Top models are increasingly in charge of creating their own brands and business development strategies. Polish beauty Magdalena Frackowiak has joined the posse with the debut of a 26-piece collection of 18-carat gold jewelry made by Polish artisans. Maja Clara Stepien, who lives in Warsaw and is Magdalena’s best friend has assembled a group of both young artisans and older craftsmen for the project. 

Inspired by Magdalena’s love of architecture, fine art and her 10-year career in fashion, the pieces ranging in price from 1,000-10,000 euros are presently available at MAGDALENAFRACKOWIAC.COM. 

ALIQUE shoots Magdalena in strikingly sensual, artistic images styled by Maher Jridi. Janelle Okwodu interviews the model about her development of the collection for Models.com.

How do you describe the feeling of the collection?

I describe my designs as elegant, but each piece also exudes a certain sensuality. Gold is the only compound I am using at the moment. It’s strong and timeless.The particular shade of gold I use in my line is my signature. When I was coming up with my original designs, I did a few tests of various percentages of different metals such as silver, cooper and pure gold. I mixed them in a way that gives me a distinctive color, somewhere between rose and gold. It’s warm shade of gold.. The 18-carat gold color I use is unique to my brand.

The gold is finished, by hand, with traditional techniques, such as pressing, cutting and hammering. The shapes are modern, geometric and refined, but the individual details make each piece a unique work of art.

One of the things I really love about the collection is the heaviness. The designs are minimal but the weight of the pieces is substantial. I have an 18-carat gold bracelet that weights over 30 grams. I love the feeling of weight.