Sculptor Björn Weckstrom’s workshop is characterized by a very impressive range of works, produced in materials such as bronze, marble, glass and acrylic resin, and often in surprising combinations.
Björn Weckström was born in 1935. At a very young age he discovered a love for working with clay. Bjorn aspired to be a sculptor, and at the age of 16 decided that he should go to Jeweller’s school, which he graduated in 1956. After graduating, with a loan from his family, Bjorn bought his first workshop in Helsinki, and set to work making pure jewelry shapes.
During his career, Björn Weckström used many different materials, starting with gold and silver. Then bronze and marble entered the goldsmith’s work because he wanted to work on a larger scale. Glass and acrylic paint also interested the jeweler due to the transparency of the materials.
Central to his bronze sculptures is the interpretation of classical Greek mythology. The world sculptor has a large variety of sculptures known all over the world. However, in addition to sculptures, Bjorn Weckstrom creates unique jewelry. In the 1960s there was a radical movement to liberate society. The designers conveyed this freedom through their decorations.
By then, Bjorn was working with natural shapes, uncut gemstones and broken, uneven surfaces, staying as close to nature as possible through his pieces. The Scandinavian countries were different from most others, producing legends representing jewelry about the Crusades and about Norse myths. Bjorn did away with typical Scandinavian traditions by producing simplistic looking jewelry. His pieces were smooth, clean, and angular, yet impeccably beautiful with high quality and broken, uneven surfaces.
Upon his return to Finland, after an exhibition in London in 1961, Björn Weckström received great recognition and fame, and was considered a fashion benchmark. At the same time, Pekka Antilla was looking for a new designer for his company. He passed by Bjorn’s workshop and decided to approach Bjorn, and a contract was drawn up between the two jewelers in 1963. The company changed its name several times over the years, and finally became “Lapponia” in 1974.
In the beginning, Bjorn worked hard on his designs and they sold well, even though many companies throughout Europe went bankrupt at the same time due to the import of mass-produced jewelry. However, Björn Weckström felt that he had to go abroad and set his projects elsewhere. So, in 1965 Bjorn took part in competitions in Rio.
More than 2,000 pieces from all over the world were entered into this competition and the standards for the pieces were very high. When the winners were announced, Bjorn was awarded first prize, the Grand Prize for his Flowering Wall necklace. This victory gave Bjorn international recognition. At the end of 1969 Björn Weckström changed direction again. Bjorn designed a collection of jewelry that he called “Flame Bronze”, made from bronze with wonderful touches of blue and burgundy.
21 different projects were made. The most popular collections today are “General Motors” and “Star fighter” (both pendants) and “Krupp” and “Maginot” bracelets. After these rigorous projects, Bjorn felt the need to combine acrylic paint with silver. The first necklace designed was the “Big Drop” in 1970.
He has designed many different silver and acrylic jewelry over the years, including the Kilimandjaro, Monolith, Creature No. 5″ and Petrified Lake, Kohoutek, Ara and Microns rings. Björn Weckström speaks 5 languages. He is a very warm person who loves his home country with the amazing nature influences that surround it, and the quiet life in Finland. His works speak of the mystical union of beauty and reality.
