Kirsten Sonne

Upcycled jewellery

• Kirsten used to be a graphic designer
• She started creating upcycled jewellery as a hobby in 1995
• She makes jewellery out of recycled materials

Copenhagen-based Kirsten Sonne has spent years mastering the jewellery craft. With a graphic design background and 30 years of working in this domain, upcycling and creating objects from scrap materials have always been an important part of her life. She followed her dream in 2015 when she opened a workshop in Copenhagen where she could devote all her time to the craft. “I take function out of an object and make it pure aesthetics,“ Kirsten says about the essence of her approach. Inspired by fashion, art, history of art, street art, magazines, and nature, her objects are alluring, unique and full of authentic charm. Today, she now has a shop which sells her bold and colorful contemporary jewellery pieces.

Interview

©Ann Malmgren

©Henning Brandt

Do you have any advice for novices of jewellery making?

It is important to build a good network and start your career in a studio with fine colleagues. Also, I would suggest postponing the idea of having your own shop until later. You’ve got to update your skills constantly. And never forget to be curious.

What do you love most about your creative process ?

I enjoy observing the objects I find, deciphering the possibilities and what to create, and then how to make them. All the raw materials I work with are lost-and-found objects. This way those items that were discarded and lost by someone are re-used by me.

Why did you decide to become a jewellery maker?

Jewellery has always been a passion for me. Having my own studio that doubles as a shop allowed me to concentrate fully on the craft. Scrap pieces have always interested me, I made scrap collages at design school. Finally, I ended up combining my two passions.

Did you learn from a master?

Partly. I participated in several courses and workshops, before joining the goldsmith Tina Richter’s studio. I did four semesters in her studio. Now I share my knowledge too, occasionally taking on school apprentices for a two-week course.

Kirsten Sonne is an expert artisan: she began her career in 1970

Works

©Ann Malmgren

©Ann Malmgren

©Ann Malmgren

©Ann Malmgren

©Ann Malmgren

Where