THE SORCERER’S WORKSHOP
IN LOVE WITH DESIGN Katrine Salmon is one half of the goldsmith business Ghita Ring & Katrine Salmon. She loves the freedom to be able to do creative work with precious metals. How long have you been working as a goldsmith? “For fifteen years. I always wanted to be a goldsmith, but I couldn’t get an apprenticeship, so I trained as a tailor first. Immediately afterwards, I took the goldsmith training. Both trades are very much about design, so in that respect they went quite well together.”
What is the best thing about your work? “I love to create something from scratch. In reality, I suppose I could just as well have become a carpenter. But there’s something special about working with metals, because you can always remelt them and start again. That creates many possibilities for experiment, in a different way than if you sew clothes or work with wood. And I’m also really happy to be where I am, because I have the freedom to be creative.”
What is your favourite material? “That’s hard to say, because I love both gold and silver. But silver is nice and easy to work with because it’s softer.”
Which gemstones do you love most? “I don’t really work with precious stones that much, because my approach is very much based on design. I like to build up a piece of jewellery around the form, and place the focus on the pure metal. Gold and silver are fascinating metals that offer many possibilities. Once in a while it makes sense for me to use pearls and gemstones, but in general I try to keep my jewellery simple and minimalistic.”
Which of your many jewellery pieces do you remember best? “The most challenging was probably my apprenticeship examination piece, but otherwise I’m most pleased with my wave bracelets and rings, because here I’ve managed to create some unique shapes. They’re quite simple pieces of jewellery, but they’re different from anything else I’ve seen, so I’m very proud of them.”
50 · Advertising supplement · September 2019