"I would describe it as fine jewellery with a playful soul. My work often begins with something familiar - a childhood memory, a symbol, an everyday object - and transforms it into something precious and unexpected. "
- Alina Abegg
Alina Abegg turns childhood sweets and Alien rings into antidotes to growing up — and forgetting how to dream and wonder. Trained in London and later New York, the Swiss-German designer transforms childhood obsessions into collectable jewels, handcrafted in a historic atelier in Rome. To celebrate her arrival at WHITEbIRD, we asked Alina a few questions about dreams, gemstones and her creative process.
1. How would you describe your work to someone discovering it for the first time?
I would describe it as fine jewellery with a playful soul. My work often begins with something familiar - a childhood memory, a symbol, an everyday object - and transforms it into something precious and unexpected.
There is humour and nostalgia, but also exceptional craftsmanship and a deeper layer of meaning. I like creating pieces that make you look twice, and hopefully make you feel something too.
2. What is your earliest memory of a gemstone or a piece of jewellery?
I grew up in Switzerland, next to a small esoteric shop that fascinated me from a very early age. I remember always being drawn to the crystal and gemstone section, mesmerised by their colours, shapes and the sense of mystery surrounding them.
Looking back, I think that was where my fascination with gemstones really began.
3. What does childhood still teach you today?
I think as children we are closest to our most authentic selves. We lead with the
heart, trust our intuition and haven't yet learned to overthink everything. Childhood reminds me to return to that sense of inner freedom - to follow what feels true, stay curious and never lose the ability to wonder.
4. Where does your fascination with the cosmos and the unknown come from?
I’ve always been highly sensitive and intuitive, and naturally drawn to what we
cannot fully explain. The cosmos reminds me how little we actually know, and I find something incredibly beautiful in that. It makes me question the bigger things: Why are we here? What is our purpose? What do we want to contribute during our lifetime, and ultimately, what do we want to leave behind? I don’t think we necessarily need to have the answers. Perhaps simply asking these questions brings us a little closer to understanding ourselves and how we want to live.
5. When you create a piece of jewellery, what are you trying to capture?
I think I’m trying to capture that sense of wonder we often lose as we grow older - curiosity, imagination and the ability to see beyond the obvious. I want to translate that into something tangible that encourages the wearer to turn inward and reconnect with their own intuition and sense of self. That is ultimately what “(Re)discover the magic within” means to me.
6. How does a collection begin for you?
For me, creating jewellery is a form of artistic expression, so a collection has to begin with something I genuinely feel. I find it difficult to simply come up with a collection for the sake of creating something new - there needs to be an emotion or an idea behind it that feels authentic.
From there, the challenge is to translate that feeling into something tangible and, ultimately, wearable. I think jewellery sits in a very interesting space between artistic expression and functionality: however conceptual an idea might be, it still has to live on the body and become part of someone else's life. That's when the story is no longer only mine - the person wearing the piece gives it their own meaning.
The process then becomes more visual. I create mood boards combining references from music, film, art and imagery, before sketching and working with a 3D designer to develop the forms. There are usually several rounds of prototyping and refinement before a piece finally feels right.
7. What role do dreams and music play in your creative process?
I’ve always been a daydreamer - I can’t help it. I can easily disappear into my own world, and I think that is an important part of my creative process.
Dreams give me access to the subconscious, to images, memories and emotions that aren’t always accessible through rational thought, while music can completely shift my mood and transport me somewhere else. Both help me enter a more intuitive space where unexpected connections happen - and often, that is where an idea begins.
8. What does craftsmanship mean to you?
Everything. There is always an element of fun and playfulness in my designs, but when it comes to craftsmanship, my standards are incredibly high - perhaps that’s where my Swiss side comes in. I can be quite obsessive about the smallest details.
For me, that contrast is important: bringing something playful and imaginative to life through exceptional craftsmanship is where the magic happens. I recently moved my production to a historic atelier in Rome, where everything is made by hand by incredibly skilled artisans. I love that something that begins as an almost childlike idea can ultimately become such a beautifully crafted and precious object. In an increasingly digital world, I believe true luxury will ultimately be defined by the human touch - by generational knowledge, time, and passion that simply cannot be
replicated.
9. Tell us about the Candy Girl collection. What does it mean to you beyond the
sweets themselves?
Candy Girl is a metaphor for celebrating the sweetness of life and those moments of pure joy and pleasure. I worked with master gemstone carvers in Idar-Oberstein, using real sweets as references to recreate their shapes, proportions and textures in precious gemstones. Beyond their playful appearance, I like the idea that these jewels can become little reminders of joyful moments - something to return to when life feels a little more challenging.
10. What is your favourite piece from the WHITEbIRD selection, and why?
It’s hard to pick just one, but at the moment I would say the latest addition to the
Love Lollipop family, made with vintage coral. I love working with materials that
already carry a history of their own and giving them a new life. The Love Lollipop is playful, but there is also a deeper meaning behind it - it’s a little reminder to stay connected to your heart and to what feels true to you. It can be given to someone you love, or simply to yourself.
11. Your mini chinese portrait:
- A piece of jewellery: Rings. I never feel fully dressed without them.
- A gemstone: A green diamond, emerald-cut is on my wishlist ;)
- A flower: Peonies - my absolute favourite. Their season is far too short,
which perhaps makes me love them even more. - A dish: I’m pretty easy to please when it comes to food - my taste hasn’t
changed much since childhood ;) Give me a good pasta with tomatoes,
mozzarella and fresh basil and I’m happy. Especially the one at Da Adolfo in
Positano. - A work of art: Niki de Saint Phalle’s Tarot Garden in Tuscany - I love the idea
of creating an entire universe rather than a single work of art, one you can
physically enter and experience. - A book or an author: Carl Jung’s Memories, Dreams, Reflections. I’ve
always been fascinated by the inner world - dreams, the unconscious, and
everything we can’t quite explain. - A country: Mexico - colourful, mystical and full of incredible craftsmanship.
- An animal: Butterfly - I’ve already gone through many metamorphoses in my life, and I’m always drawn to movement, transformation and discovering new places
12. Stéphanie, what was it about Alina Abegg that immediately caught your
eye?
The richness of colors and joy in her pieces
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