Passion is the fuel for creativity: the Osmium Violin

Edgar Russ, a well-known luthier from Cremona, presents the Osmium Violin – a masterpiece adorned with crystalline osmium, born from the vision of four creators.

What is osmium? It is the rarest precious metal on earth – it is dense, permanent, and resistant to the passage of time. In crystalline form, it is also luminous, almost otherworldly.

Chemically inert, osmium is a beautiful blue-white colour, highly durable, resistant to corrosion, and its purest form is safe to use in everything from jewellery to medical devices.

So what place does this unique element have in a violin? The project began with Kurt Assam’s idea to promote crystalline osmium through a musical instrument. With the support from Charly Grosschädl and Ingo Wolf, Russ was brought in to realise the vision, using a decorative design he originally created with his mother during a trip to Ireland.

The team thought: Could the violin, one of humanity’s most complete and beloved inventions, be elevated into a work of art that embodies rarity, beauty, and time itself?

Among the innumerable instruments created each year, there are some that follow tradition with devotion, and very few that dare to step beyond it. Here, tradition meets innovation in the construction of the Osmium Violin. The violin was entirely handcrafted in Cremona, by master Edgar Russ using traditional methods and tonewoods: spruce from Val di Fiemme and Bosnian flamed maple, selected and seasoned specifically for both response and longevity.

But surrounding its classical acoustic core is something never seen before in violin making: 541 crystalline osmium inlays and 298 gemstones, all individually set in 18-carat gold, following Russ’s unique decorative design. Carbon fibre reinforcement has discretely been added to the ribs for a much more stable structure.

The Osmium Violin features a transparent amber oil varnish with red-orange pigments, enriched by protein preparation in the tradition of Stradivari.

Given that osmium is the densest element, it may pose the question: do the decorations affect the sound? Although the instrument is richly decorated, the violin was engineered to maintain excellent sound quality. A multi-layer wood–carbon fibre system developed with automotive prototype experts allows optimal vibration, preserving both structure and acoustics.

‘It doesn’t compromise the vibrations,’ says Russ. He says that each piece of osmium and gemstones are placed in a precise way, that any tiny mistake would be immediately noticeable.

The Osmium Violin took Russ 32 months to build. He says: ‘Decorated instruments in general are always outstanding and unique and will always be kept with extreme care. Therefore they will age gracefully over centuries – this instrument will last for hundreds and hundreds of years, and will always be The Osmium Violin.

‘It’s an outstanding material,’ says Russ. ‘It’s beautiful and it sounds great.’

The Osmium Violin is now on the edge of the next chapter of its story: waiting for the one person who recognises themselves in it, and sees the violin not as extravagance, but an act of devotion to art and the spirit of its makers.

The Osmium Violin is offered for acquisition at €5,800,000. Find out more about the Osmium Violin here: https://www.preciousviolin.com/

Learn more about the Osmium Violin in the video below:

 Photos courtesy Edgar Russ.