In recent months, in some of Skopje’s more bohemian bars, one can spot young women wearing rather unique earrings. A particularly daring one is made of part of the plastic strip of a well known brand of anti-depressants. The pill, still in its slot in the strip, is part of the earring. "Just in a case of an emergency," the joke goes. The earrings are made by the creative hands of a young artist, Dafina Dzeparoska. Her jewellery, all handmade and unique, has lately become increasingly visible. For example, a national fashion weekly recently picked up on her work. She spoke to Southeast Europe: People and Culture about her passion for jewellery making.

How did you start designing jewellery?

Even in my youngest years, one of my biggest interests was designing clothes for my dolls. I made my grandmother sew while I explained to her the design I wanted. I used to find all kinds of little items that I would turn into jewellery and this became my hobby. I was really surprised by the positive reactions of people around me and this inspired me to continue with even more enthusiasm and to transform my hobby into a profession. I like it when things have a use, a function, and I see how jewellery can contribute towards creating the personal style of an individual. Details mean a lot in a person’s look, and style is telling of personality.

What inspires you?

Almost anything can be inspiration. From the sunset to a part of a car parked on the street. I feel that ultimately it is about an inner drive that makes you express something which is impossible to express otherwise. It somehow blends with the impressions we collect through our lifetime from different streams of art. They stay inside us and at some point rush to the surface. Often, ideas come in completely unrelated moments, such as when I talk to friends about things which are not at all related to art, or by walking down the street. If I do not note them in my mobile phone or draw them immediately, they can get lost indefinitely. On the other hand, it is a different type of challenge when I have to do something very specific, for example an order. Then I try to adjust it to the style of that person, naturally also leaving a mark of my own.

What materials do you use most often? Do you have materials you prefer to work with and why? Do you use any specific tools?

I create from just about anything I find interesting, spoons of eurokrem (a type of popular cocoa cream),  pill-strips, old dolls and toys, IT-waste, car parts, styrofoam, textiles, rubber, drink straws, Lego cubes, buttons... In addition to my more unconventional materials, I also use all kinds of gemstones, especially Check crystals and semi-precious stones. I sometimes draw with glass-colour on the gemstone itself, or apply prints. Lately I have also started working with filigree, which has brought a new tone to my work. Through the filigree I try to connect the modern to our traditional artisanship.  Hence I make items of ultramodern design which are produced through the ancient filigree silver-making technique. Each piece produced is unique.

How much time and effort does it take to produce a piece of unique jewellery?

It depends on my daily commitments, but primarily on my creative energy. In the past it would often take me several days to produce a piece but now I am a lot more skilled. I sometimes spend a lot of time thinking about the creation and how to develop it, by observing the boxes with gemstones in front of me. I take a gemstone, look at it and think what it could turn into, what it matches with, etc. Alternatively, when I have the design upfront, it is much easier.

Is there a market for your products? Where do you find it, at home, abroad? Who are your clients?

Until recently I used to give my jewellery to friends, to people who have been important to me, or to people I was grateful to.  I recently started selling after friends of mine started making orders for their friends, and also after my jewellery gained visibility through the social network Facebook. The desire to own an ornament which adds to the beauty of a person, particularly women, has existed forever. Unfortunately, the living standard in this country is not high and not everyone can afford to spend money on how they look. This aspect creates difficulties in setting the price for products. Also, shipping and online payments are not well developed (for example, this country is not eligible for Pay-Pal, and international mail is expensive) and as a result I have not dared to sell abroad just yet. But I plan to find ways to sell abroad in the near future. Clients have mostly been people I am connected to in some way, as I have not actively advertised my jewellery. But I am glad that interest has been growing even without professional publicity and the number of clients is on the rise.
   
What are your plans for the forthcoming period?   

I am right now working on the logo for my jewellery. I have named it Duffy Jewellery and I already have an idea for the webpage. At the end of August I will present part of my new collection at the multimedia art festival Bosh which will take place in Gevgelija (a town in the south of the country) and I am also preparing my own exhibition.