Ida Maglai

I was born and raised in Hungary, there I completed a Diploma of Teaching and Community Arts. While teaching, I was involved with a felt-making group and also learnt to make horse-hair jewellery. These pieces were accredited by the Hungarian Union of Craft’s Jury.

Arriving in Australia as a refugee in 1987 with my baby boy and husband, I learnt English and studied visual art, majoring in Jewellery, at the North-Adelaide School of Art. In 1995 I graduated and since then I have been working as a self-employed studio jeweller. I work mainly in three areas; exhibiting, commissions and production work. My work and pieces have and still are represented in different galleries all over Australia.

I consider jewellery as visual poetry that is the reflection of the maker and the wearer. I aim to please the wearer and the viewer and hope to trigger imagination. My pieces are inspired by the world surrounding me, by other art forms and artworks and by my love and concern for nature. They are influenced by my experiences and my Hungarian heritage.