Kaisaleena Mäkelä

Kaisaleena Mäkelä (1963–2011) was a Finnish jewelry designer who worked as a designer for Kalevala Koru from 1993 until her death. She graduated as a silversmith from the Lahti Institute of Design in 1991 and continued her studies in Hungary, Japan and Germany. In 2008, she completed a Master of Arts degree at the University of Art and Design Helsinki.

In her jewelry, Mäkelä combined ancient mythological themes and symbolism with inspiration from nature and a modern design approach. Her most extensive body of work for Kalevala Koru was the Inception collection, whose mythical animal figures are based on Nordic archeological references. Alongside her work for Kalevala Koru, Mäkelä worked as an independent artist on Harakka Island in Helsinki, where she designed one-of-a-kind jewelry and also created photographic art.