Hello! I'm very happy you're here!
My name is Suncana More - translated to English would be "Sunny Sea"
I'm a fashion designer from Croatia. I design jewelry and other beautiful things inspired by my female heritage. With the intention of honoring all the women that came before me and brought beauty to this world with their creativity. All throughout human existence, people find time and energy to create beauty no matter how hard life can get. For most women, until quite recently, it was difficult or even impossible to earn money by having a job but they could make beautiful things that could be exchanged for money or used as a dowery. In these new and modern times, these items have lost their value and appeal while at the same time they cannot be priced fairly due to the amazing amount of labor that goes into making them. That is why I do my best to represent my own heritage - the magical lace from Island Pag in Croatia.
I started working with metal jewelry in 2019 and very soon created a vision of "Pag Collection" in my mind. I've then spent many months searching for a way to make it into reality. The shine of the metal I'm etching into reminds me of the sparkling sun on the waves of the sea or the sunbeams playing on the sandy seafloor. The geometry of the design is complex but it still feels so light, like the metal I work with - aluminum. The designs are meant to not be intrusive but still capture attention.
The important thing I want to amplify here is that all the lace motif used is a real hand-sewn lace. Yes! Your read that right - this special lace is sown with the thread and needle - every little knot at the time. Every handmade lace looks a bit different cause a woman who sews it is putting her own creativity into it.
And then I use salty sea water and electrical current to erode metal material around this pattern giving it a 3D dimension. The motive is then carefully polished until super shiny and the pieces are shaped by hand and jewelry put together.
A lot of thought and care goes into figuring out how to have a small ecological footprint so I make my business decisions considering nature and sustainability. That is a big imperative for me and we should all be very aware that any "trash" we produce is not going to disappear. We need to plan for it: reuse, recycle or upcycle!
I do have a special license to use this lace motive and by having the license I give part of the earned money to the Pag lace-making school that is still active and teaches young local people this magnificent art so it doesn't get forgotten.
Ciao!