I am proud of having involved so many marvelous artisans from Latvia in this exhibition. Longins Švirevičs’ traditional jewellery is spectacular! Švirēvičs leads the jewellery studio Cilnis in Rīga, and is not only a jeweller, but a master in chasing and repousse, which are such key skills in these traditional pieces. I have spent a day in Švirevics studio learning the secrets of making the hollow Zemgale beads. I only made one, and it took ages, but I just loved learning from the old master who is a very sweet gentleman. Making a whole necklace like this takes many, many days.
