Thursday 20 November 2014

Amster-damn good jewellery

Amsterdamn good jewellery

I know Amsterdam is famous for all it's hidden design treasures, trippy pleasures and cosy beer incensed pubs but I'm a jewellery geek and gem wise, it was flipping inspiring! There are tons of galleries and designers but I'll give you my picks from my little visit.

First of all the 13th edition of Sieraad art fair was on when I visited in November and it's a jewellery blast in your face. About 160 designers from 28 different countries around the world present and promote their work directly and on the spot in the Westergasfabriek (don't need to know Dutch to get that it is West and was a gas factory) On my Christmas wish list is a kinetic ring by Merav O Roth and  a plique a jour wing earring by Ching-chih Wu, just to give you  a little insight on what was on, but Sieraad deserves an article for it's self so i'll be back with with that soon.

Ching - Chih Wu

Merav O Roth


A true experience was Ra Gallery... it felt as if all objects where picked by some jewellery god himself. It is a proper Art gallery focusing on the concept of vessels with every piece a unique creation that stops your breathing for just a second. All beautiful with intriguing textures, colours, forms that take technique to different level. I adored Frieda Doerfer's grand texture necklaces, Floor Mommersteeg's lightweight and transparent heart and Tanel Veenre's dramatic seahorse complexes.

 
Floor Mommersteeg
Frieda Doerfer
Tanel Veenre
For a really warm jewellery encounter however you have to pass by TNLP, a concept store organised by the one and only Giulia from Italy. The New Label Project is a place where designers or artists can 'rent' a box and show their work for a period of time, no commissions, no other worries and Giulia does the rest.  So designers find a their spot and you can go through a really cute selection of jewellery, clothes and small art pieces by 70 designers from different parts of Europe. One is in fact my friend Cindy, check her RAW gems with her intriguing creations of silver, pearls and chains, so complex but yet so light and minimal. Giulia gave me a tour while the soundtrack of "Start Again" was playing in the background and when she told me "I am my best customer" I realised that this little Amsterdam spot is her dream come true. 



Giulia in her TNLP beautiful world 


Tuesday 1 July 2014

Floating workshop pt1.

In the summer Athens is musically active, funky, colourful with graffiti art, events and tourists...it is also BOILING hot and I have been on fire since May so I made a clean and cool escape towards Santorini. My friend Filio paints jazz inspired images on wooden accessories and together we packed up our workshops, got a boat ticket and sailed off towards the Aegean Sea. In the morning we work on our designs and in the evening we set up our stalls by the sea. It's still work but from a beautiful setting
The sea is relaxing and the colours inspiring so i'm jotting down ideas for new designs.  




workshop view

kit packed workshop 

office view
our little shops

Filio working on her Jazz Illusions


brass pearl ring
 
custom made baby fish












Tuesday 13 May 2014

Back to school!

Going back to school isn't that bad if you go Stemnitsa, a cute little village in the Mountains of Arcadia, a most beautiful area of the Peloponnese in Greece. This public goldsmiths school has been there since 1976 and although faced issues of closing down due to the economic crisis it is still going strong and giving seminars to professionals to improve their techniques and learn new ones. For 10 days great Greek tutors of mokume, stone setting, glyptography, filigree, gemology, enamel, carving and repoussè where found all together sharing education, wine and local meat in the most pagan parts of Greece... simply a jewellers delight. So here's what I was up to these last days and where I was lost...

the village of Stemnitsa
Stemnitsa

tools

stone setting
filigree jewellery


gemology

me
  


gemology











enameling teacher's car... of course
enamel

stone setting - G. Varveropoulos 
filigree - G. Mandrohalos
enamel - K. Stamati
gemology - M. Michailidou and Krikou
gliptography - K. Apostolopoulou
mokoume - syn apeiro
carving - Anastasopoulos 
tool making - Sarakiniotis and Papadopoulos
repousee - Karalis
 

Friday 21 March 2014

meet the maker of Psit Jewellery



How can a jewellery piece be witty? well, if you see Psit Jewellery you'll understand the term. Amongst everything you will find little trouser earrings hanging out to dry, dancers on necklaces that pull their skirts up and comic bubble brooaches that talk to each other. Behind all this is a very talented designer and super duper creative creator, Katerina Stamati, apart from enamel jewellery she draws funny comics (which you can see here), takes photos of weired Athens (which you can see here) cooks, keeps a diary and rides her bike (which you need to take my word for it). Her workshop is under the Acropolis and it feels like it's at the end of the rainbow. It's a colour BLAST! everything inside is funny, clever and has a little twist and spark to it, just like herself and... her fishy tattoo. 

find out more about her on her website www.psitjewellery.com 
and visit her at her colourful shop "Psit"  at 9 Veikou str. 11742, Koukaki, Athens

I met her this week, her streak of hair was blue and here are some answers to some questions...


Lilly:  How do you keep the well of creativity and imagination full all the time?

Katerina: Luckily I grew up in a place where it was always raining creativity so my well is full of ideas, (there must be some rich underground source down there) However a well always needs "fresh water" and that comes from going out with my friends for coffee, walking around, travelling and yes, browsing here and there on the Internet.


Lilly: what album or song is a working companion lately?

Katerina: Music is always the best company, i can't do without it and listen to all sorts of things so I'll tell you my latest new find, it's Dirtnap stories - Lee Hazelwood. Sometimes if I'm not doing anything noisy I like listening to episodes from "This American Life" podcast.


Lilly: if you could give someone famous one of your jewellery pieces who would you choose?

Katerina: Cyndi Lauper! 

In Cyndi we trust... thank you Katerina!! 










meet... Katerina!

her workbench and her fishy company 

high five door nob, yeah

naughty thimble girls that flash their nickers

(greek) Psit! 

they are dry already! go get those earrings !

acrobatic sign to welcome you in at Veikou 9 Koukaki

and....postcards with her funny photos



Tuesday 28 January 2014

wearable architecture

Necklaces from microPOLIS collection are all inspired by New York architecture, strucrures, textures and lines.