Helena Piepers

"Have no fear of perfection, you'll never reach it."
Salvador Dali

 

Helena Piepers

Contemporary Jewelry Designer & Goldsmith / Antwerp, Belgium

I'm Helena Piepers, a jewelry designer and goldsmith working from my studio in Antwerp.

My path towards jewelry was anything but straightforward. I first studied Applied Visual Arts at Sint-Lucas Ghent, followed by Fashion Design and Sculpture at the Royal Academy of Fine Arts Antwerp. I later studied Jewelry & Object Design at Sint-Lucas Antwerp. Those different disciplines still come together in my work today.

I’m fascinated by shape, proportion, construction and surface. My background in fashion and sculpture continues to influence the way I think and work. I like clear forms, strong proportions and surfaces that reveal something unexpected when you look a little closer.

I work directly in metal, building, shaping and refining each piece by hand. The making process is an important part of the design, and a piece can develop as I work on it. Texture is a recurring element in my work. Some surfaces are created by pressing materials and structures into the metal, while others are worked directly by hand. Sometimes the pattern is clearly recognisable; sometimes only a subtle trace remains.

I’m drawn to contrasts: rough against refined, geometric alongside organic, a strong form with a quieter detail. Sometimes this results in a bold, sculptural piece; at other times, in a more refined gold design with a richly coloured gemstone. These different sides are all part of the same world for me.

Certain shapes, structures and details return throughout my work, each time in a different way. Over time, this creates a visual language of my own, without every piece having to look alike.

I like jewelry that can hold its own as an object, almost like a small sculpture, but is ultimately meant to be worn. A piece can have presence, change a simple outfit, or simply make you want to look a little closer.

I welcome clients to my studio in Antwerp by appointment. Alongside my own collections, I also create bespoke jewelry. I enjoy working together with clients to develop a piece from an initial idea or personal story into a finished design.

For me, that is what jewelry is about: shape, material, making, and the moment an object becomes part of someone.