• What first drew you to the art of engraving gemstones, and what made you dedicate your career to this technique?
My love with glyptics was gradual, slowly developing, but steady. It began in museums in Bulgaria, when I encountered cameos and intaglios engraved in Antiquity. I was amazed at how it was possible to depict images, entire figures, scenes from Mythology on such a small area.
From very early age, I have been interested in the interaction between nature and man, between natural materials and human imagination and capabilities. I dared to try engraving many years later and to my delight, each subsequent engraving turned out better than the previous one. At that moment, I realized two important things for me – this is what I want to do until the end of my days and there will always be a learning process and unattained levels of elegance.
It is important for me to feel that through this art I can preserve and transmit the spirit of ancient techniques, to create something that carries historical weight and aesthetic value, and to connect the past with the present, to create something unique — every stone “speaks”, every detail is a reflection of an inner vision.
Two of the 12 Suthipa Kamyam’s illustrations
• You use an ancient method to engrave natural minerals. Can you describe this process and what makes working with these materials special?
My working technique is based on the Ancient one, but with the addition of electricity and modern optics. The work begins with the selection of a quality natural mineral (gemstone) — it must have a good structure and appropriate hardness. This is followed by the development of a design for the image, its consideration of the size and type of mineral so that it is optimally visible. I transfer the image onto the stone or redraw it directly by hand. This is followed by the actual engraving using metal tools with a diamond coating. For the finest details, it is often necessary to make tools of appropriate size and shape during the work process. This is followed by a smoothing process and full or partial polishing to bring out the beauty of the engraving (and the gemstone) to the maximum. Fine abrasives, polishing pastes, sandpaper, until a smooth surface and a feeling of gentle shine are achieved.
What is special about glyptics is the need for a balanced combination of appropriate technology and quality tools with good optics and a precise hand. Each gem is unique — the structure, color, inclusions. They set possibilities, limitations, improvisations. They make each work unique. In addition, great attention, patience and respect are required — because every mistake is difficult to repair.
• How long do you usually work on a piece, and what materials are your favourite to carve into and why?
The time for completing an engraved gem varies — from one day to several weeks, depending on the size, complexity of the design and hardness of the gemstone. As for materials, I like to work with natural gems like agate, chalcedony, quartz, carnelian and other semi-precious stones with a hardness of around 7 on the Mohs scale, because they offer good sharpness of detail, allow you to play with depth and light. But I have a real weakness for sapphire, aquamarine and emerald. I love blue-green gemstones.
• You have each built a successful individual career, you, as well as Noon and Suthipa. Could you tell us what led you to collaborate on this project and how this collaboration came about?
One day I received an extremely kind email from Noon, sharing with me her idea and showing me Suthipa's drawings. I was captivated by Suthipa's imagination and her art world. I also looked at Noon's work. I was impressed by the clean and contemporary style, and I simply could not help it, but agree to be part of her project. I was excited by the opportunity to combine the three different talents and help bring to life unique wearable art pieces.
• Did collaborating together change in any way how you see your own practice?
Definitely. Combining glyptics as an ancient artform with Noon’s contemporary designs creates a connection between cultural heritage and modern aesthetics. A new world opened up for me with its possibilities and challenges.
• Could you tell us a bit about the process of creating the carvings for Noon based on Suthipa’s illustration? How did you think about it? Each step of this process involved some sort of transition/translation, an interpretation by a different artist. In your case, perhaps even a certain level of reduction in order to bring the drawing to the stone carving. How was the process different from your usual workflow? Could you share your thoughts on this?.
Yes, working on engravings of Suthipa's drawings was very different. With my other clients we often have to slightly change the image to make it possible to engrave and to be clearly visible. And this is usually permissible. With Suthipa's drawings this was not an option. The biggest challenge was to come up with a type of detail that would come closest to the amazing features of the original drawing. The challenge was to create different shades of white and gray, by varying the degree of polish on the engraved surface.
• Do you collaborate with other artists often, or do you usually work on commissions? What makes a collaboration interesting for you?
I have been involved with glyptics for 18 years and have mainly worked on commissions. The direct connection with connoisseurs is invaluable. Exchanging ideas, often being allowed in personal corners of their lives. For 6-7 years I have been collaborating with various jewelry designers. These partnerships inevitably lead to the enrichment of the creative process, encourage the exchange of ideas and increase the artistic and market value of the art pieces. Sometimes beautiful friendships are born from such collaborations.
• What themes do you usually work with? Where do you find inspiration? What is your biggest interest?
The themes I work with are very diverse, almost everything from the world around us — from plant and animal motifs, mythological images, astrology, religious symbols to family coats of arms and portraits of people and pets. I draw inspiration from ancient art (Greece, Rome, Egypt), from ancient reliefs and from natural forms — stones, plants, textures. Sometimes my inspiration comes from music, from a book, from a trip, from the light that is transmited trough the gemstones. Even from the human being’s inner world.
I love to study Hermeticism in depth. I dare say that over time, clients provoked this interest in me. The world of symbols and images of Hermeticism is deeply mystical and multi-layered, built on the idea of the unity between man, nature and the cosmos. It uses allegories, alchemical signs and archetypal figures to express spiritual truths and the secret connection between the visible and the invisible.