To Lithuania, Vilnius
From February 17, 2025, I spent three days in Vilnius, the capital of Lithuania.
The main reason for this trip? Visiting the V2o Jewelry Gallery.
Since there are no direct flights from Japan, I had a layover in Helsinki before heading to Vilnius.
When I arrived at the airport, Indre, the gallery manager, was already there waiting for me.
First, we went to a stylish café and had waffles for breakfast—a perfect way to start the day!Then, we took a walk to the V2o Gallery.
This area was redeveloped about five years ago from an old factory site, and now it’s home to trendy shops and luxury apartments.
Visiting V2o Jewelry Gallery
V2O AUKŠTOJI JUVELYRIKA instagram
The gallery carries a variety of unique, artist-made jewelry. 。
V2o’s owner, Victoria, also creates and sells her own brand of jewelry.
I even got to visit her atelier!
It’s such a beautiful atelier!
The artisans and artists working at V2o not only craft jewelry in their workshop but also create their own brand designs.
I realized that there aren’t many countries where making jewelry with platinum is common.
Apparently, platinum casting is rare in Europe.
Platinum requires high-temperature oxygen torches and is tricky to cast, so that might be why.
In Japan, casting companies and artisans generally work with platinum as a standard. With gold prices skyrocketing recently, many pieces that used to be made in white gold are now being made in platinum instead.
I realized this is quite unique to Japan!
On the other hand, I also felt that Lithuanian artisans, even those who are skilled craftsmen, have a strong creative mindset when it comes to their work.
That’s my blog post for today! More to come. 😊