Claudia Baetge, born in 1957, lives and works as a jeweler and goldsmith in Berlin. In 1989 she opened her own atelier in the city’s Prenzlauer Berg neighborhood. Previously she worked nearly 20 years as a jeweler and later as a trainer at the East German PGH Jewelry Company in Berlin. Claudia Baetge utilizes unusual materials in her creations, such as filament, plant seeds and petrified wood. The synthesis of style and material allows her to represent themes such as eternity and change. Everday objects which are normally ignored, such as filament, take on a new significance in Ms. Baetge’s work. Filament, which is originally obtained from light bulbs, is an element which normally goes unnoticed. By including this material in her work, Ms. Baetge shows the importance of things usually taken for granted. The use of plant seeds invokes the coming and going of life. By interrupting the seed’s normal life cycle for use in her jewelry, Ms. Baetge gives this living material an eternal qualitity. The artist has always been fascinated by petrified wood. This symbol of a life once lived becomes eternal through its use in art. Claudia Baetge is influenced by music, nature, everday observations and the people around her. Consequently most of her pieces are custom made.