My newest collection, Tiny Amsterdam, is my little tribute to the beautiful city of Amsterdam.
I love this town, it's small enough to cycle through all of it in only 40 minutes, but big enough to embrace people from 170 nationalities... eclectic, forward-thinking, cool and at the same time super "gezellig" (cosy) and historical with houses which were built up to back in the 1500s.
No matter the crazy weather or a hard day, looking at the pretty houses spread throughout the city always lifts my spirit.
▽ the collection ▽
I've made 7 houses of the most iconic facades that you will be able to see in Amsterdam, which feature some styles of gables such as the neck gable, bell gable, step gable, or tuit gable, and some variations of them.
I named each house with a short word in Dutch that would fit what this picturesque city radiates, and I hope that those words can also describe how you feel each time you wear your piece!
TROTS / PRIDE
LIEF / ADORABLE
LEUK / NICE
BLIJ / HAPPY
GELUK / LUCK
MOOI / BEAUTIFUL
GAAF / COOL
▽ the process ▽
I've made the models of the tiny houses completely by hand with traditional silversmithing techniques.
I avoided using 3D printing because no matter how precise I want to be when making jewelry completely by hand, my hands always leave room for some imperfections - just like the real houses in Amsterdam, which are charmingly crooked due to the swamp terrain the city was founded in (and also because making them by hand is so much fun!).
Later, I cast them in 925 Silver in small batches and finish them by hand.
(Also available in 14kt or 18kt gold by request)
▽ why so tiny? ▽
What I love about small jewelry is that it is mostly for the wearer's delight - it might go unnoticed for the rest of the people, but all the details and secrets of the jewel are left only to the person wearing it, and to the eyes of the people she allows to get very close to her.
Their dimensions are around 4x3x7mm (~3/16 cubic inch), they are *REALLY TINY* - half my pinky fingernail, half of a pencil tip.
▽ formats ▽
I started with silver necklaces: you can get them with one house, or up to as many as you want to create your very own Amsterdam skyline.
I also adapted these tiny houses to become bracelets, earrings, and dainty rings.
Lastly, all the Tiny Amsterdam houses are carefully packed in a little box or parchment envelope, with a card depicting the facade of the house.
I hope you like this collection as much as I do, and if you ever come to Amsterdam and you fall in love with this charming city just like I did, you can take with you a little part of it by wearing one of my tiny houses.
You can find them all in my Etsy shop! www.gemagenta.com
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