Design Jewelry and Accessories Magazine: Art Special: Annamari Mikkola

Annamari Mikkola is a nationally recognized jewelry designer and art director, and one of the pioneers using advanced 3D techniques in jewelry design.

My name is Annamari Mikkola. I grew up in Finland and have been living in the USA for 17 years now. My studio space is conveniently above our home garage. However, most of my design work is now done with CAD programs, so with a powerful enough computer, I could do it anywhere.

As a jewelry designer, I am mainly self-taught. I have, however, studied design in SVA, NYU and RISD.

Since I was a little girl, I have been tinkering with all kinds of crafts. Knitting, sewing, ceramics; you name it, and I’ve tried it. I even used to sew my own clothes at some point.

Metalsmithing and jewelry making would inevitably have their turn at some point. My long professional career as an interactive art director and graphic designer paved the way to CAD design.

I haven’t given up crafting or my professional life, but it looks like pieces in my life are coming together now.

More than a town or country where I live, I think it is my personal space and emotional state of mind that influence my work.

As a designer, you really can’t distinguish between past and present. Your life experience and the millions of visuals that you have seen throughout your life will always be there.

I tend to often refer to nature in my work, and though it is pretty and green where I live, the appreciation for natural forms is in my upbringing and genetic make-up.

The forms often transform to more abstract interpretations in my designs.

If I lived, say in West-Africa or Far East, I might possibly use more colors and produce more exuberant work. After a while. your eye gets used to certain design conventions. My personal style has, however, always been classic and minimalistic.

I design jewelry that I like to wear myself. I believe jewelry should always be beautiful and wearable.

Drawing inspiration from themes as varied as nature, history and mythology, Mikkola aims to create jewelry that is comfortable, yet conceptually powerful. Her necklace Nymphaea was selected to be a finalist in the prestigious Saul Bell Design Award competition for jewelry design.

Which is your favorite ever item you created?

Selecting your favorite piece is like selecting your favorite child, impossible and not advisable.

I love different pieces for different reasons. The Pod Pendant and Spelt Bangle were among my first CAD pieces and they created this wonder and amazement for the process.

It was wonderful to touch and wear the physical pieces. At the same time they proved impossible and possible. It would be unobtainable or laborious to make those pieces using traditional metal techniques.

On the other hand, I still love the Lure Pendant. It was among my first handcrafted sterling silver pieces. I believe in its simple and pure form strongly enough that one will most likely see many siblings in my future lines of work.

Of course, the Nymhaea Necklace has a special space in my heart as well. It was selected to be a finalist in the Saul Bell Design Awards Competition. This was when I was just starting. It really made me a more confident designer.

Could you please tell us about the process of creating a new piece?

It really starts with a blank canvas, or in my case, a computer screen. I may do some scribbling or sketch in my mind, but most of the work is done at my computer desk. As for the software, I use primarily Rhino 3D and ZBrush for the design work. They are very different programs, but complete each other in the process.

After the piece is ready, I export it as an STL (stereolithography). Then I upload it to one of the service bureaus’ servers. After selecting the material there’s the wait and then excitement when the pieces finally arrive to my mailbox. Occasionally, I choose to get the piece printed in wax and get the prototypes in sterling silver.

Sometimes, I realize the concept will not work as 3D printed piece. Either the walls are too thin or there’s not enough support for arches.

Sometimes the sheer volume of the piece makes the production difficult and costly. In those cases, I may leave them as digital 3D models or print a nylon model for reference.

The CAD/CAM industry is progressing at an enormous speed. It is becoming more and more popular among jewelry designers.

In the next few years there will be printers capable of printing directly on precious metals, such as high carat gold. This eliminates wax modeling and opens up fantastic possibilities.

Who is your favorite designer and why?

Miuccia Prada, absolutely! Her designs are surprising, sexy and classy, yet always timeless and high quality. The high-tech fabrics alone are revolutionary.

There’s always lot of research and aesthetic experimentation behind the pieces. Yet, they work and seem effortless. She truly is one of fashion’s most intellectual and provocative talents. She has this distaste for anything that constricts what people wear. I can’t but admire her crazy color schemes.

Of course, I feel like we are a bit like soul sisters. She was trained as a political scientist at the university and later turned her eye into design. By no means, I consider myself to be her caliber, but believe in the same values.

What is your dream for your brand for the future?

I would like to see it in many retail stores. Simultaneously, I would like to keep it high quality and not enter into mass production. Of course, it is not practical to print each piece individually in the long run.

However, I would definitely like to maintain the texture on them. I could also do some design work for more established brands and create jewelry lines in cooperation with them.

My dream is to open a small studio in town one day in the future. Would be nice to meet clients for custom work in a more professional environment.

A certified PMC artisan, Annamari Mikkola completed a design certification at the NYU and also studied design at Rhode Island School of Design and School of Visual arts.

She earned her master’s degree from the University of Turku, Finland.

Her art has been featured in the New York Times and she has exhibited her photography internationally.

To keep her mind and body in balance, she trains competitive rowing. Mikkola resides in New Canaan, CT with her husband and two sons.