ramona stelzer design
Jewelry and accessories made from fish leather Anyone who sees the shiny, brightly colored and artfully patterned "lengths of fabric" that Ramona Stelzer has hung on her studio walls may find it hard to believe that the raw material for her jewelry designs is fish leather.
"Every fish has its own character," explains the graduate designer. "I love working with stingray leather: the stingray has fine horn beads on its skin, which, when sanded and polished, develop a particularly elegant sheen. I use it to make rings, ear studs or pendants in silver. For my men's collection, on the other hand, I used sturgeon leather, a very strong, striking leather, almost like a reptile. Each piece is unique, because every fish also has an individual pattern on its skin." The fish has a long way to go before it becomes a piece of jewelry. One of Ramona Stelzer's suppliers is based in the Bavarian Forest: Anatol Donkan, a Siberian artist who comes from the indigenous Nanai people. In search of his cultural roots, he discovered a piece of fish skin on spiritual figures - and began to relearn and perfect tanning using traditional methods. He has the raw fish skin delivered from a fish factory. He tanned the leather with tara nuts, chestnut and mimosa tree bark until it became soft and then dyed it with natural dyes. The scale structure is retained. The material is very fine, yet tear-resistant and hard-wearing, which is why it is particularly suitable for making gold and silver jewelry as well as a wide range of accessories. In addition to her fish leather jewelry, the trained goldsmith and graduate designer also sells bags, belts and wallets here. "Fishing for compliments" is written at the entrance to her show workshop in Wismar. "Here on the coast, people have a stronger affinity with fish than in Swabia, where I grew up. And tourists often come to my studio looking for a unique souvenir." Opening hours: April - September Tue-Fri 11-18h + Sat 11-15h October - March Tue-Fri 11-18h + Advent Saturdays
Ramona Stelzer Design in Wismar - jewelry from the sea
In the middle of the Hanseatic city of Wismar, not far from the Mecklenburg Baltic coast, graduate designer and goldsmith Ramona Stelzer runs her show workshop. Ramona Stelzer Design creates jewelry and accessories from an unusual raw material: fish leather. Rings, ear studs and pendants - each piece is unique, as no two fish have the same pattern on their skin.
Rake leather, sturgeon leather and the art of traditional tanning
Ramona Stelzer particularly enjoys working with stingray leather: the fine horn beads on the stingray skin develop a sophisticated sheen after grinding and polishing, which is particularly effective in silver settings. For her men's collection, she uses sturgeon leather - a striking, reptile-like material with a strong texture. The fish leather used comes from Anatol Donkan, an artist of Siberian origin from the Bavarian Forest, who has perfected tanning according to the traditional methods of the indigenous Nanai people. He uses tara nuts as well as chestnut and mimosa tree bark and dyes the leather with natural dyes - the scale structure is retained.
Unique pieces made from fish leather - jewelry and accessories for the Baltic coast
In addition to jewelry made of gold and silver, Ramona Stelzer also sells bags, belts and wallets made of fish leather in her workshop. "Fishing for compliments" is written at the entrance - a tongue-in-cheek reference to the material and the coastal connection. The studio is a special place to go, especially for visitors to the Baltic Sea region of Mecklenburg-Vorpommern who are looking for an unusual and region-related souvenir.