Ukrainian Jewelry

The book Ukrainian Jewelry | Modern Fine and Fashion Jewelry from Ukraine tells the story of talented jewelers, designers, and artists engaged in the creative field of jewelry. Featuring 33 participants, this publication includes well-known jewelry brands; individual designers and studios working with precious stones and materials; renowned fashion creators; ceramists; and those who experiment with interesting and unusual materials.

The largest section of the book is devoted to designers and studios that work with precious stones and metals, as well as alloys. They all share passion for their craft, respect for tradition, and original visual style. Some studios were founded after the start of the full-scale invasion, during a period of profound upheaval and reevaluation. The war had a significant impact on the jewelry industry. At the beginning, many creatives doubted whether jewelry would be in demand and, especially in such times, expensive jewelry. But once again, Ukrainians demonstrated their craving for beauty and visual aesthetics, despite everything. There are also those who switched from jewelry making to military service. Jeweler Anton Boyko explains that when the full-scale invasion began, his priorities changed. He clearly realized his inner need to fight and now serves in the Armed Forces of Ukraine.

Many of the works by the book’s participants use precious stones from the Volyn deposit—located in the Zhytomyr region, it’s the most famous Ukrainian gemstone field known to date. They are mined by Volyn Gems. Natalya Hermenau, with her impressive international gemology experience, discusses this deposit as well as the historical background, current situation, and future prospects of precious stones in Ukraine.

The editorial team focused particular attention on fashion brands that design creative lines of artistic jewelry. Traditional motifs seen in their products are not literal depictions, but rather, they reveal meaning and depth. When it comes to traditional materials, ceramic jewelry has always been widespread in the territories of modern Ukraine, and today’s creatives continue these traditions with a modern interpretation. Artists are rethinking the familiar and experimenting with unusual materials, as discussed in the section Rethinking Materials.

This publication was made with the support of Strong & Precious, a foundation established by Olga Oleksenko in 2022. Over the years, it has grown into a vibrant community that supports designers and artisans by helping them create jewelry—new symbols of Ukrainian culture—and making an invaluable contribution to the development of the jewelry industry.

Cover photo courtesy of OBERIG Jewelry, photo by Stepan Stepan Lisowski.