As my colleagues scattered for a casual walkabout on their own time, my host said she was heading to a friend’s shop to pick up a pair of customized earrings she had made. Enter the world of Estonian jewellery designer Anneli Tammik who lives and works in a funky and artistic shop on an upper floor in old town Tallinn. She considers herself a freelance artist, though jewellery design has always been her specialty ever since she graduated from the Estonian Academy of Art.
With more than 30 exhibitions under her belt and countless awards, Anneli is no amateur. Since 2006, Anneli has made jewellery for Evelin Ilves, the first lady of Estonia. She has been designing masterpieces for the wife of Estonia’s President Toomas Hendrik Ilves since 2006. When I asked her how she came to create gems for her, she replied, “Estonia is a small country, where everyone know everyone else and I just happened to be at the right place at the right time.”
Anneli is noted to have changed the face of jewellery design in Estonia, using the latest technology to introduce a new dimension to a field long classified as mere ‘handicraft’. Below, she is at work in her studio.
Her studio is small but efficient and when I was there, she had two assistants helping her with repairs and creations from scratch. My host had lost an earring and Anneli re-created the original to match her remaining piece…it was astonishing but they were indeed, identical.
She wears an authentic face and a pure soul to the outside world. Here, she presents a shyer side of herself as she poses for a photo as I snap away.
Newly finished pieces and others still in progress lay scattered across her work table.
I look around. She has it covered. All that I take in is organized and makes as much sense in her world as it is foreign in mine. Paint brushes. Tools. Hammers. Wood plates. Fire torches. Glue. Molds. Paints. Cleaning Cloths.
A beautifully elegant finished product.
You can see her portfolio here.
Note: this experience was hosted by the Estonian Tourism but my opinions expressed are entirely my own. For more on style, go to Estonia & Style or our General Europe Style section. All Photo Credits: Renee Blodgett, We Blog the World and Magic Sauce Media and for more on Estonia in general, visit our Estonia page.
Renee Blodgett is the founder of We Blog the World. The site combines the magic of an online culture and travel magazine with a global blog network and has contributors from every continent in the world. Having lived in 10 countries and explored nearly 80, she is an avid traveler, and a lover, observer and participant in cultural diversity.
She is also the CEO and founder of Magic Sauce Media, a new media services consultancy focused on viral marketing, social media, branding, events and PR. For over 20 years, she has helped companies from 12 countries get traction in the market. Known for her global and organic approach to product and corporate launches, Renee practices what she pitches and as an active user of social media, she helps clients navigate digital waters from around the world. Renee has been blogging for over 16 years and regularly writes on her personal blog Down the Avenue, Huffington Post, BlogHer, We Blog the World and other sites. She was ranked #12 Social Media Influencer by Forbes Magazine and is listed as a new media influencer and game changer on various sites and books on the new media revolution. In 2013, she was listed as the 6th most influential woman in social media by Forbes Magazine on a Top 20 List.
Her passion for art, storytelling and photography led to the launch of Magic Sauce Photography, which is a visual extension of her writing, the result of which has led to producing six photo books: Galapagos Islands, London, South Africa, Rome, Urbanization and Ecuador.
Renee is also the co-founder of Traveling Geeks, an initiative that brings entrepreneurs, thought leaders, bloggers, creators, curators and influencers to other countries to share and learn from peers, governments, corporations, and the general public in order to educate, share, evaluate, and promote innovative technologies.
