#04 EMBELLISHING
Cherry ring 18ct gold with South Sea pearl and
brilliant-cut diamond by Louise Degn
Make-up and hair: Malene Kirkegaard
Model: Tuyana Ililonga/Unique Models
September 2023
Extract from bookazine no. 5 on jewelry
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Goldsmith LOUISE DEGN works with exquisite craftsmanship and a high degree of perfection and always in precious materials. Since completing her apprenticeship in 2005, she has assisted established goldsmiths in Copenhagen when they needed an extra pair of skilled hands in their production. Concurrently, she has been refining her own playful jewellery universe.
Having a basic income from her work as an assistant allowed her to grow her own brand organically.
2020 was a good year for Louise’s own jewellery collection. Through Instagram, a wide new audience became aware of her work.
During the first half of 2021, severe illness (a stroke) forced her to take a prolonged, involuntary break.
Now, she is back at her worktable again, firmly committed to prioritizing her own universe even more than before. ‘If I’m going to do it, it has to be now,’ she says. ‘Something happens to your priorities once you’ve seen how quickly everything can change.’
‘The cherry ring is my peak, so far,’ she says. ‘It comes in several variants, but the South Sea pearl version is my personal favourite.’
Pearls hold special meaning to Louise; this is evident from her worktable, where parts of her collection are laid out: strings of pearl with thin Vietnamese Akoya pearls in shades of white, yellow, green and blue. Tahiti pearls in shades of grey, green, blue and lilac. South Sea pearls in shades of yellow and white and rose-coloured freshwater pearls.
Fra HÅNDVÆRK bookazine no. 5
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Guldsmed LOUISE DEGN arbejder med en høj grad af håndværksmæssig perfektion og altid i ædle materialer. Siden hun blev svend i 2005, har hun dels assisteret, når etablerede guldsmede i København har haft behov for ekstra kyndige hænder i deres produktion, dels har hun forfinet sit eget finurlige og legesyge smykkeunivers.
Basisindtægten fra arbejdet som ekstern guldsmed har været en forudsætning for at lade det vokse frem organisk.
2020 var et godt år for Louises egen smykkekollektion, mange nye kunder fik via Instagram øjnene op for hendes virke.
I første del af 2021 afstedkom alvorlig sygdom (apopleksi) en længere, ufrivillig pause.
Hun er nu igen tilbage ved guldsmedebordet, fast besluttet på, at hendes eget univers skal prioriteres højere end før. “Hvis det skal være, skal det være nu”, siger hun og fortsætter, “der sker noget med prioriteterne, når man har set, hvor hurtigt alt kan forandres.”
“Kirsebærringen er indtil videre mit peak”, mener hun, “den findes i flere varianter, men udgaven med South Sea-perlen er min favorit.”
Perler betyder noget særligt for Louise, det fremgår af arbejdsbordet, hvor dele af hendes samling er lagt frem: perlestrenge med tynde vietnamesiske Akoya-perler i hvide, gule, grønlige og blålige toner. Tahiti-perler i grå, grønne, blålige og lilla toner. South Sea-perler i gule og hvide nuancer og ferskvandsperler i rosa.
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