Geometric birds resting on sculptural clouds: a creation untypical of Ilgiz Fazulzyanov. But then again, what is typical for this extraordinary artist?

It is a gift and a blessing to be involved for many years in something that you are passionate about. As a buyer and marketer for luxury fashion brands, and now the founder and editor-in-chief of The Jewelry Icon, I have seen the evolutionary paths of many creatives. Some of them are still as good – even perfect – as they were 20 years ago.

True artists, however, push forward, observing, examining, exploring and evolving. Like curious, unstoppable children exploring the woods, they check every corner, every day stepping just a tiny bit further, to see what else the mysterious depths might have to offer.

That is certainly true of Ilgiz Fazulzyanov who has been actively developing his love and interest in Art Deco. Looking for new means to express himself, he studies its strict geometric shapes for the clear, clean and energetic aesthetics that they offer.

In many interviews, Ilgiz Fazulzyanov has emphasized that he sees himself, first and foremost, as an artist rather than as a jeweler. For him, there is no such thing as ‘favorite metal’ or ‘favorite gem’. Instead, he gets an idea and then goes on to select the most appropriate material, whether precious, semiprecious, or thoroughly unexpected, to implement it.

He sketches ideas wherever he goes: on the plane, by the sea, in the orchard, inspired by clouds and rain, plants and birds, even by the most unexpected insects.

The art and craft of jewelry is a unique area of creativity and mastery, which has no limitations for perfection. It is an agglomeration of many innovations, discoveries, know-how, styles and sciences – metallurgy, chemistry, physics, maths, design, architecture – from past epochs and from modern times.

Ilgiz’s love for jewelry stems from his childhood. In his creative search, he has done interior and exterior designs, worked with stained glass, batik (wax-resist dyeing), and many other techniques and industries.

He then went on to develop and refine his unique jewelry-making techniques through studying exhibits in museums and archives, talking to art historians, researching the methods and materials used by jewelers around the world.

Most of his techniques have no analogies. However, in one interview, Ilgiz mentioned that he does not see any point in patenting them (at least, not yet). In his opinion, the gut feeling, intuition, magic and mastery of the true artist and creator cannot be stolen.