Goldsmith of the Year 2025

We are so proud that our own Maria Karlström was named Goldsmith of the Year in Finland in 2025 by the Finnish Goldsmiths' Association. You can read their motivation here:


Goldsmith of the Year 2025: Maria Karlström,
founder of Guldviva on Åland

The Goldsmith of the Year 2025 has been chosen - and the honorary award goes to Maria Karlström, Ålandic goldsmith and designer behind the acclaimed jewelry collection STORMSKERRY MAJA.

Maria is the founder of the jewelry company Guldviva, which she established in Mariehamn in 1989. She trained as a goldsmith at the Copenhagen Technical School and was apprenticed to Kaj Rinman, a master goldsmith from Åland.

Today she runs her workshop and shop in the Sjökvarteret district of Mariehamn, where the well-known red cottage has become an obvious destination. Guldviva's signature jewelry BLOMMAN™™ has been worn by Crown Princess Victoria and others, and now Maria is in the spotlight with her latest collection STORMSKERRY MAJA.

- My goal has always been to nurture and develop the methods and techniques that generations of goldsmiths have built up. Thought, idea and craftsmanship are crucial when creating jewelry that will last over time. I find my inspiration in nature - by the side of the road, among the blades of grass, at the edge of the pier or in the sea. That's where I found the design language for Guldviva: with one foot in the sea and the other in the earth," says Maria Karlström.


She also emphasizes the importance of the soul of craftsmanship in a time where mass production and machine manufacturing dominate:

– I want to create jewelry that is not only beautiful, but also tells a story. We stand on the shoulders of giants - those who went before us laid the foundations, and it is our responsibility to pass on the legacy to future generations.

 

Maria still masters the entire process - from raw metal to finished jewelry - in her own workshop. Her philosophy is based on combining traditional techniques with a personal story. New methods are important, but it is the classic craftsmanship that makes it possible to create jewelry that both works in practice and stands out from the crowd.

The Goldsmith of the Year 2025 award is far from Maria's first success. She has previously won the Most Beautiful Ring of the Year competition (2022 and 2024), been awarded Åland's 75th anniversary medal and named Most Positive Ålander of the Year (2008).