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Design
11. November 2022
When fiction becomes reality
Have you ever dreamt of something from a book to be real. Dragons to ride? Magic in general? Difficult to pull off to be sure, but as a jeweler it is in my power to yield a certain kind “magic” and pull out something of the written words and into reality. In this case a very special key… Okay, we are getting personal now because this is about one of my besties: Anne Spanget-Larsen. We have known each other since the early 90’s when we met at university and discovered our mutual love for fantasy. For many years Anne…24. June 2021
How were the finalists in Georg Jensen's recent design competition actualy selected?
In the autumn of 2020, The Danish jewelry company Georg Jensen announced a design competition in which the whole country was invited to design a piece of jewelry which would celebrate Her Majesty Queen Margrethe's 50th government anniversary - and at the same time be in line with Georg Jensen's design heritage, because the winning design was to be produced and sold by the old jewelry company. Of course I participated! Here is Georg Jensen's own description of what they wanted:Your design proposal must be able to function both as a pendant and a brooch. In addition, it must…10. June 2021
World Art Nouveau Day – in contemporary jewelry
Art Nouveau is loved by many. The soft and fluid shapes of especially French Art Nouveau seems to appeal to us humans, probably because the look reminds us of nature – our original home and habitat. Jewelry created in this style thus tends to work more WITH the body than against it: No sharp edges or angular, architectonic lines in stark contrast to our soft flesh. Art Nouveau, also (but not only) known as Jugendstil or Stile Liberty, was a wildly popular design style from approximately 1890 to 1900 – the end of the “Victorian Age”. The style was originally…15. July 2020
Vielsesringe med uendelighedstegn
Vielsesringe med et uendelighedstegn er en klassiker. Hos Castens har vi specialiseret os i at gøre det på en lidt andeledes måde Når vi vælger hinanden som livspartnere, er det i forventningen om netop det: at det kommer til at vare livet ud, eller "uendeligt" - altså at det ikke ender før vi gør, i al fald. I den forbindelse er det faktisk underordnet om det så lykkedes, for når vi står der i kirken, på rådhuset eller under blodbøgen, FØLES det som det helt rigtige – og det er den følelse, som skal være med til at bære…6. June 2020
Creation of a sea monster necklace
Deep down, a silvery sea monster lurks, ready to stretch its arms towards the surface in order to tear down unsuspecting sea folk into a watery and violent grave. It was this monster which I set out to create, when Nina Hald, author of several jewellery-related books and curator of even more jewellery exhibitions, invited me to participate in the exhibition “Jewels of the Sea” at the nautical museum “Fjord og Bælt”. However, in the beginning, I only knew, that I wanted to work with the octopus because I am in love with the sinuous curls which its arms can…23. May 2020
Creating a tiara
When the Copenhagen Jewellers Guild announced the event “Fit for a Queen”, letting all Copenhagen Jewellers participating with their take on what was fit for a queen, I decided to create a tiara. Of course, one might be tempted to say, since I love creating tiaras and do so approximately once every other year. This particular tiara was meant for a forest queen and hence its main motifs would be silvery leaves and/or flowers. I puzzled around with the elements for quite a while before settling for a somewhat simple but stylish version featuring only leaves. I adored the flowers…21. December 2019
WHAT TO DO WITH AN OLD WEDDING RING?
Many of my customers come to me with an old wedding ring and want me to redesign into a new piece of jewelry – but how to go about that elegantly? There can be a number of reasons why you would want a wedding ring to be redesigned. Perhaps it is yours, but the marriage is no longer because you split up or your spouse passed away. The ring might also once have belonged to one of your parents and for that reason holds big sentimental value to you. No matter the reason, sometimes you want to reuse the wedding…16. April 2019
Creating a one of a kind Ouroboros ring
A serpent bites its own tail – this ancient symbol of eternity, or rather how time begins, ends and begins anew is a much-loved illustration throughout religions, art and literature. It illustrates the cycle of life and death, the turn of the seasons, wholeness, the union of opposites and infinity at large. Recently, a customer wanted me to create ring, using this very symbol and it was such a treat to comply! We meet the tail-biting snake for the first time in ancient Egypt – famously in the tomb of Tutankhamun. Here they depict the deity Mehen, which protects the…28. February 2019
What is the price of handcrafted jewellery?
Are you considering having a piece of jewellery custom made for you because you can’t find what you dream of in regular jewellery shops? Or perhaps because you dream of e.g. wedding rings which no one else owns? Then the question is absolutely relevant! The short answer is: More than mass produced jewellery from suppliers who have specialized in budget-friendly jewellery and often cheaper than (also) mass produced jewellery by a renowned brand. Here is the explanation and we start with Adam & Eve / how a piece of jewellery is made. A piece of jewellery can be made in…9. October 2018
