The dream of a jewellery fair
Janne Egstrøm from De Gyldne Gemakker moved from Nyborg to Langeland in search of a more creative environment
Goldsmith Janne Egstrøm decided a good ten years ago that it was time for a change. Until then, she had run a goldsmith’s workshop and shop in Nyborg for a number of years, but was keen to lead a more creative daily life and chose to move to Langeland.
And since then, she has literally had her hands full: the goldsmith’s workshop at her home in Lejbølle is now mainly used during the quiet winter months, as her weekdays during the season are filled with other creative pursuits: The shop “De Gyldne Gemakker” behind Tranekær Castle, which, in addition to Janne Egstrøm’s own jewellery, also stocks arts and crafts, home accessories and delicacies. A few steps away lies the Orangery, the café run by Janne Egstrøm and her husband, and on the other side, Tranekær Castle’s famous henhouse, which now serves as the couple’s bed and breakfast. Finally, she also runs jewellery-making courses.
The creative touch
“I imagined that here on Langeland I’d have better opportunities to develop something artistic… that I could nurture that creative touch more than I did in Nyborg, where my business was commercial and where I collaborated with the other shops in town – shoe shops, clothes shops, hairdressers…”
The creative environment on Langeland has not disappointed Janne Egstrøm.
“But I haven’t yet had time to pursue my dream of having more contact with the island’s other craftspeople and artists,” notes Janne, who, wearing an apron, has just come straight from the kitchen, where she has been busy preparing lunch for tomorrow’s open day.
Jewellery Art Fair
Janne Egtrøm’s ultimate ambition is, one day, to have the time and energy to organise an entire exhibition showcasing Langeland’s goldsmithing art, featuring jewellery by both trained goldsmiths and local jewellery artists.
She herself is a trained goldsmith and has a penchant for creating something new from something old, with the jewellery’s history serving as the common thread. As she says, with a nod towards the red castle: “After all, we’re right in the heart of history here”.
“When a customer comes in with an old piece of jewellery to be recast into something new, I use my intuition and my ability to observe. I look at the colours the customer loves, and I look at their style and what sort of person they are. Whether they’re a petite figure or someone with a fuller figure,” she explains, adding that the most important thing is actually the customer’s connection to the old piece of jewellery.
As a goldsmith, she swears by natural materials. Her display cases contain jewellery made from ebony, horsehair, amber, pearls, leather and fur, though precious stones also feature – as demonstrated by her earrings, set with light-catching, petrol-coloured fluorite stones that shimmer merrily with life.
The history of heirloom jewellery is important. “When it comes to heirloom jewellery, it’s crucial to me that there’s something in the new piece that indicates this was actually once Aunt Anna’s bracelet,” says Janne Egstrøm
That’s needed too
With between 10,000 and 15,000 visitors passing through both the café and the shop, De Gyldne Gemakker, there’s no time to spend the summer simply relaxing.
Every spare moment is spent preparing food or creating new jewellery.
“Medicinhaverne means a great deal to us here,” she says, emphasising that, with the constant stream of hungry visitors that Medicinhaverne attracts, she and her husband simply had to open a lunch restaurant…
Visit Janne Egstrøm
The Art Route
The Art Route allows you to combine major art and cultural experiences with visits to individual artists and craftspeople, whilst exploring Langeland’s most beautiful countryside and discovering art in public spaces.
