Mária Hriešik Nepšinská
Kristína B. Hrončeková graduated from the Academy of Art in Bratislava, where she studied at studio s + m + L_XL Metal and Jewelry. Since 2005, she has worked as a freelance, dedicated to the design and making of jewelry from different materials, leading training courses for children and adults. Together with her husband Ďuro Balogh, graphic designer and illustrator, Jasna Vastl , stage designer from Slovenia, are behind the brand Pikpoki. Last year she was awarded for her jewelry collection titled “Merinophilia”, which is all felted Merino wool, in the competition Rings in Water 2014. Although she uses textile technology, the process in which the objects are formed in felt, she sees herself more as sculpturer. No stitching was involved in modeling the wool necklaces, brooches and earrings. She incorporated crystals and river pearls into the felt and connected them with silver and porcelain. When creating the collection, she set out to observe the principles, which in felting are deemed most interesting, to felt 3D objects without any bonding or stitching.