About Pajankajo
Light Shines from the Workshop of a Happy Resident from City Of Oulu
Pajankajo was founded on May 4, 2021.
The Essence of Pajankajo
A piece of jewelry that has been stamped with a blacksmith's own hand mark is authentic. It tells that a real person made it, and not just a faceless, soulless entity that only seeks maximum profit.
Not all value has only numerical value, but sentimental value is also a significant factor. This sentimental value will always be present in Pajankajo steel jewelry and -design, whose value is THE feeling of AUTHENTIC hand-forged product.
Pajankajo's wooden jewelry uses traditional wood-working methods to give it much more interesting shape. Even though automated processes are used in production, there is still place for traditional methods in the manufacturing process.
Favoring Finnish materials whenever possible gives the design authentic a piece of Finnish Happiness. Design made from materials created in County of Happy people, by a happy blacksmith in City of Oulu.
This is how the essence of Pajankajo is crystallized
Joonas Kantola (born 1989) is the designer, blacksmith and operations manager of Pajankajo.
Kantola has been trained in:
- 2015 Metal Artisan
- 2019 Jewelry Artisan
- 2022 Bachelor's Degree in Business Administration, Visual Merchandiser
Inspiration comes from:
Finnish Surroundings
Minimalism, Line Art, Cubism
Video games
High Fantasy literature and illustrations
Art Nouveau inspired minimalist profiles
The hand mark textures of traditional metalwork
Jewelry and design made by a Designer Blacksmith from City of Oulu, using materials made in Country of happy people.
Attachment IS part of the design
When designing jewelry, it is important that the suspension of the jewelry is part of the design. This approach is familiar from the working methods of traditional metal smiths.
For example, if a hole is made in a traditionally wrought steel piece to be attached to a wall, it is punched through the heated steel with a mandrel. Often the area around this hole is shaped decoratively beforehand so that the attachment is part of the design and not just a loose drilled hole somewhere in the object. You have to think in advance where the attachment will be before you even make the product.
Not just a flat, flat shape
In addition to fastening, it is more important to know the properties of the materials used and how they can be processed. Internalizing the properties of the material enables creative solutions.
Creativity is stifled if you just repeat someone else's work without understanding why it was made that way. I think jewelry makers need to be able to challenge themselves and step outside their comfort zone. I do this also because it opens up new perspectives through which to look at jewelry.
It is important for continuous learning and product development. For example, you cannot make ecological jewelry if you do not understand how the production chain works outside of your own production.
I find simple, completely flat jewelry extremely boring because anyone can easily make it with current production methods. When that type of jewelry is everywhere, it gets lost in the crowd. The creator needs to challenge themselves to develop positively.
Jewelry makers need to be able to challenge themselves and step outside their comfort zone.