Anton Sokolov's war-material jewelry exhibition in Milan

Ukrainian jeweler Anton Sokolov (Kharkiv, 1983) transforms bullet casings, missile fragments, brass, glass, and silver into rings, pendants, brooches, and bracelets. His work, born from the Russian invasion of Ukraine, is featured in the exhibition "Trauma | Arte | Sogno" at Between The Twings jewelry store in Milan, from February 24 to March 21, 2025. The opening coincides with the third anniversary of the conflict's start. Sokolov inherited his passion for jewelry from his goldsmith father but initially studied dentistry, opening a dental clinic. After his mother's death in 2015, he melted his silver chain into a pendant—his first metalwork—and began studying metals in his free time. When Russia invaded Ukraine on February 24, 2022, Sokolov and his future wife Nastya organized a volunteer center for donations and medical aid. Months later, he was severely injured in a missile attack in central Kharkiv, requiring two surgeries, the second at a Munich clinic. Forced to leave Ukraine, he brought his goldsmith tools and casings collected from Kharkiv's streets. In Munich, he attended Munich Jewelry Week and decided to focus on jewelry. In October 2023, he met goldsmith Silvia Bianchi, who invited him to Milan Jewellery Week 2024, where he won the Best Jewellery Art and Craft award from the Goldsmiths section of the Italian National Confederation of Crafts.