Material Luxury: Natif

A minimalist, Annamaria Mikulik creates wearable miniature art using unusual products.

Slovakia-based Annamaria Mikulik’s jewelry is strongly influenced by her preoccupation with environmental degradation and sociocultural changes. The creative director of Natif, a fine-jewelry brand celebrating pure lines, creates jewels with solid gold as well as unusual materials as a reflection of the impact of man on nature.

How did you get into jewelry design after studying industrial design?
Jewelry design is closely related to my product-design studies. I consider jewelry to be cute product miniatures. I enjoy creating works on such a miniature scale. When studying conceptual design, I learned to experiment with materials and ideas, looking for new ways to overlap the worlds of art and industry. I have two lines: the Natif brand and artistic jewelry. Natif is characterized by jewelry featuring minimalist shapes designed for everyday wear. It represents jewelry with gentle beauty, highlighting the female movements. The second line consists of artistic jewelry, which I create based on my own artistic intuition, playing with various materials and colors, experimenting and looking for a moment of aesthetic perfection. In this realm, I have fewer boundaries that would limit my imagination. Each piece is a miniature conceptual work of art.

What is the philosophy behind Natif, and for whom is it made?
For a long time, I have felt the need to create jewelry that could attract attention, but at the same time have a message of subtle elegance. The absence of jewelry I was seeking for myself led to the creation of this project — jewelry that would be a hallmark of luxury, minimalism and a reflection of the wearer’s meticulous taste. I realized that if I’m looking for it, maybe someone else is looking for it as well, and I can create jewels to help fill the gap on the market for people with similar taste. The big advantage is that I belong to the target group, so it is easier for me to make decisions about the direction of my lines and products.

Your pieces are based on traditional materials like silver and gold, but you often combine these with very unusual materials such as gelatin, ceramics, or even radioactive materials. Tell us more about experimenting with these materials and how these connect with your jewelry?
Gold and silver are timeless materials that have held an important place in our society for millennia. That is why I use them in the brand as part of the classic style concept. I use my experiments with materials mainly in the field of artistic jewelry. I like to play with material limits, physical phenomena and sustainability or ecology issues. I implement the latest scientific principles and materials into my work, which opens up new possibilities for my artistic expression.

One of your collections, Nature Fake Illusions, caries a strong environmental message. What is the story behind this collection, and can you tell us more about the materials and techniques?
It is strong in its idea of an environmental concept. With each passing decade, our planet faces an increasing danger of destruction, while our sociocultural environment is transforming at an alarming rate. Surrounded by artificial products and reality, this jewelry collection considers the paradox of replacing natural forms with synthetic materials. When we perceive the cold beauty of interiors and objects of everyday use, we can feel empty. We lack the warmth and depth of real natural forms and materials. The concept of jewelry from the collection expresses these feelings. The jewelry is soft and smooth, reminiscent of real flower petals. My jewelry refers to the loss of natural balance in today’s consumer culture. Society encourages us to slowly forget the true smell of plants or the taste of food; the media influence our perception and make it a reality. I try to show that the beauty of nature is out there, different from the artificial beauty we are used to.

Nature Fake Illusions also won a prestigious award. Did that help with introducing your brand and collections to a wider public?
Winning at A’ International Design Award and Competition [in Italy] in 2019 opened up many new opportunities, contacts and cooperation on interesting projects. I have been presenting my jewelry at major jewelry events abroad for a long time. It was this collection that appealed to foreign media with its visuals and environmental concept. My projects have been seen by many people online, but also at exhibitions in Milan [Italy], New Delhi [India], Shenzhen [China] and New York. I am glad that in this way I can represent Slovakia.

Nature Fake Illusions also inspired your other collection, Genofond. How are these two related and can you tell us more about the idea behind it?
The aim of the project was to create five time-varying and degradable works with an environmental theme. Unlike the previous award-winning project created using traditional casting techniques, the new project is created through state-of-the-art digital technology using biodegradable materials. The whole project addresses the problem with the current consumer culture.

Main image: Designer Annamaria Mikulik, portrait. Photo: Pavol Bobek.