Imagine moving your family to a new city every few years. This is what Siberian goldsmith Ola Shekhtman does on a regular basis in order to familiarize herself with a new urban center. Trained in St. Petersburg, she takes the iconic elements of cities like London, Paris, and New York, and turns them into beautiful rings.
While she was training, Shekhtman did everything by hand, in the manner of the old masters. This means that she melted the metal she uses herself, then rolled it, sawed it, and soldered it into its desired shape. Now that Shekhtman lives in the US, she’s switched over to 3D printing! Be sure to check out her Etsy shop to see some of her work, and read our full interview after the pictures.
See more beautiful examples of Shektman’s work on Etsy
Keep reading for Bored Panda’s interview with Shektman:
“My story in couple words:
I change where I live often. I was born in Siberia, then relocated to Saint Petersburg, Russia, lived there for 6 years, then with my whole family (my husband, white Persian cat, and turtle) moved to Israel; 2 years ago, we relocated to the USA. We have already lived in Virginia, Maryland, NYC and now we are here in North Carolina. We are thinking about trying California next.
In 2012-2013 I studied goldsmithing in the jewelry school in St.-Petersburg, Russia. I made everything by hand – melting metal, rolling, sawing, soldering, polishing. But when we relocated to the US, I had no tools with me anymore, so I took a few 3D modeling courses in NYC. They gave me full freedom in creation, and now I am able to turn absolutely every one of my dreams into reality.
I always wanted to have a ring for myself with cozy houses around my finger. One day, when I was a goldsmith student, I made such ring as practice and gifted it to my friend. I didn’t forget this idea, it stayed with me the whole time time, and one day in May 2015, I made my first model. It was Paris. I didn’t count on success at all, but made it available on Etsy. Then I added Amsterdam, then New York, and so on.
I often ask myself: who is my customer? I don’t target my city rings on some target audiences, or genders. My customers are of course women from 20-years-old to infinity. Young ladies can’t afford them, unfortunately, but I know a lot of parents who order them as a gift for daughters and nieces. Men also buy a lot as a gifts, and maybe sometimes for themselves. I often receive messages that customer moved to another city/country and miss their homeland, and are glad to have such an everyday reminder. Or some people had a great time/wedding/met each other in some place, and they want to have a ring with that special place that means a lot to them. So I guess I can say that these rings are made for the romantic wanderer.”
Bored Panda would like to thank Shektman for the interview!
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