Jeweller recognised for her talents

A TALLAGHT jewellery designer and recent art college graduate was nominated for the DCCI Future Makers 2026, which recognises and nurtures the talent of young designers.

22-year-old Natalia Jastrzembska of Tallaght Village was recognised by the Design and Crafts Council of Ireland for her jewellery designs which she has made over the last few years while studying an International Diploma in Jewellery and Objects Design at the National College of Art and Design.

Future Makers offers Student and Recent Graduate, and Emerging Maker awards, and Natalia is up for the Materials category on the Student and Recent Graduate side.

In June, the work nominated was displayed at an exhibition at NCAD.

Titled ‘Saligia’, the different creations focused on the seven deadly sins, from a hairpin focused on pride to a bracelet inspired by gluttony and more.

The 22-year-old noted that her class were told to use a topic and create jeweller related to it, which led her to Saligia.

She said: “I created seven deadly sins as seven different pieces of jewellery, with each colour corresponding to the sin.

“I used gemstones that would clarify the colour of them, of course, and then each little character does the sin – so the ring is sloth, so it’s this little guy sleeping on the ring.”

Pride is displayed through the hair pin design, wrath through an ear cuff, gluttony with the bracelet, envy in the shoulder brooch, greed through the money clip and lust is presented in the necklace.

Natalia was surprised at the nomination from the DCCI and noted that her work had not been as well-received while in college.

The jewellery designer likes to clash dark with bright to help create stories with her works, as seen through Saligia.

“I love putting stories into jewellery and explaining them in a metaphorical way, so what I was trying to do was make these little people like the seven sins…little ghost-like characters that come to your body and show each of the sins.”