Jolanda Violante

She has always been animated by passion and an interest in different aspects of creativity and artistic expression and as such she has brought together the two most popular techniques: crochet and beads. Her original bead necklace in last year's contest Battle of the Beadsmith 2014 (BOTB '14) finished a great second place.

"It was my grandmother, to whom I was very attached, who taught me to crochet when I was 10 years old, while my two sisters and I frequently played with beads as most girls do. During my years of study and at the beginning of my career as a musician, I had to abandon my hobby, although I was fortunately rewarded with equally creative work. Once my daughter had grown up, I thought it was time to resume my old passions, starting with the crochet hook. Later, thanks to the internet, I noticed how to place beads in the crocheted fabric and to incorporate them into a fascinating texture while also drawing with the colors in order to create endless fascination.

Thousands and thousands of attempts and a lot of patience were necessary to find the right way of working and the right tension of the thread. I began with very large beads and then gradually moved to smaller ones, because smaller beads produce a shiny fabric.

The shapes and dimensions of the creations are endless. I create colorful jewelry, almost exaggerated, sometimes large, but always wearable, for both evening dresses and casual wear. I think that jewelry should express a strong personality and be unique.

The study and planning of a piece of jewelry is the part which takes up the most time for me, because I always look for new solutions which have never been seen before and I am inspired by colors and their combinations. Recently, I have been very interested in three-dimensional plots and I have been experimenting with different methods. I currently use very small beads and sewing thread and I only use wood or synthetic wadding for padding. This is not really a job for me. It remains a hobby, but a very important hobby for all that. It makes me happy, because I can open up other creative worlds."