About us
– Vitalii Verevkin and Olga Shabanova – members of the Russian Artists Union since 2000, holders of numerous jewelry competition certificates in St. Petersburg and Moscow
We turned our lives around in the nineties, after we substituted our work in geodetic expeditions to a more creative activity, though we kept our love for travelling and nature. This affected our choice of motifs and materials for our creative work: we first started carving on wooden ornaments, then on bones and mammoth ivory, and on stone. I wanted to create something more elegant, delicate and at the same time more durable. So, we started working on metal. We believe that in order to preserve the unity and harmony of the initial design, it is essential for one artist to work on it from the beginning to the end. It is not simple, as the skilled-professional should be a carver and a jeweler. Only in this case, the material has a certain energy, a certain magic. This is what distinguishes handmade products from industrial manufacture. It is nice to see people who can feel that. We get our orders from such people: «Make something as you feel». And the work begins.
How the two of us work together (and sometimes – the three of us)
We discuss the idea of the product. Sketch work always goes in different directions. After finding several options that suit us, we present them to the customer to choose. The chosen sketch is reprocessed, the technical and financial aspects are tackled and we begin to make the product. Vitalii has always been responsible for technical design. It has been so for 25 long years.
Not long ago, our little team expanded. Our son, Mikael, began to actively explore the jewelry business, participate in exhibitions and joined the Creative Russian Artists Union after graduating from the Leningrad Secondary Art School (LSAS) and the history faculty of ST. Petersburg State University in the field of «expertise in art treasure». His participation in all the co-creation stages has given a new impetus to our work and has enhanced our capabilities.
What inspires us.
For centuries there have been motifs of flowers, herbs and animals in jewelry. And each one is unique in its own way. Especially when it comes to hand-made, exclusive work.
A few years ago we had the opportunity to live our own house at a great location, surrounded by the amazing nature of the Karelian Isthmus. And our work gallery expanded with an incredible number of photo pictures, photo books and photo calendars. Walking around with an easel or a camera makes us have a closer look at the world around us. And in this urban century, contemplating nature allows people to rest and get peace.
Our interaction with the customers.
We find each other somehow. There are people who perceive the world as we do. We do not make heavy gold chains and solid diamond ornaments. But if you want to hold a “hand-made” bumble-ring in your palm, or wish that a light-dragonfly earring be tangled in your hair; If you see drops of dew on the morning grass and want to pin wild rose bud (or thorn thistle) to the lapel of your suit, then, we can help you. And we assure you that you will not find anything similar in the forest glade or at social events. After all, as we understand, exclusive means absolutely original work, personally made for you. It is possible to copy the original, only if changes are made to the sketches or other materials are used.
Praises instead of an epilogue
It is considered that you are supposed to praise yourself and your products for all its virtues on your sites, just like at the market. Our old-school upbringing does not allow us to flaunt our achievements, thus making us only «widely known in narrow circles». It is better for each person to make his own opinion after getting acquainted with our work in the «gallery» tab. If you ever have comments, please don’t hesitate to tell us personally, afterall, «even a cat likes kind words», even more important for an artist as the result depends on the mood of each person.
