Exhibitions

The first association with the classic, traditional jewelry making, the one that involves the use of semi-precious or precious stones, is its fitting into the intended shape of a ring, necklace, bracelet, earring, brooch; that is, its subordination to the metal frame, the carrier. However, fashion designer and jewelry designer Ida Stipčić Jakšić is not at all interested in such approach. The main motivation for her consideration of the appearance and functionality of jewelry is a semi-precious stone, which she decently encrusted with precious metal, silver.

She is intrigued by the colors, texture, and structure of the stone, the way it responds to light stimuli. Ida’s jewelry is recognizably imposing. With the emphasized dimensions, the designer releases the uniqueness of the material, and it becomes a guiding thread when designing an individual object. She is not only fascinated by his physical characteristics and visual attractiveness. It is equally attracted by its energy potential, healing properties, the ability to regulate health problems and to have a beneficial effect on the wearer. Therefore, on the note that she attaches to the jewelry, she will carefully write down its features, as well as the attachment to a particular zodiac sign or body part. However, she herself will point out that when choosing a stone, ie a certain piece of jewelry, the intuitive attraction that its future owner feels is much more important.

Indicative is certainly the fact that Ida did not reach for stone for the first time when she started designing jewelry more than a decade ago. She had previously chosen it for composing clothing items – dresses, for women, but also men. In general, Ida’s attitude towards the various materials that inspire her (apart from the expected fabrics, such as fishing net, aluminum foil, silicone, wild broom, sage, lavender…) is equally avant-garde and fundamental. Her style does not fit into (fashionable) style drawers. The decision to choose the mentioned materials arose from the feeling of closeness and recognition of their potential on a personal and experiential level.

The link is of course only the Mediterranean climate, the ambiance of the island, the history of Brač and Split. Just as she used to choose pebbles for dresses, so does Brač calcite come to life in imaginative jewelry. Her favorite is coral blue, which she associates with so often used jeans. She also reaches for pink rhodochrosite, magically shimmering labradorite, Dalmatian jasper, which is found in distant Mexico, and many other stones. Local and exotic tendencies are equally met in her workshop.

We can recognize determinants in the diverse work of Ida Stipčić Jakšić, such as the tendency to experiment, the valorization of nature and tradition, as well as the dedication to small, everyday things. Either way, all these complex premises of her artistic identity help her to constantly evolve and upgrade. However, they do not prevail declaratively in individual cycles and works.

Returning to the topic of jewelry, to which she has been devoting most of her time lately, it is important to notice the sculptural principle of building form, which is manifested in the balanced evaluation of stone and silver surfaces, as well as the three-dimensional body of the object. It mostly takes on organic and irregular shapes, and sometimes changes into more regular, (almost) sharp, geometric structures. The approach to metal also varies – sometimes it is polished to a high gloss, sometimes it imitates its organicity.

For millennia, women and men have adorned themselves with jewelry to beautify themselves, accentuating the solemnity of the moment, appropriate the preciousness and magic of the stone, which is likened to it. And indeed, all these aspects are present in this case as well. Another specificity is that Ida does not hide veins and other small irregularities that she finds in lumps. It may be both inappropriate and wrong to call them irregularities. Just like with the people who wear them, these small shifts reveal character and uniqueness, which justifies the originality of the individual, ie the object.

The originality of Ida’s jewelry is confirmed in its ability to adapt to the current mood of the owner, who can transform part of the necklace into a bracelet, or regulate its length. Fashion and design are ephemeral, changeable, but also eternal, provided that the creative idea lasts and matches the spirit of the time in which it is created. They are a copy of the character of their creator, but also a confirmation of the identity of the one who wears them. All these postulates are confirmed in the works of Ida Stipčić Jakšić – elegant and extravagant at the same time!

Barbara Vujanović, art historian