At a time when Russia is not enjoying great popularity in the West, designer Elizaveta Chaykina left Moscow to participate in GemGèneve, Switzerland. It cannot be said that the designer lacks resourcefulness: her jewels were exhibited a few meters from those of Strong & Precious, an initiative to present the work of some Ukrainian jewelry designers. But politics (and sad war events) do not have anything to do with the work of Elizaveta, who founded the Russian jewelry brand Minty Sky jwl, originally from “a Siberian city in the middle of the steppe”.
Liza Chaikina says it took seven years to create her own style, to develop an inner vision of beauty and an extraordinary ability to distinguish gems by touch. She is also the author of the book Russian Emptiness, and has chosen the sky as her main source of inspiration and as a reference to her brand. She uses only natural stones. For example, even gray, yellow, pink, salt and pepper diamonds, which are new in Russia. The jewels are in gold or silver, without plating, the metal “is what it seems”. In addition, together with the classic emeralds, rubies, sapphires and diamonds, she uses rarer stones such as andesine, andalusite, iridescent garnet, tanzanite, accompanied by certificates of the gemological laboratories, attached to most of the jewels. «Our values», explains Liza Chaikina, «are ethical production located in Russia, love for nature and the world around us and emotional involvement in the process of creating a product». These are values that everyone can share, even in the West.
