It's a cold winter's day when I knock on the door of Maria Kullsand's jewelry workshop, but Maria's warmth is unmistakable. She is bursting with joy as she shows us around the machines and materials, hammers and pliers. Her workshop is upstairs in an old farmhouse on the property, next to the family's beautiful main house in classic red with white knots. Here in the workshop she sometimes invites you to courses in silversmithing and it is also here that she creates her beautiful jewelry for us.

Maria says that she has been doing silversmithing for 20 years.
– I have learned a lot myself, both by reading books but mostly by having an idea and then trying it out until it turned out the way I wanted. But I have also taken a few courses. I also hold courses myself and it is very educational when the course participants give me challenges that I would not have thought of myself.

With practiced fingers, she takes out the material she will create today. Both earrings and a necklace have been ordered, but she starts with the necklace with two trays on a silver chain, takes out punches and earmuffs and starts pounding out the two trays. It makes a loud clang, but the sturdy work table stands firm.

“I am very inspired by nature, but I also like clean shapes and fairly simple jewelry. In simplicity lies beauty!” she says with a smile between hammer blows.

She picks out the letters to be hammered into the silver. The customer has chosen a Bible verse on the slightly larger plate and a cross on the smaller one. She has to be careful to make sure each letter is in the right place before she hits it with the hammer.

One letter at a time sinks into the silver as she works with concentration. She makes holes in the tops of the tiles, pinches on a spacer ring and finally threads the chain through.

We both take a close look at the unique necklace that will soon be in the customer's hands. How beautiful it turned out!

Of course, I'm curious about what jewelry she likes to work with the most.

“These are the earrings we usually call Jesus fish,” she says, holding up an earring. They are made of thick silver wire that she carefully shaped to give them the classic Jesus fish look. Two beaten silver bands hang freely from each other on a ring and then a silver earring hook.

– I designed them about 19 years ago, but they are still fun to make, she says.

The fish shimmer in the winter light and I understand why these earrings are so popular. They dangle beautifully and stylishly from her fingers, the same fingers that worked hard to create the jewelry.

It's almost time for me to take the finished jewelry with me and go back to our warehouse to ship to the customers who ordered it, but I still have one question. What's the best thing about silversmithing?
“The best thing about silver is that it is timeless. A piece of silver jewelry goes with most things, both for everyday use and for parties, all year round,” answers Maria.

We will ship the beautiful, timeless jewelry immediately.

Thank you for letting me peek into your world, Maria!