Valeria Martínez

Bio

Visual arts graduate with a degree in engraving from the Catholic University of Chile, urban craftsman, dedicated for more than 20 years to jewelry, always seeking for an innovative line that has led me to explore in the contemporary jeweler world. Recognized on two opportunities in chile with the seal of excellence in Artesania (craftsmanship) and with the recognition of excellence to craftsmanship awarded by Unesco. My pieces are worked with the filigree technique, exploring different materials such as copper. I have managed to take this technique to other dimensions creating contemporary pieces with an ancestral technique. My works have been exhibited in Chile and abroad.

My formation comes from visual arts, my passion for jewelry. 10 years ago I specialized in filigree, the ancestral technique which uses fine metal threads interlaced among them and that welds creating a lace effect. This technique is usually worked in silver or gold.  My innovation and proposal was to take it to copper, typical material of our country, Chile, creating new shapes, exploring different alternative finishes offered by this material: oxide, patina, pure copper. Pieces grow, are assembled, then unstructured, they contain but are disarmed, are opened, are transformed into an offering. Shadows become important, transparencies and colors are intensified by the light. Maybe my inner self creates, contains but releases. Through my work I try to bring these materials to life, show their secrets, each piece is unique and has a history.