AIEL ADAM: The Story Behind the KazakhYuvelir Award Winner

A grandmother’s spindle is not something one often encounters in a jewelry showcase. Yet one found its way there — not as a museum artefact, but as a work of jewelry.

KazakhYuvelir: Opening Doors to New Names

In 2020, KazakhYuvelir established an award for jewelry design with the aim of advancing the jewelry industry and creating a platform for emerging talent and fresh creative approaches.

At the heart of the KazakhYuvelir Award are three principles:

1. Preserving cultural heritage and passing it on to future generations.
2. Supporting artists and designers in giving heritage a new voice.
3. Bringing together those who see jewelry as a language of identity.

Today, the Award offers talented artists a unique opportunity to establish themselves and receive respected professional recognition.

Zhansaya Tileuberdi: The Path to Victory

Zhansaya Tileuberdi is a multidisciplinary artist and the winner of the 2025 KazakhYuvelir Award.

«From an early age, I understood that creativity would hold a special place in my life, and jewelry was part of that. It became part of my world. When I was a child, my mother would often call me a magpie because I was always captivated by jewelry,» Zhansaya recalls when speaking about the beginnings of her passion for jewelry.

For the Award, she submitted one of her ideas, dedicating it to women. Unexpectedly, the spindle became the central element of the concept.

Symbols and Meanings

The word Äiel means «woman». For Zhansaya, the name carries a deeper meaning: in her concept, woman becomes a foundation of the universe, because it was through women’s hands that cultural values were passed down through generations. Without their labour, this cultural code might have been lost.

Her inspiration came from the work of women’s hands, above all the traditional craft of working with felt. Zhansaya connects this practice with history: Kazakh women have worked with felt and textiles for centuries.

«I am inspired by working with felt,» she says.

One of her central ideas when developing the sketch was to reinterpret this material.

The spindle became the central image of the design — a tool once mastered with remarkable skill by grandmothers and mothers. The chain wrapped around it represents a thread, with every centimetre symbolising honest labour. The thread encircles the «needle» and gathers into a ball resembling a bird’s nest.

The rim of the spindle evokes the shanyraq — the threshold between heaven and earth — while the thread passing through it creates an intimate space that the artist calls the «island of life».

«I Saw the Result So Soon»: Behind the Scenes at the KazakhYuvelir Factory

The artist worked closely with the masters of KazakhYuvelir to bring her sketch to life.

«First and foremost, I would like to highlight how quickly the idea itself was realised: I drew it, and very soon I was able to see the result,» Zhansaya recalls.

She also highlights her collaboration with Zhanat Temirkhan, Chief Designer at KazakhYuvelir. The concept was further developed through a close creative partnership between the two.

Bringing a Dream to Life

The sketch was then sent to the KazakhYuvelir factory in Almaty, where the master craftsmen translated it into gold while preserving the artist’s original vision. The result of this collaboration is the AIEL ADAM gold collection.

Zhansaya is eager to see these pieces worn by women — once, they existed only in her imagination.

Discover the Award entries by the participating artists at Almaz boutique. The exhibition will be open throughout October.

Address: 77/85 Gogol Street, Almaty.