On 25 July 2026, the galeas Emelia was launched in the Maritime Quarter in Mariehamn. During the ceremony, Emelia’s godmother, artist Danelle Bergström, received a unique piece of jewellery created by Guldviva’s founder, master goldsmith and designer Maria Karlström.
Ahead of the great day, Maria was commissioned to create a lasting symbol of the godmothership. The jewellery would connect Danelle to Emelia while carrying the story of all the people whose years of work made the vessel possible.
For Maria, named Finland’s Goldsmith of the Year in 2025, the commission brought together two traditions of craftsmanship: those of the goldsmith and the shipbuilder. Both are founded on knowledge of materials, patience and hands that know how to give form to an idea.
A jewel made by many hands
Emelia is not built from oak alone. She is built from knowledge passed down through generations, professional skill, perseverance and respect for the material. From hands that have measured, sawn, hewn, planed, carried and joined. Added to this are voluntary work, financial support, trust and countless hours that people chose to devote to something greater than themselves.
Maria allowed that idea to live on in the form of the jewellery. People appear in both the pendant and the chain links – some clearly visible, others almost hidden in the silver. They represent those who carried Emelia forward: the people at the centre and those who worked quietly behind the scenes. All are joined together, dependent on one another and indispensable to the whole.
“Every contribution may seem small, but together they create a force that makes the seemingly impossible possible. This is the force the jewellery carries.”
A piece of Emelia close to the heart
The jewellery contains a specially selected piece of oak from the construction of Emelia – a small part of the vessel’s history to wear close to the body.
The wood once grew in the forest, shaped by wind, rain, sunlight and the changing seasons. Now it carries the story of a vessel brought into being through human determination and community. It connects the forest, the shipyard, the people and the sea.
The communal effort that made Emelia possible
Above all, Emelia was built through talka, the Nordic tradition of coming together for voluntary work. Talka is more than working side by side. It is a quiet promise between people: I will help; I will do this together with you.
In a talka, no one asks who will receive the credit. People see what needs to be done and allow their own hands to become part of the whole. One person carries the heavy load, another shares their knowledge, prepares the food, donates materials, opens a door or keeps courage alive when the journey feels long.
Danelle Bergström and Spirit of Emelia
There is special significance in Danelle Bergström becoming Emelia’s godmother. The Swedish-Australian artist lives and works between Åland and Australia and has followed the construction and the people around it for several years.
When Danelle encountered Åland’s tradition of communal volunteer work in 2019, she was deeply moved by the sense of community. From that experience grew Spirit of Emelia – a multimedia art project honouring the shipbuilders, volunteers and everyone else who took part in the work.
The project encompasses a large body of portraits and paintings from the construction process, as well as a documentary film, a book and sound. The complete project will be presented at the Åland Art Museum during 2026, with the hope that it can later be shown internationally.
Read more about Spirit of Emelia on Danelle Bergström’s website.
A story to carry forward
Guldviva’s jewellery for Emelia’s godmother and Danelle’s Spirit of Emelia meet in the same idea: Emelia is a vessel, but also an expression of what people can achieve together.
The jewellery is a memory of her birth and a tribute to the shipbuilders and masters, the volunteers, donors and supporters – all the hands, hearts and voices that together declared that this vessel must become a reality.
Now that Emelia rests in the water, the sea carries her. But before that, she was carried by people. As her godmother, Danelle can carry that story forward – in a piece of jewellery created especially for her.
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