A conversation with Julia Maria Künnap who is an Estonian jewellery artist and self-taught gemstone carver who transforms gems into sweeping brush strokes and molten forms. We will discuss her contemporary take on the material and how she got started with gemstone carving, as well as what it is like to be a contemporary jeweller today.

Julia Maria Künnap graduated in 2004 from the Estonian Academy of Arts' Jewellery Art Department under Professor Kadri Mälk. A 2018 recipient of the renowned Herbert Hofmann Prize, Künnap is known for her mysteriously and meticulously carved lapidary work. Her work has been included in group and solo exhibitions around the world. Julia Maria Künnap currently lives and works in Tallinn, Estonia.