Austrian jeweler Elena Kriegner decided that she wanted to be a “jewelry maker” when she was 6 years old and started to make her first creations. By the time she was 12, her schoolmates and neighbors were buying her beaded necklaces, bracelets and earrings.

She passed the entry exam of a prestigious European Jewelry Design School and started 4 years of training in the craftsmanship of “Goldsmithing.” She graduated as “Goldsmith,” and then added two more years of training and received her degree as “Master Jewelry Maker.”

With her distinct style and her love for technical challenges and versatile ways of changing and moving pieces, Elena knew that she wouldn’t fit into any of the traditional jewelry businesses. She started her own workshop in the Austrian village where she grew up, and created one-of-a-kind signature pieces for a private clientele. To perfect her skills, she traveled to South Africa and worked with a gemstone cutter, to Greece where she taught classes in jewelry design—and she made many trips to New York to integrate her style with fashion.

Elena now lives, works, and finds inspiration in New York City. She creates and designs in her Chelsea studio which she shares with her her sister, an internationally renowned graphic designer.