Kazumi Nagano was born in 1946 in Nagoya, Japan. She earned both her bachelor’s and master’s degrees in Japanese painting in the Nihonga style from Tama University of Art in Tokyo in 1972 and began her career as an artist working in traditional Japanese painting. It was not until 1996 that she discovered her passion for fine jewelry, studying goldsmithing under Minato Nakamura.

Since then, Nagano’s work has evolved into sculptural jewelry defined by purity, balance, and restraint — deeply rooted in the essence of Japanese tradition.

“My concept is calm and beautiful because I think the essence of Japanese culture is calm and beautiful. I want people to feel the deep Japanese esprit, not the superficial one.”

Her technique reflects this philosophy. Using a handloom, she weaves sheets of metal, silk, and nylon threads together with Japanese paper, then folds them into three-dimensional forms using the traditional origami technique.

“Folding a sheet requires only my fingers,” she explains. “By weaving metal, silk, and nylon threads with Japanese paper, I can achieve subtle and unexpected colors that cannot exist without it. When the woven material becomes three-dimensional, the rhythm of color, light, and shadow creates effects that continually surprise me. I enjoy those moments as I make jewelry.”

Through this meditative process, Nagano transforms delicate woven sheets into luminous, weightless forms that embody serenity, refinement, and the quiet spirit of Japanese aesthetics.