided that instead of gray-silver flax, I could use real silver.»

A classic loom is completely unsuitable for such work. Alexandra needed to design and assemble her own, and then figure out how to weave silver at all. This material is much stiffer than ordinary threads, so you can«t simply wind it on a shuttle and throw it back and forth.

«I worked in the tapestry technique. Every evening I prepared a small piece of silver wire and wove until four in the morning. In the morning, I would come to the workshop and solder on a new piece of silver wire so there would be no knots,» Alexandra describes the process. «At some point, it became a kind of meditation, because I had to adjust every thread-wire. Plus, silver has the property of work-hardening — becoming stiffer during the process. I had to periodically soften it with fire.»

The work took two weeks: six hours daily. Alexandra admits that her index finger was «adorned» with numerous cuts during the process. But the result was a real canvas of silver, which was finally complemented by threads of red silk — a reminder of protective charms and Komi-Permyak traditions.

Alexandra spent another month on the rest of the collection, which also interpreted Komi-Permyak traditions in metal.

She created a choker in the form of a forehead piece — a head ornament previously woven from birch bark. She complemented the set with a knuckle-duster ring in the shape of a weaving shuttle and a set of stud earrings that combine to form the traditional Komi-Permyak pattern «perna».

«In the set, the earrings look classic, but each can be worn separately. It turns out to be a small piece, not even of a large ornament, but of a large people,» Alexandra clarifies.

«I Saw How Metal Melts»

Alexandra decided to become a jeweler as an adult. In childhood, such an idea simply never occurred to her. But a love for manual work appeared in the girl at the age of four, when she was doing home renovations with her dad. And in high school, Alexandra saw brass and bronze figurines at «Art-Perm» and understood: she wanted to work with metal. She entered Perm Polytechnic University in the specialty «technology of artistic material processing». It was this engineer-technologist education, by the way, that later helped her create the loom for working with silver.

«It»s something between a foundry worker and a designer,« she explains. »There are both artistic disciplines, materials science, and types of metal processing.«

In her third year, Alexandra decided on the direction she would pursue and simultaneously entered college to become a jeweler. A tour for future engineer-technologists helped.

«I saw how metal melts, and that»s when my heart fluttered,« admits Alexandra. »I didn«t wear jewelry, I wasn»t a typical girl. But I was captivated by how a pile of different pieces fuses into a fluid metal droplet — like the evil Terminator.«

After jewelry-making, the Perm woman additionally studied at college in the specialty «decorative and applied arts», where she learned the principles of working with different materials. But she settled precisely on jewelry.

«A jeweler is a socially adapted form of a deep perfectionist,» says Alexandra. «To avoid adding my perfectionism to life, I chose jewelry art. Because here, sitting and meticulously perfecting everything is beneficial. My dad even calls me a maniac when I come up with something: »Goodness, how much strength, patience, and perseverance does this take?«»

«Inside, Such a Microcosm»

Alexandra organized her first workplace in an unexpected place — in a church. Her friend«s family was helping to build the Church of Xenia of St. Petersburg in Zakamsk (a district of Perm), and its rector Alexey suggested opening a jewelry workshop there. Alexandra had just graduated from college and enthusiastically seized this idea.

«It was a unique experience. I shared a cell with Father Alexey, he sat behind me. People knocked on the door and asked for the priest»s blessing,« the Perm woman recounts.

Alexandra admits: she never got used to the fact that farewells to the deceased were constantly held in the church. Watching funeral processions from the window, others« grief, was very difficult.

Alexandra set up her next workshop at home. But when she decided to make jewelry with enamel, it became clear: the home electrical network«s capacity wasn»t enough for the special furnace, she needed to find an industrial space. Friends from the «Lepota» ceramics studio suggested renting space at the factory on Krasnova. That«s where Alexandra Gutina»s workshop moved eight years ago.

«Everyone comes in and is surprised by the contrast: outside — an ordinary factory, but in my workshop, a whole art salon, I»m not afraid of these words,« the artist smiles. »I collect works by Perm authors: Olya Molchanova-Permyakova, Nastya Popova, Anya Chugainova… All of this lives in my workshop. The factory guys come: «Can we take a look?» And every time: «Wow!» Because around is a metal floor, the smells and sounds of the factory, but inside, such a microcosm.«

Anastasia clarifies that a jeweler«s work cannot be called »purely girly«: physical strength is needed to work with metal. Plus, you constantly have to deal with fire and gasoline fumes. But the result is stylish jewelry.

Signature Jewelry

Under her own brand, Alexandra Gutina has been creating jewelry for ten years. During this time, she has developed and presented more than one collection. Moreover, it«s important to her that these are not just earrings or rings, but practically works of art with deep meaning.

«My artistic code is line, plasticity, contrast, something ephemeral. The leitmotif of my creativity is pleasant sadness,» confesses the jeweler. «This emotion causes an inner boiling. Some joyful moments don»t have such an effect. But what was difficult to experience or what left some mark on me always reflects.«

For her 33rd birthday, Alexandra presented the collection «Black Stripe», playing on the opinion that this age is one of the most difficult and pivotal.

«I also wanted to change the feeling from the phrase »black stripe«,» comments the author. «Because for me, it»s contrast, shadows, black eyeliner, a beautiful girl in a black dress… That is, a black stripe in the literal, not figurative sense.« And the collection featured black enamel and silver, it all consisted of these lines.

The «Heart of Cold Water» series was born from the artist«s love for the city of Kaliningrad and northern seas.

«My heart belongs not to warm seas, but precisely to cold water with its special character — stormy and quiet simultaneously,» she explains. «When girls choose this jewelry for themselves, the water can be different for them: for some — Lake Baikal, for others, like me, the Baltic Sea. But it»s always something cold.«

Where to See the Works

Alexandra Gutina sells jewelry through social media (now focusing mainly on a Telegram channel) and at Anastasia Popova«s private gallery. Sometimes clients come to the workshop. In this case, the jeweler can slightly modify the initially conceived piece.

«I like to complement a person»s plasticity,« she explains. »If a girl, for example, wants to acquire earrings, I look at her proportions and understand where to make a detail larger, where to shift the accent to the right or left.«

Among the regular buyers of Alexandra Gutina«s jewelry are the aforementioned artists and designer Polina Keldibekova (brand Polina Benefit), theater photographer Elena Bakhur. And some of the longest-standing admirers are collectors from Germany, whom the Perm jeweler met over ten years ago during a short training in that country. They still keep in touch.

«In general, I have this community of girls who appreciate manual labor. I»m a big fan of my clients,« she says. »I draw them into my world of art and show them that they themselves are art. I suggest how jewelry can complement them and bring out the accents in their appearance.«

Alexandra Gutina doesn«t participate in exhibitions and fairs often, as she doesn»t work in a «mass» format. But in recent years, her collections could be seen in Perm at the already mentioned Central Exhibition Hall and Anastasia Popova«s gallery. And right now, the Perm woman is in Nizhny Novgorod: together with artist Olga Molchanova-Permyakova, they created a joint project for the nationwide art festival »Art Mir«.

«There are also plans to show the Komi-Permyak collection »Red Thread« in Moscow,» shares Alexandra.

Earlier we reported on a former dancer of the «Ballet of the Fat» who left the stage and created a brand of knitted clothing with pixel patterns.