Watch Out For Unique Dutch Jewelry Designer Ruudt Peters

Meet Ruudt, The Netherlands’s wonderfully eccentric jewelry maker. Ruudt’s beautiful, artistic designs are crafted to communicate a spiritual message and are gaining wide recognition. He also teaches at prestigious art schools across Europe, passing down his extraordinary talents to his students. Discover what goes on behind the scenes of Ruudt’s work, as we talk about his self-proclaimed ‘bizarre’ creative processes.

Tell us about the first moment you knew you wanted to be a designer and what inspires you to create jewelry today.

My family are hairdressers and are very much into the creation of beauty. I also wanted to create beauty, but in a totally different way. This desire turned into making jewelry with a strong message.
How would you describe your jewelry to people that view your designs for the first time?

People often think that my work isn’t jewelry in the traditional sense. They say that it’s not ‘bling bling’ and that my designs are too big to be wearable.
You’ve said before that jewelry is a spiritual phenomenon. What do you hope to communicate through your designs?

For me, jewelry is a very strong communicative medium. People wear art on their body as they walk down the street. This communication can start directly, as strangers are often intrigued by what people exhibit on their bodies. In this way, jewelry is a way to express yourself and has a definite impact on your identity. I aim to spread spiritual thoughts such as ‘honor and exorcise’ through my jewelry. I see it as a kind of dedication to objects. For example, my work for the Terram Series revolves around feet and the spiritual feeling of feet.

What are the best gallery or museum for art lovers in The Netherlands?

The best museums are Rijks Museum in Amsterdam and De Pont in Tilburg. Whenever I’m guiding friends through The Netherlands we always visit De Pont, it’s a treasure.
Ruudt’s Lapis ‘Prima Materia’ Necklace | Courtesy of Ruudt Peters
Do you have a favorite piece from your collections?

My favorite of my works is the Lapis ‘Prima Materia’. I am usually afraid to use gold in my work, but in this piece I created a collar from the six most important materials of the alchemy: lead, tin, zinc, copper, silver, and gold. I used 100 grams of 24 carat gold in this necklace, and it was amazing to do so.
What can we expect to see from you in the near future?

It is a secret! I dream about new projects but I can’t formulate them yet.