Ida Mathilda Avellan (later Aminoff), the first official wreath weaver, served in the position at the first conferment ceremony held in Helsinki in 1832. She received a multi-strand pearl necklace with a fermoir, or a clasp in the Empire style. Rosina von Haartman (later Lavonius) is also known to have received one in 1840. In contrast, Sofia Tengström was given a bracelet with a gold tassel, created in St Petersburg.
In 1850 Johanna Rein received a gold brooch in the Rococo revival style, accompanied by a fob watch with a long chain. A similar combination was presented to Aina Topelius (later Nyberg), the official wreath weaver in 1864. A photo of her can be seen in
In the mid-19th century, jewellery styled after archaeological finds became popular in Europe, drawing inspiration from, for example, the spectacular pieces of jewellery uncovered in Etruscan and Viking burial sites. The Helsinki-based master goldsmith Otto Roland Mellin started producing this type of jewellery, which gained popularity in Finland as well. According to Ulla Tillander-Godenhielm, they were predecessors to Kalevala-themed jewellery.
Anna Schauman (later Nohrström), the official wreath weaver in 1877, received a brooch and bracelet in the archaeological style. They were made using a technique known as granulation, where patterns composed of small gold beads are formed on the surface of the piece. The bracelet was displayed in the Mellin exhibition held in 2023 at the Finnish Museum of Horology and Jewellery Kruunu in Espoo.
Hedvig Estlander, the official wreath weaver in 1886, received a bracelet created by Petter Airaksinen, the senior jeweller at Otto Roland Mellin’s workshop. The bracelet is composed of oblong pieces of gold with bevelled edges, placed in three rows similar to bricks. They form a flexible articulated structure. Attached in the middle is a round ornamental element that brings to mind the Gothic expression of form. In the middle of the ornament is a large freshwater pearl, surrounded by 28 small diamonds in a rosette-like setting. The piece, which belongs to the collections of the Helsinki City Museum, will be featured in the A Jubilation of a Ceremony exhibition at the National Library of Finland until 31 October 2023.
Sophie Mannerheim served as the official wreath weaver in the first conferment ceremony organised after Finland gained its independence, in 1919. She was given a gold bracelet cast using a mould resembling a magnified master’s ring, made by the Suomen Kultaseppä Oy company. Unfortunately, the piece has been lost. The wreath weavers’ pieces of jewellery were cast in the same mould until 1957. Elli Ståhlberg (later Schauman), the official wreath weaver in 1923, gave up hers in the gold object collection drive in 1940. The oldest surviving representative of the jewellery type is the bracelet of Hilkka Suolahti (later Linkola), the official wreath weaver of 1927. It is also featured in the A Jubilation of a Ceremony exhibition. In the 1960s and 1970s, official wreath weavers were given a bracelet resembling an elongated master’s ring. In 1969 a smooth supporting loop was added to the delicate piece of jewellery by Nils Westerback.
Since 1982, official wreath weavers have been presented a unique piece of jewellery in each ceremony. This brought back the practice observed in the last decades of the Grand Duchy of Finland. Of course, each piece was separately made also during this period, but was not necessarily unique. Around the turn of the millennium, it was customary for the jewellery's motif to relate in some way to the conferment ceremony.
This tradition, too, evolves with the times, and in the 2020s the jewellery chosen for the official wreath-weavers has also reflected the flame of knowledge, which serves as the university's emblem.
Text: Jukka Relas, PhD
This article was originally published in ‘Levätään laakereilla’, the official blog of the Conferment Jubilee in 2023 where brief entries on the conferment tradition, its history and current status were published. The blog was edited by Eva Ahl-Waris, PhD.