Adventures of a Lapidary
How Sanni became a full-time gemstone carver. From her first course in Idar-Oberstein, Germany to creating a fully equipped studio.
Sanni Falkenberg first learnt to carve during a student exchange in her University years. Since then, she has set up her own stone carving and polishing studio, won awards at the Goldsmiths' Craft and Design Awards, exhibited at Goldsmiths' Fair and runs weekend carving courses. During this talk, she will share her experiences and open up the floor to questions to those interested in learning the art of lapidary.
About Sanni Falkenberg
Sanni Falkenberg is a self-taught gemstone carver with over a decade of experience in carving semi-precious gemstones. Sanni studied jewellery design at the University for Creative Arts, Rochester, and picked up gemstone carving while on her student exchange in Idar-Oberstein, Germany, the well-known centre of lapidary and gemstones. Despite of the exchange period only lasting for a couple of months it was enough to spark a lifelong passion for gemstone carving, and it was immediately clear for Sanni that this is what she would carry on doing when returning to the UK.
Since then, Sanni has developed her distinctive style of carving for jewellery and objects of art. Her creations are a study of the contrasts, from dead and rigid to alive and moving, from ceasing to immortal. Sanni’s carvings have an element of softness and sensuality despite of the unmalleable nature of the stone.
Alongside her carving work, Sanni has been teaching gemstone carving for several years in her Brighton studio.