POP-UP: Goldsmith of the Year 2025

Goldsmith of the Year 2025 is the creator of theStormskärs Maijajewelry collection,Maria Karlström, Guldviva, from Åland.

The Finnish Goldsmiths’ Association, founded in 1905, is a national interest and industry organization for the goldsmith sector. Its members include companies in manufacturing, industry and wholesale, retail businesses, educational institutions, students, as well as gold- and silversmiths, engravers, and gemmologists.

Since 1987, the Finnish Goldsmiths’ Association has annually selected the Goldsmith of the Year. The title is awarded to a person known as a skilled gold- or silversmith, who has worked in the field for at least five years or has other significant merits in the goldsmith industry.

Maria Karlström

Maria Karlström is an Åland-based goldsmith and founder of the company Guldviva. She studied goldsmithing at the Copenhagen Technical School and apprenticed with the Åland master goldsmith Kaj Rinman. In 1989, she founded her company Guldviva in Mariehamn.

The workshop and shop are located in Sjökvarteret in Mariehamn, and the red cottage is surely familiar to many visitors. Guldviva’s signature piece,The Flower, has even been seen around Crown Princess Victoria’s neck. At present, Maria is in the spotlight with her jewelry collection inspired byStormskärs Maja.

“My goal has always been to cherish and develop the methods and techniques that goldsmiths have built up through generations. To learn to understand what is essential in goldsmithing. The thought, the idea, and the craftsmanship are crucial when designing jewelry that will withstand the test of time. I find inspiration in the most diverse places: along roadsides, between blades of grass, at the edge of a pier, crawling on rocks, or swimming in the sea. That’s where I found the design language for Guldviva – with one foot in the sea and the other on land,”says Maria Karlström.

Maria also emphasizes authenticity and soul in craftsmanship. At a time when mass production and machine manufacturing dominate the market, Maria still manages the entire process – from raw metal to finished piece – in her workshop. Her philosophy is based on combining traditional techniques with personal storytelling to create jewelry that is not only aesthetically appealing but also carries its own narrative. The art of telling stories through jewelry is something that fascinates her.

“We stand on the shoulders of giants. Those who came before us laid the foundation. It is our responsibility to pass this heritage on to future generations.”

Embracing new techniques is important, but to use them successfully one must still be a technically skilled and craft-savvy goldsmith with an eye for what looks good and works in practice. Traditional craftsmanship remains just as important as ever – perhaps even more so – because it enables artisans to stand out from the crowd.

Maria Karlström has won theMost Beautiful Ring of the Yearcompetition in both 2022 and 2024. She has been awarded the Åland 75th Anniversary Medal and was namedÅlander of the Year for Positivityin 2008.