“Jewelry making is my life and my home”: interview with jeweler Ilgiz Fazulzyanov

Have you ever thought about how jewelry is born? What is the difference between a simple and a family ring? How does an artist create and how does he differ from a craftsman? Jewelry master Ilgiz Fazulzyanov helped us answer these questions.

Our hero opened his first workshop more than 30 years ago. Since then, his products have collected a huge number of prizes at international competitions, some of his works are kept in museums, and he himself strives to create real works art.

About profession and creativity

— Do I need to study to become a jeweler or can I be self-taught?

— I graduated from art school, and jewelry making learned on one's own. And in my experience, academic art education is mandatory for a person in this profession.

But it is not at all necessary to study jewelry making in specialized educational institutions if you feel

artist. The fact is that in such places they train mainly specialists for jewelry production, and only a few of them become craftsmen capable of creating something unique.

There is a balance everywhere: there are not and should not be many good masters.

— How can a jeweler switch to working for himself, how difficult is it? And how realistic is it to create your own brand?

— Needed financial cushion and, most importantly, obsession and desire to do something unique. In addition, to be recognized and become successful, it is not enough to create a single job. We need a full-fledged collection that reveals the artist’s skill and intent, which can later be shown to people.

- How did you come to this?

— It was a long journey: more than 10 years of hard work and self-education. Everything was understood step by step. When I received my first international grand prix, I had to earn money in other areas. I invested most of the money I received in jewelry - creating things that were interesting to me.

Now everyone wants to create right away brand. And then, in the 90s, no one thought about this. You simply made the products that people wanted and demanded. And I thought mainly about how to make money, and not about creating a brand for the sake of prestige and recognition.

— Is this a calling or a profession?

- It depends. For me it vocation - and, apparently, that’s why everything works out. And if it’s just a profession, then you go to the workshop as if it were a job. Jewelry making is my life and my home. This is my personal world. I am ready to be in the studio for days and give myself completely to this business.

— What makes a good jeweler?

— Every craft has a concept of mastery, and to achieve it, you need to devote a lot of time to this matter. The Japanese measure it in hours, spent to class. For example, 20 thousand hours, 40 thousand, 60 thousand. Sixty thousand hours is a master, more is already a sensei. If you count the time spent at the workbench, then on average in 5 years you will master the skill, in 10 years you will become a real master, and after that you will become a sensei of your business.

To become a jewelry artist, you must at least have an academic art education. You need to know and understand the basics of composition, feel the shape and color, in order to then transform what you see into unique jewelry.

In general, jewelry craft is a complex art; it requires an understanding of many sciences: mathematics, and physicists, chemistry, and metallurgy. You also need to be a sculptor, designer, architect, be able to knock with a hammer and work on a computer. You have to master a huge number of professions, which takes many years. Not everyone achieves positive results because they lack patience and desire.

But preserving and transforming what he sees into a beautiful work is given only to a true artist, who is constantly ready work on yourself.

— What does your working day look like?

— At exactly 10 am I am already sitting at the workbench. I work until 8–9 pm. And then until midnight I sit with a notepad and pencil and come up with sketches for future products. I have certain requirements for myself: every day I have to come up with something, create something, even if this project is never realized in material.

An artist who is seriously engaged in his work should not constantly wait for the muse. Creativity is self-discipline, order and constant work. The muse simply protects the artist, preserving the space around him so that he can create.

- Is it possible to distinguish yourself in this matter, become famous, great, do one-of-a-kind things?

“People make us great.” If from the very beginning you only strive for greatnessYou probably won't come to him. Because it is an abstract quantity. In modern society, it can often happen that a person who has little to show for himself becomes a star.

But someone really talented is busy with his work, sitting at his workbench, doesn’t go anywhere, and no one notices his work. They pass by the audience. And only history will later show who made what contribution.

— Did you have such ambitions?

— You know, nothing ever happens without ambition, but it doesn’t come out for me. I keep them inside me. Every day I’m at my workbench early in the morning and I’m the last one to leave the studio. If you put on a crown and walk around in it, you will definitely achieve nothing. Every day, first of all, you must prove to yourself that you are worthy. Set yourself new tasks and goals - and only then will your ambitions be justified.

— What are the pros and cons of your business?

— There are enough disadvantages. Firstly, our creativity is expensive, but everything precious materials are controlled by the state. And secondly, jewelry art is not particularly recognized in the creative community. I am trying to overcome this problem by creating large-scale collections for display in museums.

- And why?

— When you say “jewelry,” for many people it’s no longer about art, but just about jewelry made of gold and diamonds. Of course, historically, jewelers created products to suit the client’s needs, to order. Whether such things are objects of art is a question. But this does not mean that there are no real artists in our business.

Art is when you put in an idea, when you save a fragment of the time in which you live and pass it on to the next generation. This is difficult to do in jewelry: the shapes are too small.

I have been pursuing this for over 30 years and have finally worked out how to convey what is happening through jewelry. We live in a very interesting times, there is a transformation of the world and society. And this can be hidden behind the screen of the beauty of your product. After all, jewelry art is very symbolic. And, if you correctly work out these symbols in lines and elements, you can put them into a work and thereby hide a huge amount of information.

— Can you give an example from your collection?

— For example, the “Genesis” brooch. These are two knitting needles that knit lace from human destinies. Or the work “Crows”, which is in the collections of the Armory Chamber. It was made in 2014 and reflects America's relations with the East. There is also the work “Thorns of a Rose”, which shows how even close people can become enemies.

— Favorite part of the job?

— My favorite part is starting and finishing. Every job is done in one go. And in the world everything changes every day and save it“creative breathing” and a creative attitude are very difficult. If it works, then it will turn out awesome. If everything will drag on, the work will become exhausting.

— Are you often dissatisfied with your work?

— This used to happen more often, now it happens less often, because experience allows you to see the result in advance.

About products

— Do jewelers always work with precious metals? And in general, do they always deal with decorations?

- Basically yes. But now a very good material has appeared - titanium. True, the question for me is whether products made from it will be considered jewelry. Is not a fact. But from titanium you can create unique things that can become art objects.

Of course, the concept of “jewelry work” can be applied in many industries. You can make a chest of drawers with jewelry elements, photo frames, paintings. The range of possibilities in jewelry making is enormous.

— How do you come up with decorations? What is the process of creating it?

— Is born idea, you sketch it, you select materials with which it can be realized. Then you turn it on in process technologist and you think how to break this product down into parts and then assemble it. After all this, the final worker a sketch that reflects how this work can be created in the material without losing the original idea, became a source of inspiration.

Then the layout is made. It can be made of anything - for example, plasticine or paper. Computer modeling is also used, the result of which can then be printed in plastic. Some parts are made using 3D technologies, while others are made by hand. For me the most enjoyable thing is to cut items from wax.

Afterwards, it is determined what metal and color you need the product in, and you send it to casting. Then the processing process begins. I need help here to speed up the process. Each element of the product is processed and polished, while the cutters work on the stones at the same time.

Then comes the assembly - and a real holiday when everything coincides and fits. You finish work and have a temporary moment fatigue. And when you start a new project, you are again filled with magical energy.

— How long will it take to work on the product?

— On average, one job takes about two months. Of course, there are products that take years to create. If the rhythm is off, then you put off work and wait for the moment when you feel emotions similar to those you had when you started it.

— You work with very expensive materials. How often does marriage happen and what to do about it?

- Without marriage, of course, in our business doesn't work. We have to melt everything down and start again. Defects most often occur in casting, so I try to do more work that is less dependent on it. For example, I make products using forging, rolling, and so on.

— How to start working with expensive materials and producing expensive products?

— When young jewelers come to me, I advise them to start with silver. This way you can gain experience and get clients. There are products that look bad in silver, then they can be gilded. Over time, you will have clients who want your work not in silver, but in gold. Everything happens step by step; you won’t be able to immediately make things out of gold and diamonds and sell it all.

— Do you remember your first decoration?

- Yes, sure. These were national earrings in Tatar stylemade using filigree technique. I made them in 1992. In Kazan, where I lived, there were museums that housed national jewelry. And they inspired me. We worked closely with an art historian and created products, some of which were included in the collections of Kazan museums. And those first earrings are hanging in the window in my office.

— What is the most expensive product you have made? Why was it like this?

- Dear amount? Or what was especially close to your heart? I don’t really like to talk about the first ones. But there are a lot of ones that are dear to my heart, because in my products I record everything that happens in my life. And if you also gain fame thanks to some jewelry, it becomes doubly expensive. For example, this is one of my most famous works - the “Bullfinches” pendant, which has won a huge number of prizes. The world knew about me thanks to her, and she is very dear to my heart.

— What material is the most difficult to work with? Which one, on the contrary, is easier?

— The most difficult thing is working with enamel, so not everyone takes up this technique. You have to become one with this material, because it is unpredictable and listens only when you speak the same language with it. Everything else is not difficult thanks to experience.

—Where do you get materials for your products?

— Metals can be bought at the bank, stones - from licensed companies. Or you can purchase the stones yourself somewhere, go through customs and pay the import tax. That is, the circulation of these materials is controlled by the state.

About precious metals and stones

— Why are there no products made of pure gold? What do they mix in there? And where does white gold come from?

— Clean gold soft, like plasticine, it is impossible to make jewelry from it, and additives give it hardness. Such impurities are called alloys. Basically, silver and copper are added to gold. And if it is white, it means platinum, nickel, and palladium were added there.

— Who tests the jewelry?

— In our country, this is done by the assay office, and not by the master himself. The jeweler puts his name on the product, which is issued by the state. It displays the year and place of manufacture, the code of the master or company. Knowing the name, you can enter the code in a search engine and find out who, where and when made your product.

— Does gold change in any way after being melted down? Is it becoming outdated or deteriorating?

— When metal is melted frequently, so-called metal aging occurs. Therefore every time at the next melting need to add some amount pure gold, otherwise upon rental He May be fragile.

— Are artificial stones bad? Why is everyone so skeptical about them?

— Previously, I also had a bad attitude towards laboratory stones, but I changed my mind. And now I use them in my works. Modern companies have begun to produce stones of very high quality; their properties are no different from natural ones.

When you create some complex work, you need a stone of a specific color, clarity and complex cut. This is either impossible to find in nature, or it will be extremely expensive. But it can be replaced with a laboratory one. This product does not lose its value.

Here, every buyer needs an understanding of what he is purchasing: a piece of jewelry as the author intended it. If it is more important for him that there are natural stones, then he should be prepared for an expensive purchase. For example, a painter can use any materials to self-expression, and this does not make the picture lose value. So it is in our business.

— Why are all kinds of rhinestones like Swarovski so expensive?

- This is purely PR, a brand. They are great for recruiting a good team of designers who create modern, high-quality items that customers like. It looks fashionable and shines beautifully. At the same time, everyone understands that the same product made of precious materials will be many times more expensive. And as a result, the cost of rhinestones may no longer seem so high.

— What generally determines the price of a product?

— The materials from which it is made, the cost of work, taxes, brand, name of the artist. If this is an original work created by some recognizable eminent jeweler, then the product may cost more. This is the so-called author's coefficient.

— Why did jewelry houses like Cartier, Bvlgari, Tiffany become so great? What makes them different and is the price justified?

— They have a rich history. They appeared during the "golden era" jewelry: late XIX - early XX centuries. Thanks to their history and advertising, these companies gained global market dominance and were able to set their own prices. But now their position is little weakens because many buyers want more and more unique author's works and choose more intimate jewelry houses.

About choosing jewelry

— Is it possible to recognize a fake with the naked eye?

- If a huge amount passes through your hands jewelry, it's real. This is difficult for a non-specialist to do. If you pick up jewelry once every six months, you are unlikely to recognize a fake simply by looking at it.

— Which gold is better to choose? Or maybe give preference to other metals?

— The main criterion for choosing jewelry is that you like it. And then you can pay attention to the nuances. It is better to choose 18 karat gold - this is the 750th sample. It is also worth paying attention to how the jewelry is made: how the lock is made and works, how the stones are secured.

— Which stone should you choose if you don’t have a very big budget?

— The second group of gems are beautiful stones. These can be amethysts, beryls, tourmalines, opals, garnets. They are increasingly appreciated and are becoming very popular among jewelers. So you can find beautiful and interesting products with such stones, and over the years their value will increase even more.

— What kind of jewelry can become a family treasure?

— Firstly, what you do for yourself, using some of your own symbols and meanings. And secondly, it can be a unique work by a modern master, which you buy and keep in your family.