CONVERSATION BETWEEN CRAFTS

For Kamyam the process offered an entirely new layer of her work – her illustrations underwent a careful reinterpretation shifting from 2D into 3D and eventually into wearable jewellery. ‘I allowed the drawings to continue their journey in another form and witnessed their growth and transformation through the perspective and methods of other artists,’ she reveals. ‘I enjoy working in this way, passing the work forward, allowing each person to interpret and then see what unfolds. It becomes a shared process of storytelling, where the work evolves beyond what one person could create alone.’

The illustrations mark the first stage of the process. After they are carved into stone by Detelina Ivanova, Passama selects a single detail, such as a knot in a horse’s mane, the coil of a snake’s body, or a dog’s tail, and translates it into a series of hand-crafted chain links, repeating and scaling the shapes in clay until the final form is perfected. The narrative shifts and evolves at each stage, infusing the work with three creative energies. ‘What was special is that each of us remained true to our own practice, and yet, when these perspectives came together, the story transformed into something new; expanding through each stage of interpretation,’ Kamyam explains.

While Passama led the collaboration and defined the medium of the final pieces, Kamyam was granted almost complete creative freedom. ‘The only guideline was that her design needed to work with stone cutting, without impossible sharp angles. Otherwise, it was open,’ Passama recalls. Ivanova, however, faced a different situation. ‘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.’ She met the challenge by creating different shades of white and grey through subtle variations in the polish on the engraved surface. Cooperating with other artists is not foreign to her prolific carver – she has been working with various jewellery designers for almost a decade. While these collaborations energise the creative process and set ideas in motion, they have also become the ground from which meaningful friendships have grown.

Ivanova works primarily with semi-precious stones such as agate, chalcedony, quartz, carnelian, and occasionally sapphire, aquamarine, and emerald. Each gemstone presents unique challenges, from structure and inclusions to colour and hardness, requiring patience, precision, and skilful improvisation. The technique itself is based on the ancient method, with the addition of electricity-powered tools. Fittingly, Detelina Ivanova admits having fallen in love with the art of glyptics in a museum in Bulgaria, where she first encountered cameos and intaglios engraved in antiquity. ‘I was amazed at how it was possible to depict images, entire figures, scenes from Mythology in such a small area. From a very early age, I have been interested in the interaction between nature and man, between natural materials and human imagination and capabilities,’ she recalls.