It all starts with Katerina’s ideas, often inspired by some new, special material that has found its way into her hands, to draw her attention and move her to explore how it could become the foundation for her next design. It is usually the material itself that leads to the primary form of the piece, she explains. Her idea becomes a sketch on a piece of paper, where she transfers in rough lines its basic figure, its outline actually, and maybe even tries to capture how it would look on a body when completed. The extra details and whether the piece will feature crystals or ostrich feathers, for example, are decided later in the process.
After choosing the type of metal – whether forged or differently fabricated – commences the making of the piece, a process quite time-consuming, since, as it goes forth, it may prove that something does not work as it was supposed to, that there are possible imperfections, that a different approach has to be taken.
The materials play a very important role in the final piece, because more often than not, they are one-of-a-kind components, natural raw materials with unique features and forms, which make every piece of jewellery also unique. For example, a stone with an unusual shape will determine the form of the design that is built around it; as is also the case with a unique coral, which can be casted and produce just one piece of jewellery in its specific shape.
