Eugen Steier, a German gold and silversmith was born in Tashkent, Uzbekistan where he spent the first 11 years of his life. He learnt his craft after returning to Germany. He now lives and works in Barcelona, Spain. For the past five years, he has been working as a freelance jewelry designer for a Spanish jeweler.

I first came across Eugen on Flickr and was suitably impressed with his contemporary jewelry designs - I am not the only one judging from the comments his gold and silver smithing photos have garnered. He has also started a Flickr group called My Masterpiece.

What first caught my eye was the above left sterling silver necklace, a sculptured art piece with a unique catch. It was made for a competition run by the Bavarian Chamber of Crafts with a specific theme - designing new clasps or enclosures. The focal part consists of a grey acrylic part with a rubber ball inside. Press the two small release levers and the rubber ball gets smaller as the clasp opens!

His sterling silver ring (top right) is not cast but assembled such that the ring is hollow inside. The decorative element is a very dark-blue casting resin.

However, his original design called the Spinning Top necklace has fun written all over it! It was for a school competition with a "Movement" theme. The top is brass but treated in a gold galvanic bath. And yes, the top does spin - Eugen did some extensive research to get the perfect form for a good spin. The necklace part is made from ebony wood, turned on a lathe. The wooden part is hollow because that's where the top can be stored. Very clever indeed!

He also gives workshops and is the co-author of an upcoming book showing the different drawing techniques of jewelry from well known goldsmiths and jewelry artists from all over the world. So keep a look out for it!
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The Beading Gem's Journal
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