Tea Vellerind (b. 1939 in Rakvere)

1965 SAIE

I graduated the speciality of jewellery decoration; the supervisor of my diploma project was professor Salme Raunam. From 1966 I worked in Ars-Juveel as an artist. I made various jewellery and jewellery sets, using silver, gold and precious stones. When my vision of the jewellery is in conformity with the receiver and wearer of the jewellery, and it touches us both, it it the best source of inspiration for further work.

I have made unique sports awards, trophies, decorative forms, stands of table flags. I have participated in exhibitions since 1966, including national as well as international applied art exhibitions. In 1971 a group exhibition was held in the Art Salon together with T. Aru, L Sinivee, E. Kingu and I-M. Köögard, in 1976 a personal exhibition in the City Museum together with T. Aru, in 1989 exhibitions in the gallery of Tampere Art Hall in Finland and in A-Gallery, in 2003 in the Old Town Gallery in Riga. Since 1971 I have been a member of the Artists’ Association; I am a founder member of jewellery company OÜ Kuldgraal.- In the book “A-Gallery. Estonian art jewellery gallery for 20 years” (2014)

“It used to be that there was more jewelry with stories. I am currently using gold, so the jewelery has become quite small, “flea-like”. When during the time of ARS, during the Soviet era there was a salon and we were also in a corner somewhere, I got very big obsidian-type stones from somewhere. They were made into rings with huge stones. I said that they would be perfect they for a horse or Ivi Eenmaa. Would you believe it, she came to the salon and bought that ring with the huge stone! I made two of them, the other one I kept for myself. Over the years, it became small and I had to take it off my finger, my bones were in the way. I wanted to do something else with it and took the ring off the back, and then I believe it simply sat in pieces. It sometimes happens.

I like contrasts, light-dark, and balance in terms of volume. I’ll never make a composition that is centered. On the contrary, I am interested in seeing whether I’m able to balance the volume of the piece jewelery.

I originally thought of becoming an architect. I went to preparatory courses for two years and then worked as a designer. But one of my mother’s acquaintances was a metal artist and I became interested in it instead. I came straight to study metalworking and ended up not becoming an architect.” – Tea Vellerind at the A-Gallery exhibition MEMORY CARDS (2019)