The houses and landscapes of Riihimäki inspired me to make earrings

Riksuu in love is a story series in which people from Riihimäki share their thoughts about their hometown.

Veera Kannosto piles up colorful earrings at her workstation in the corner of the living room, but pliers, saws and material boxes have also taken over a large part of the dining table. The creative chaos is cleaned up for the weekend.

Kannosto is currently assembling the Porinat series earring, where the customer can choose the colors and shapes they like for the three-piece earring.

"She contacted me that she would like earrings in a certain color for a party dress for a family party. I get completely excited about this kind of design, and I usually make the three pieces of jewelry as a batch. Often someone sends a message in the evening that tomorrow they should get the earrings as a gift. I will then leave the package in the mailbox to be picked up."

Lost in inspiration

Kannosto got excited about Tommi Toija's Eksynyt statue a few years ago and, with the artist's permission, made keychains and earrings that look like it.

"I was really happy when last week a woman ordered a new Eksynyt keychain from me to replace the worn one."

Kannosto thanks Riksu's events and consideration of the residents. For example, the popular Lempi love festivals started from an idea competition.

"I designed Lempi earrings there in the colors of the city's graphic look. Lempi festivals always have top performers, such as Erin and Irina, who are dressed in Lempi earrings in many pictures."

Kannosto especially appreciates the Riihimäki Pride event, where he designs a new earring model every year. The colors of courage earrings were created for the 2022 event.

Kannosto makes jewelry for a little while every day. On the weekend, you can spend eight hours straight working on them.

"Making ears is like a wonderful game, a welcome change from my work as a special education teacher. The days are full of things for students suffering from the storms of adolescence."

Kannosto teaches ninth grade with 7-10 students. He has made jewelry with students in technical work. Once, jewelry was made from old alpaca spoons as a Mother's Day gift.

"The best thing about my job is to see that the students start to improve and rehabilitate themselves. I often see former students, tall handsome men who come to hug me in Prisma.”

Riksu earrings made of polymer mass

Kannosto makes jewelry from many materials. Silver and other metals, printable birch plywood, polymer mass and epoxy resin are already familiar.

"I think a lot about colors and shapes. Puukortteli earrings were inspired by Riihimäki's wooden houses in Petsamo."

When making jewelry parts from polymer mass, Kannosto first softens it in his hands, and then pulls it through a machine that resembles a pasta machine a few times. When the mass is the desired thickness, he patterns it with a silk screen.

"After it has dried for a while, I take pieces from it with a mold, which I put in the oven at 130 degrees for 45 minutes. Finally, I apply a thin layer of varnish on them."

Kannosto also makes a lot of jewelry from UV resin, which is like liquid plastic. It is mixed with color pigment and, for example, glitter and glitter.

"When making resin jewelry, you can tear up and let your creativity run wild! I pour the mass into a silicone mold and place it in a UV oven, which is more commonly used to cure nail polish."

Dream tree house in Petsamo

Kannosto moved to Riihimäki in 2005 because he started dreaming of his own house and a big yard.

"When I couldn't afford to buy my dream house in Kumpula, Helsinki, I bought it in Petsamo in Riihimäki. I was already familiar with the city from my childhood summers, because my parents still have an old workers' house in Tervakoski as their spare time home."

Kannosto praises Riihimäki's closeness to people, humanity and nice people.

"I talk to people in shops, cafes, in the city and at flea markets. I am sensitive to enthusiasm, and my friend easily persuaded me to participate in the Couch Potatoes program."

Kannosto grew up in the family of a professional artist and craftsman, and he always did a lot with his hands.

"My husband says that I have stored shapes and compositions in my head all my life, and the ideas come out of my head as jewelry. I have different colored earrings for every day. In the morning, I wondered if today would be a glittering princess day or a graphically stylish fringe day."

Veera Kannosto, 46

• Special class teacher at Harjurinte school. Worked as a teacher for 21 years.
• Lives in a house built in the 1920s in the Petsamo district.
• The family includes a husband and a 10-year-old son. Four adult girls already live on their own.
• She enjoys making jewelry and renovating an old house.
• Kannosto's jewelry is sold in his Frouva K online store and in the shop of Riihimäki Art Museum. Before Christmas, he will have a pop-up store in his home. The opening hours are announced on Facebook.
• Participates in the Couch Potatoes program.

Text: Reija Ypyä