site.btaNikolai Sardamov, the Jeweler Who Likes to Be Surprised by What He Makes

Nikolay Sardamov is a maker who creates jewelry, fine art and fashion. He says in a BTA interview that jewelry is not just for decoration and likes to be surprised by what he makes.

He says it feels nice to see a person wearing something that he has made. There are pieces that he misses when he sells them. "Usually it is the final piece of a collection. I still love them, I still enjoy them," he says. 

He is happy when his jewelry is being worn. "Sometimes I see such a degree of wear that they have gone out of shape which is also cool," he told BTA. 

Experimenting

Sardamov loves experimenting: not just with shapes but also with materials. "I produced a collection made out of bicycle tubes. Several years ago I won an award by the Union of Bulgarian Artists for new materials and technologies. For that we made a collection of sugar jewelry as a metaphor of consumerism and how everything should be eaten. But I also make jewelry out of silver, gold and precious metals," the maker says.

His most recent exhibition in Sofia, about a month ago, was titled Lapidarium and showed a collection of sea-themed jewelry. "Like a fond memory of a summer, of good experiences that one collects from this time. I wanted these things to be collected and preserved, to be worn. I wanted them cast in metal, in bronze and then finished with a cover: with zinc or gilded, or with a dye. And then return them to the sea but made of a long-lasting metal," Sardamov said.

Around the world

Sardamov's jewelry has been shown in large galleries in various parts of the world. He told BTA that he has dreamed of displaying his works abroad very early in his career. "That started happening gradually and it felt good. Yes, it is a nice feeling to see one's own jewelry in exhibitions across the world along with pieces by real famous jewelers, world-famous," he said.

He likes well-made jewelry that show a skills, techology and command of the processes and the material being used. He follows fellow jewelers abroad and what they make. "I used to like a lot the Italians because I was intrigued by their attitude to gold and the large scale of their work. That was back in the days when I was a young jeweler and I was intimidated to work with such an expensive materials. And I loved the freedom with which they approached gold," Sardamov said.

It matters a lot to him how audiences respond to his pieces at exhibitions but what matters even more is the response from fellow makers, from the professionals. "I mean, for example, when they tell me at the Isabella Hund Gallery in Munich or Michel the gallery owner in the US, Wow, this piece is very good! These are people with 40 years of experience in running a gallery. They have seen a lot. And still they continue to be surprised - which surprises me. I have asked them how they have preserved this ability to be surprised. They say they just have and it makes them happy."

Surprises

Sometimes he gets surprised by what he makes. "You start with an idea but things don't go the way you have imagined it. They take a different course and it surprises you. As one gets more experienced, the surprises become less frequent: the process is more controllable. There used to be more surprises and I miss this now," Sardamov said.

He has noticed that people need time to accept new things. "They need time to spend in a gallery. And what happens is that I show a new collection but people come and ask for the old pieces. Because they needed all that time to really see them," the jeweler said.

He said he is not influenced by fads. "What I make is art. I can't say there are trends: it is more what moves me personally and the theme I am working on." 

Sardamov was born in Sevlievo in 1975 but lives and works in Sofia. He studied at the Sofia high school of applied arts and then finished a Master's course in metalsmithing at the National Art Academy in Sofia. He spent several summers in metalsmithing classes at the international summer academy in Salzburg, Austria. In 2000 he received the Grand Prix in the New Technologies Competition of the Union of Bulgarian Artists. His work has been shown in galleries in London, Liverpool, Glasgow, Vienna, Frankfurt, Munich, Berlin, Amsterdam, Delft, Lisbon and Luxembourg.