Vera Stassen turned a silicified coal she developed into jewellery. This was preceded by a comprehensive material study in which the jewellery designer explored the combination of the raw material coal with silicon, a technique previously only used in industry. The processing gives the coal durability and an aesthetically appealing surface texture. Silicification gives the coal a solid structure, the originally brittle and blackening rock acquires the properties of a precious stone and becomes wearable.

Vera Stassen was born in Essen in 1986 and lives in Krefeld. Vera Stassen trained as a goldsmith in Kevelaer and then studied product design at the Niederrhein University of Applied Sciences in Krefeld and at Aalto University in Helsinki, Finland. She also attended external courses at the Düsseldorf University of Applied Sciences, the Folkwang University of the Arts in Essen and the Cologne International School of Design. Vera Stassen has received a scholarship from the German National Academic Foundation since 2012.

verastassen.de/