The Strong and Precious Foundation, established in April of 2022, was founded by founder Olga Oleksenko, who responded to the attempted erasure of Ukraine’s culture and people. Olga approached it through the collaboration, curation, and celebration of her contemporaries in the jewelry industry who know Ukraine’s heritage better than anyone through their craft. A women-owned nonprofit, the foundation’s strength comes from the women it works with, many of them still operating in their war-torn country today. Understanding the love they have for their work and the importance of their applied skill is essential to understanding what makes Ukrainian culture unique and distinct, something that the global community must protect just as they protect their own local heritage at the behest of governments who willingly erase entire populations and places without regard for human dignity, discriminating against minority groups and disregarding women, children, and civilians. Today, we look at what makes Strong & Precious women strong and where the foundation is going.
The Founder
Olga Oleksenko was a jewelry connoisseur, curator of private collections, and respected art collector before she became a founder. With a decade of experience in the business, she became director for the Kyiv boutique for Van Cleef & Arpels, and for the past three years, Olga has been conducting lectures about jewelry and its art. Now she applies these skills in the name of curating socio-politically meaningful collections. She began showing at GemGenève, then had a collaboration at Sotheby’s, marking a historic debut for Ukrainian jewelry designers at an international auction house. She supports the Ukrainian jewelry school and will be hosting an event this spring in D.C. to meet with diplomats and media at a crucial time in the struggle, which passed the two-year mark as it becomes an ugly war of attrition.
Romantic Avant-Garde: Iryna Karpova
A true expert of the jewelry industry, Iryna Karpova pushed the cultural needle forward with her Romantic Avant Garde design, evolving past traditional designs to be ahead of the curve. She presents incredible shapes in gold, amber, and reddish hues all typical of Ukrainian design, and currently promotes her organic jewelry line which radiates warmth and individuality. Truly an architect on a miniature scale, her designs capture the brilliance of her knowledge and passion in all fields, having worked both in architecture and jewelry for over 25 years. The traditional techniques of refined handicraft that she expertly applies in her modern jewelry evolved over centuries and give her ideas a fitting of the classical context. Karpova has exhibited in Paris, Monte Carlo, New York, Hong Kong, Moscow, and Kiev, and much of her work is now held in private collections.
A Mother & Daughter Duo at Drutis
Women-owned Drutis Jewellery stands out as a high-end fine jewelry brand, renowned for infusing a unique kinetic element into each piece, making their creations more than just visually appealing. This brand, driven by a mother-daughter collaboration, intertwines cherished childhood nostalgia with high-brow craftsmanship and premium materials. Their design inspiration is drawn from kinetic art, heirlooms, and symbolically rich jewelry, reflecting a deep commitment to fostering joy, wonder, and preserving their nation’s jewelry history. The brand was founded out of profound passion for both antique and contemporary jewelry, encouraging shared experiences. Despite the adversities faced due to the ongoing war, the brand’s England and Ukraine-based team persevered to produce pieces that drive their mission. Their most recent work is a stunning collection of kaleidoscope pendants, a lens through which to see their world.
Future-Focused: Inesa Kovalova
As a highly lauded and advanced jewelry maker, Inesa Kovalova creates jewelry to reflect our life today with a distinctly modern and deep look. Her technical work ranges from re-defining precious classics to crafting contemporary 3D-printed art jewels, putting her work at the cutting edge of gemology. She was born in Ukraine, and her design career is very well-established, beginning in architecture, after which she studied art and design in Italy and at the renowned Central Saint Martins in London. She cites her main inspiration as the cyber-reality of growing metropolises and industrial landscapes alongside abstract art, which is all the more relevant now that the machinations of institutions and industries larger than us have come treading through her home. She states, “I see jewels as art and believe that the art should reflect the time we live in. This pushes me to look for new technologies, materials and sources of inspiration.”
One to Watch: Yuliia Komendat
Yuliia graduated from IED Milano in 2023 in Jewelry Design and previously obtained a certificate in Higher education in Gemmology and Jewelry studies at Birmingham City University. Being only 22 years old, Yuliia Komendat is in the process of starting her jewelry line under the name Komendat Jewelry, which will be focused not only on her artistic fine jewelry pieces but also will continue her thesis work by transforming them into “Couture” Bridal Jewelry. Yuliia co-curated her first jewelry exhibition, “Before We Leave,” in 2023 with her classmates in Milan, which increased attention to her work in Italy. After that, she was nominated for the “New Talents Award 2023” by Klimt 02. In 2023, VO+ Magazine published an article that considered Yuliia Komendat to be featured as one of the five emerging jewelers – “The next J Gen.” Additionally, she participated in competitive project collaborations with Swarovski Crystals and Brosway Italia, winning both of them. This leaves her debut line, ‘Komendat’, highly anticipated, with which she aims to create true “Couture” Bridal Jewelry. She says of herself, “life has given her the greatest gift because it has taught her to transform emotions into physical objects, imprinting them for years”.
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Championing and carrying the torch of culture is essential not only for the sake of tradition but in order for people to be able to live freely and advance their self-expression, making more room for designers with unique backgrounds and celebrating the women who built this industry. The cohort that makes up Strong & Precious is rife with exciting talent from rising stars and maestros of their craft, a group that crafts meaningful collections for people who want to wear something profound. We’re waiting to see where they go next.
Learn more about the Strong & Precious foundation at https://www.strongandprecious.com/.
To learn more about the designers, you can browse their work here: