This jewellery is created in Elżbieta Macur's studio. Not literally, of course, as her studio can be anywhere: in any free moment and in any place, she can reach into her bag for her tools, which are a crochet hook and thread, to create so-called foundations within 4-6 hours. These come in various shapes to fit necklaces and bracelets. She makes them from natural materials, mainly cotton, silk, and satin, so they gently and pleasantly embrace the neck and wrists. They serve as the base for further embellishment with decorative compositions, which are usually made from colourful natural stones.
Amber occupies an important place in this collection. „I really like this stone, especially when it's unpolished. It's so warm and pleasant. I particularly enjoy combining random shapes – that way, even the simplest composition is always interesting,” explains Elżbieta Macur. Amber is also combined – based on the contrast between natural and synthetic stones, and warm and cold colours – with Swarovski crystals. „I feel that such a combination further enhances the charm of the natural stone,” adds Ms Elżbieta. She also doesn't shy away from combining the Baltic gold with turquoise, coral, or flint.
The ornaments she creates can be worn every day or for special occasions. It depends on the design, but also on the women themselves. „Polish women are becoming bolder in their choice of jewellery, wanting to attract attention more and more through original pieces. However, they are still far from the more flamboyant Spanish or Australian women, who are not afraid of bold colours or substantial sizes,” admits Elżbieta Macur.
This is confirmed by her daughter Joanna, an alumna of the Academy of Art and Design in Łódź, who supports her mother with the design and execution: „There's a lot of this type of jewellery on the market nowadays, but it's often made solely from ready-made components, and therefore quickly. In this case, the amount of work involved is truly enormous, and I'm glad that customers see and appreciate it. Theoretically, anyone can make this type of jewellery, but in practice, very few can.”.
To meet their customers„ expectations, both women attach great importance to current fashion trends. ”Sometimes we even manage to get ahead of them,„ laughs Elżbieta Macur, and recounts how much earlier than Swarovski she ”predicted" the trend for yarn decorations adorned with stones. Trendsetters from this company noticed and appreciated Ms. Elżbieta's ideas several years ago. She, alongside leading Polish designers such as Anna Orska and Tomasz Ogrodowski, was invited several times to present her works at the special Swarovski Elements trend exhibition at the Amberif trade fair in Gdańsk.
Elżbieta Macur will present her latest collection during the Złoto Srebro Czas (Gold Silver Time) fair in Warsaw (4-6.10.2013).