Jeweler Ilgiz Fazulzyanov talks about making pins for the international Sky Grace Cup tournament in Qatar
Jeweler Ilgiz Fazulzyanov, winner of numerous awards in Russia and abroad, spoke about all the stages of making golden en pins in the form of a personalized element of Olympic champion Alina Kabaeva.
He explained what materials are used for decoration.
"I have been involved in jewelry making for 32 years. So it is a very long journey. And almost fifteen years were spent to find my style, to go through some difficult journeys, to become a truly unique artist. In 1996, I presented the collection for the first time in France. I think it was a hit. I have been using hot enamel in my works for all these years, because it is color, it is paint, it is the emotions that I as an artist can pour into jewelry. These pins are made of 750-carat golden using hot jewelry enamel, the technique that made me popular. And pearls are used, a pearl in the form of a ball that a gymnast holds in her hand during a gymnastics pose, Alina Kabaeva’s droplet," Ilgiz said.
He described in detail the stages of work, starting with the idea of the pin.
"The first stage for a pin is, of course, the idea. That is, everything starts with a sketch. Later we start to mold it from play-doh. After that, we make a cast, from which we make a wax model. We finish it manually and send it for metal casting. After we have cast it from metal, we receive it and begin working directly with the metal, processing its surface. It is absolutely necessary to completely level the entire surface with abrasive tools.After we have leveled it, we begin to process the surface. The enamel was processed so that it would really adhere perfectly to the metal surface. It is important that these two completely different materials are combined into one whole. Now that we have processed the entire surface, our task now is to give the main surface a certain velvety texture, an imitation of the body," the jeweler said.
After processing, the enamel is subjected to an intense heating process — firing.
"At a temperature of 950 degrees, we begin to fire this enamel. After the final firing of the enamel, the surface becomes smooth: the green color sparkles against the background of the shine of the metal, so all that remains is to polish individual details, especially on the suit," he said.
The jeweler noted that the commemorative pin turned out to be unique.
"I think it can also be included in the list as a piece of jewelry art," he added.
At the international Sky Grace Cup tournament in Qatar, senior prize winners received commemorative handmade golden pins.