It is not often that I report about an artist that hails from a part of the world I’ve never heard of, but today, I’m bringing you a genius jeweler from the Republic of Tatarstan, which, according to Google, is a real thing. Meet Ilgiz Fazulzyanov, the creator of mind-blowingly fantastic jewelry that could easily have been designed during the heyday of the Art Deco jewelry era. (F.Y.I., I’m going to call him Ilgiz, because every time I try to type Fazulzyanov, I fall asleep half way through.) Ilgiz tried his very capable hands at silk painting and stained glass before he hit upon the great love of his life, creating embarrassingly-fabulous jeweled flora and fauna.

In both 2011 and 2013, Ilgiz’s work won the coveted Grand Prize in the International Jewellery Design Excellence Awards. Ilgiz was also the first (and, currently, only) artist to win that prize twice.  That must feel good!

You can check out all of Ilgiz F…’s work on his website.

All images property of Ilgiz Fazulzyanov.