The Cyber Perspective of Inesa Kovalova

When creativity goes beyond the material and the jewel becomes the star of our day, a new scenario opens to a world of luxury made up of great innovation with new vision and approaches, much different from what we’ve seen up until now. In her first independent collection Urban, made for MA Design at Central St. Martins in London, Ukrainian Inesa Kovalova explores the cyber side of things after years of designing one-of-a-kind fine-jewelry pieces for the likes of Van Cleef & Arpels. «As a designer, I am exploring the relationship between materials, designs and craftsmanship, or rather, the trends of today and the technologies that can be used in luxury, taking advantage of all of their potential to achieve a highly innovative jewel. It was precisely by working in fine jewelry that I felt the need to experiment and take advantage of technology, all while retaining a traditional soul. This is how Urban began, from the desire to capture today, the present, the incessant urban development of our cities, the world around us and last but not least, contemporary art.» An experiment Inesa was able to design and make, giving value to her vision with 3D printing and the use of alternative materials, such as nylon, titanium and gold leaf. This combination allows her to achieve a highly intricate manufacture, small architectural pieces that would be too difficult to create with traditional methods. This is an exploratory journey that can’t help but draw from the savoir-faire and imagination of early modernist French jewelers in a groundbreaking technological reinterpretation.