Stephie Morawetz - Austria - Growing Gems Section
Stephie Morawetz
Designer biography:
Stephie Morawetz is an Austrian artist. Holding a BA in millinery from the University Linz (2010) and a BFA specialising in Gemstones and Jewellery from Trier University in Idar-Oberstein (2014), she pursued master's studies at Shenkar College in Tel Aviv, Israel (2015-2017). Since 2015, Stephie has been a member of the female jewellery collective "Astonish," which annually exhibits during Schmuck. In 2017, she founded the NPO NOD - Not Only Decoration. And 2024 winner of the Silver Spur award of the Legnica Silver Festival “Empathy” for creative courage and uncompromising attitude. Lives and works in Vienna, Austria.
Collection concept:
When I was gardening, I realised that every flower I bought came in a different plastic pot. It seemed strange to me that nature arrives in something it can't decompose. That's where the Flowers series began. I create my own stones called Plastone, made from stone powder with plastic inclusions, in this case from discarded flower pots. A stone that grows from our waste. Using the traditional Pietra Dura technique, I create flower mosaics that tell a story about nature's resilience. Like plants pushing through cracks in concrete, these works explore how something discarded can transform into something valuable and beautiful.
