At the very center of Auroville one finds the soul of the city, the Matrimandir. It is a meditation hall, a place where one can come to peace in order to connect with oneself and the divine. For the outer part of the sphere, which was decided should be covered with golden disks, a team of researchers developed a technique to press 24K gold in glass in order to preserve it against weather conditions.
When Birgitta Volz, an artist and designer from Germany, discovered the gold-in-glass technique, she decided that it would be a real pity to reserve this process for the Matrimandir only. Almost fifteen years ago after a deep meditation session, during which the inspiration for her first complete collection came to her, she decided to create the Unit Marigold. Since then there has been no looking back.
At the heart of the jewelry lies the vibration of gold, which Birgitta Volz is convinced to be beneficial for the human body. The technique she uses is unique throughout the world and was developed over a two year period by international researchers for the Matrimandir. It is a real Auroville product and bringing it to life in a jewelry line accessible to people from all over the world is one of the missions of Matrigold.
In the process a 24karat gold leaf is placed between two layers of glass, which are then fused together in an 800°C vacuum procedure. The gold is thereafter eternally protected; it can neither change nor vanish. For the undertaking of jewelry crafting, it is then reheated and shaped. For the final design, Birgitta and her team sandblast the small tiles, link them up on chains, bracelets, rings and so on. She started this process with only gold, however over the years she has expanded to fusing white gold as well as silver in glass. Furthermore, she is crafting a ceramic jewelry line, which is more colorful and, due to the manufacturing process, truly unique.
To craft something of beauty is a matter of the heart to the artist Birgitta Volz, a matter visible to all in the unique jewelry of Marigold.
