Salute craftspeople, jewelers, and stargazers!
My name is Vlad Dizendorf, a jeweler in the first generation.
Nice to meet you, and let me tell you a little story about myself and the jewelry I make. I hope it turned out interesting. Happy reading!
As most people get involved in work, they didn't study, I studied psychology. Prophecy to become a teacher-psychologist didn't happen, as somewhere in the process of studying, I got a cheerful psychiatric diagnosis - mosaic schizophrenia. For all future doctors, don't worry if you have a similar situation to me. If you hurry enough to get the doctor's robe before everybody notices - it'll somehow work out well. (that's a joke, btw).
How did I get involved in jewelry making? Accidentally. One friend invited me to his small home party, where he had some scrap metal to play with on his jewelry workbench. I learned from him a little.
I liked it, got involved, and worked for several years. It takes 6-8 years of hard work before getting the idea to open your own small Dizendorf enterprise. Such open happened indeed! At first, my works were pretty simple-ish like this:
But could it be more challenging and intricate? Yes, it could and probably should! . I actively began to sell my rings and even more complicated works to Europe. Such was the start of my studio. I rented a couple rooms at an old base of scientists forgotten by everyone, where I moved all my jewelry junk. Take a look at my retro-style renovation of the place: a Soviet post-industrial cave with flowers on a window:
Things were going pretty well: new hardcore projects, growth of craftsmanship, and a queue of orders. And then something indeed bad happened last year. Somewhere in February. Somewhere in Ukraine (and both in Russia). It's not enough to say that we're still shocked by what's happening between our countries. The start of the mass tragedy led to a personal: almost all work with my clients from Russia, Europe, and the US stopped, as the war was the only interest for several months. My Etsy store got closed, and local sales were low. Thus, all the money SUDDENLY ran out. Can someone offer a nice egg in these trying times?
The solution to the financial problem came ingenuously - if you need more money, it just means you have to work harder, right? Sporadically, I saw an Instagram post from The Pinacothèque Museum. They announced a Luxembourg Prize for Emerging Artists, and I decided to enroll with my best works:
Butterflies
(titanium, 925 sterling silver, semi-precious stones)
To start my work on them, I ordered some tropical butterflies to gaze on with all care and love possible. I observed my personal feelings while observing their smooth flights through the workshop. Charming creatures.
titanium spine-bone chain bracelet
(Titanium, 925 sterling silver, cubic zirconia)
Strictly between us, there should have been black diamonds there. But some countries have closed customs borders with Russia just right in time.
All the precious pebbles are still dangling somewhere at the customs of Estonia.
My last hope to save my workshop was the Art Grant. Hope was gone with this letter, which publically called me an artist.
Not everyday people call me an artist, so that'll do
After it, I went slightly mad. In general, psychosis is an unpleasant experience that I recommend to no one. I could not approach the workbench for a couple of months. Later I sold my workshop and returned to the same workshop from which I had left at the beginning of the story. You know one popular song that sings: the wheel keeps on turning. Except for one thing - I create real art from time to time besides routine rings.
That'll be it! Thank you all for reading, and be safe, everyone! C:
My name is Vlad Dizendorf, a jeweler in the first generation.
Nice to meet you, and let me tell you a little story about myself and the jewelry I make. I hope it turned out interesting. Happy reading!
As most people get involved in work, they didn't study, I studied psychology. Prophecy to become a teacher-psychologist didn't happen, as somewhere in the process of studying, I got a cheerful psychiatric diagnosis - mosaic schizophrenia. For all future doctors, don't worry if you have a similar situation to me. If you hurry enough to get the doctor's robe before everybody notices - it'll somehow work out well. (that's a joke, btw).
How did I get involved in jewelry making? Accidentally. One friend invited me to his small home party, where he had some scrap metal to play with on his jewelry workbench. I learned from him a little.
I liked it, got involved, and worked for several years. It takes 6-8 years of hard work before getting the idea to open your own small Dizendorf enterprise. Such open happened indeed! At first, my works were pretty simple-ish like this:
But could it be more challenging and intricate? Yes, it could and probably should! . I actively began to sell my rings and even more complicated works to Europe. Such was the start of my studio. I rented a couple rooms at an old base of scientists forgotten by everyone, where I moved all my jewelry junk. Take a look at my retro-style renovation of the place: a Soviet post-industrial cave with flowers on a window:
Things were going pretty well: new hardcore projects, growth of craftsmanship, and a queue of orders. And then something indeed bad happened last year. Somewhere in February. Somewhere in Ukraine (and both in Russia). It's not enough to say that we're still shocked by what's happening between our countries. The start of the mass tragedy led to a personal: almost all work with my clients from Russia, Europe, and the US stopped, as the war was the only interest for several months. My Etsy store got closed, and local sales were low. Thus, all the money SUDDENLY ran out. Can someone offer a nice egg in these trying times?
The solution to the financial problem came ingenuously - if you need more money, it just means you have to work harder, right? Sporadically, I saw an Instagram post from The Pinacothèque Museum. They announced a Luxembourg Prize for Emerging Artists, and I decided to enroll with my best works:
Butterflies
(titanium, 925 sterling silver, semi-precious stones)
To start my work on them, I ordered some tropical butterflies to gaze on with all care and love possible. I observed my personal feelings while observing their smooth flights through the workshop. Charming creatures.
titanium spine-bone chain bracelet
(Titanium, 925 sterling silver, cubic zirconia)
Strictly between us, there should have been black diamonds there. But some countries have closed customs borders with Russia just right in time.
All the precious pebbles are still dangling somewhere at the customs of Estonia.
My last hope to save my workshop was the Art Grant. Hope was gone with this letter, which publically called me an artist.
Not everyday people call me an artist, so that'll do
After it, I went slightly mad. In general, psychosis is an unpleasant experience that I recommend to no one. I could not approach the workbench for a couple of months. Later I sold my workshop and returned to the same workshop from which I had left at the beginning of the story. You know one popular song that sings: the wheel keeps on turning. Except for one thing - I create real art from time to time besides routine rings.
That'll be it! Thank you all for reading, and be safe, everyone! C: