Julieta Álvarez: Ceramic Jewelry with a Flamenco Twist

Julieta Álvarez talks us through one of her latest projects: creating ceramic jewelry for Lladró

While Julieta Álvarez’s passion for creating things out of clay dates back to childhood, this love truly blossomed when she discovered she could use it to make unique pieces of jewelry. Now, Julieta (@julieta_alvarez) has almost a decade of experience creating delicate handmade ceramic jewels under her belt.

This career path has brought about opportunities to collaborate with international businesses and create collections for brands such as Lladró from Spain, a project which we had the opportunity to learn all about in the following interview.

When and why did you start ceramics?

It’s almost been 10 years since I began working with clay, although I used to play with it as a child as well. My dad is quite good at sculpting, and he used to bring home lumps of clay. I have always liked it.

When did you discover that ceramics was the perfect medium for creating jewelry?

The first more serious clay project I took on was creating a series of hanging mobiles for an exhibition at a gallery in Madrid, Mad is Mad. I used small pieces of clay and wooden sticks and saw how they could work well as accessories. So, I decided to test them out.

What inspired the ceramic jewelry pieces you created for Lladró?

The Lola collection was inspired by flamenco dresses as well as Lladró’s own creative processes.

They produce decorative objects that are covered in flowers that are handmade, one by one by, an in-house craftsperson. They struck me as breathtaking. The main motifs of the collection were produced in the same way.

What was the creative process for the collection like?

Excellent! It was a very stimulating and nourishing experience getting to work with the Lladró team. They use materials and techniques that are very different to what I use. I have been lucky to learn a lot during this project.

You will have had to make decisions about shape, color, and processes. Did you have complete freedom when it came to making these decisions, or were there some limitations?

Yes, of course. There are big differences between working for a company as large as Lladró compared to working in a tiny workshop like mine. Regarding color, for example, they had come up with different combinations for the inside and outside of the pieces. In the end, we went for just one: red and pink. With regards to shape, they had to simplify some details quite a lot so that the pieces could be reproduced in large quantities.

What parts of the process that you teach in your Domestika course, Ceramic Jewelry for Beginners, were used to create your pieces for Lladró?

All of them: the structure of the collection; the technical, practical, and marketing skills… among many others.

How many pieces do you produce for a collection like this? Is there a big difference between the size of the collections you create for brands compared to the ones you create yourself?

Lladró distributes all over the world. While the pieces are artisanal and are handmade by a team in their factory in Valencia, they have to think on a big scale.

Ceramic pieces of jewelry are very special. As well as being unusual, they can also be very fragile. Do you have any advice on how to look after and conserve such pieces?

Here are some of my tips:

–Keep them in their original packaging. This way, you’ll avoid them getting scratched or broken!
–Every now and then, apply a little alcohol to a small cloth and gently wipe the metal and porcelain parts of the jewelry so that they stay clean and shiny
–Don’t sleep in them or put on perfume while wearing them

Who can make ceramic jewelry?

Anyone and everyone! The course is intended for beginners, so there are no previous skills or knowledge needed. Anyone who is enthusiastic (and has some clay and basic tools) is ready to start.

What can we expect next from Julieta Álvarez?

I’m immersed in a very personal new artistic ceramics project. Hopefully, I can tell you more about it soon!

Sign up to Julieta Álvarez’s course, Ceramic Jewelry for Beginners, and learn basic techniques for creating, molding, and glazing three pieces of jewelry.

English version by @eloiseedgington.

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