Our land is not only rich in fertile soil, which is why we have always been the dream of invaders. Another gift of hers is talented artists whose works are full of meaning through the ages.
Valeriia Guzema – Treasures of the Land
After the start of the full-scale invasion, our every action crystallised into the new us. The new people. People who value the borders of their own country, who value the borders of their personality. Each of us felt this strength, this unity that had never been there before.
Today’s event is, in reality, just another reminder of the importance of the link with the generation. I speak the language of jewellery. They tell the story of my country – both here, at home, in Ukraine, and all over the world. Working with jewellery, we symbolically refer to the historical heritage of Ukraine; to our links with the land, we find new meanings in ancient things. We breathe the experience of generations; we add something new and something own. We become the extension of our roots, which gives us strength and the possibility to be as we are.
Why is each artefact of our cultural heritage so important? Because others always wanted to steal and expropriate them. For example, during Holodomor, people exchanged anything valuable they had for food just to survive. Our heritage was that value. I understand now why my grandmother and great-grandmother always gave me some gold jewellery as a gift for each birthday and holiday. My grandmother also gave me several gold coins. And I now realise the pain which they put into this.
Today, we continue working, being inspired, and creating. We look into our past to better understand our future.
This time, I am inspired by the heritage of the Ukrainian painter Heorhiy Narbut. He went down in history as the author of the first banknotes; he created illustrations for Andersen’s fairy tales, postage stamps, and coat of arms – this is already a recognisable style. And even though he died more than 100 years ago, his works still inspire, and his creativity is an important part of our heritage.
Let me present a new brooch from Guzema Fine Jewelry.
This piece of jewellery was created in collaboration with our jewellery brand and the Ukrainian School of Political Studies. We want to allocate all the profit from the sale to the USPS’s educational programme for female military servicepersons and veterans.
On behalf of our brand and the Ukrainian School of Political Studies, we would like to present the first brooch to Alina Mykhailova. This is the first prototype, and we want you to have it.
