The gold nuggets of Lapponia
Establishment
In 1963, Lapponia was founded by Pekka Anttila together with Björn Weckström , who knew each other from their goldsmith training.
Pekka Antilla was enthusiastic about Weckström's daring experiments and believed in his vision.
Vision & Style
Björn Weckström's signature style was strongly influenced by his experiences in Lapland .
During a trip to the Lemmenjoki gold fields in the late 1950s, Weckström became fascinated by the soft , matte sheen of these raw gold nuggets.
“Lapland gold felt like a warm material to me”
Björn Weckström
This experience inspired him to design a series of gold jewelry that reflected the organic shapes and textures of these nuggets.
Björn Weckström's vision also extended to silver jewelry. In his eyes, the silver had to look as nature itself would: rough, cracked, still as snow and ice.
"When I designed my first silver collection in the late 1960s, I aimed to capture Finland's winter landscape - the snowdrifts and frozen lakes - through silver. I also wanted to make the wearer a part of something larger and more mysterious."
Björn Weckström
What made Björn Weckström special was that his style was at odds with what was fashionable at the time.
The fashion was mainly retro tank rings, highly polished finish, symmetrical and classic.
Not at Lapponia.
What if a piece of jewelry is not a piece of jewelry, but a small work of art?
International breakthrough
The international breakthrough of Björn Weckström and Lapponia Jewelry came in 1965 , when his design “ Flowering Wal ” won the Grand Prix at the prestigious International Jewelry Contest in Rio de Janeiro.
This victory brought Lapponia to worldwide attention and marked the beginning of their international success.
More awards and recognitions followed, but one of Weckström's most iconic designs for Lapponia is the "Planetoid Valleys" necklace. This necklace gained worldwide fame when actress Carrie Fisher wore it as Princess Leia in the 1977 film Star Wars: A New Hope .
Guest designers
Over the years, Lapponia has collaborated with guest designers who have always had a vision that differs from the mainstream.
Some well-known designers include Zoltan Popovits and Poul Havgaard.
Current Lapponia
Lapponia was acquired by “ Kalevala Jewelry ” in 2005 but operated alongside each other. Since 2020, Lapponia is fully part of the “Kalevala” group.
Did you know that…
Lapponia was first called Kruunu Koru ?
In the same year the name was changed to “Lapponia”. Lapponia means “Lapland” in Finnish, which is a reference to the golden nuggets on which Björn Weckström based his collection. And so the circle is complete.