I love: Aline Kokinopoulos jewelry

I would like to introduce you Aline Kokinopoulos, a creative and very talented jeweler.

She also teachs jewelry technologies, and she's one of those jewelers who helped me to go far away in my jewelry practice. Thanks to her training courses, I was able to obtain my "Jewels and Jewelry Art" Vocational Training Qualification in 2008. That's why I would like to thank her and to present its very particular universe, between nature and architecture.

After an african childhood, Aline Kokinopoulos studied jewelry in the french Fontblanche workshops, with G. Jonemann as a teacher. Traveling abroad to gain more experiences with foreign jewelers, in 1992 she finally settled her studio in Marseille, finding in this mediterranean city a bridge between East and West.

She creates voluminous silver jewels, often decorated with gems or precious stones, and sometimes with other materials. Like her studio settled between city and countryside, her work has two main subjects: The invisible Cities and The imaginary Herbarium. Her jewels take us to a dreamed universe, visions from here and there, reminiscences of journey, images of imaginary cities, souvenirs of perfumed gardens...

Her rings of the series "The invisible Cities" are impressive buildings, lighthouses, towers and other domes inspired by faraway cultures, and which, in spite of their impressive size, remain pleasant to wear.

As to answer to these monumental architectures, Aline become a gardener and creates delicate floral jewels of silver and gold, with semiprecious stones, a real "Imaginary Herbarium" to be collected.

Where to buy ?

• ENTREE LIBRE
  4, rue des Bains 06600 - ANTIBES - FRANCE
  Tel 00 33 493 34 83 51
  


• LA CAMBUSE
  14, rue de la République -84480-BONNIEUX s/ LUBERON - FRANCE
  Tel 00 33 490 75 82 94
  


• Boutiques des Ateliers d'Art de France
  22-26, avenue Niel -75017-PARIS
  Tel 00 33 148 88 06 58
  


• In her studio in Marseille - FRANCE
  Tel: 00 33 4919 62712
  Mail: alinek67@yahoo.fr


• Website: http://alinek.jimdo.com/

Jewelry size guide

To order the right size... take the good measurement!

How to know your ring size?

To know your finger size, clic on the picture above and print the pdf document (Scale of 100%: it means that for accurate ring-size results, you must make sure that you do not have “Shrink oversized pages to fit paper size” or “Expand small pages to paper size” selected in the Print dialog box.

Then, place a ring that fits you over the circle, making sure the inside of the ring lines up with the outside of the circle. If you are between sizes, order the larger size. For any custom-order in a specific size, please feel free to ask me by email.

Use this measurement and the chart to the right to determine your ring size.If you are between sizes, order the larger size...

Bracelets sizing guide

· If the description of the item indicates a length (for example 18 cm), the circumference of your wrist will have to be lower than this measure.

· If the description proposes several lengthes (for example from 17 to 21 cm), measure the circumference of your wrist with a flexible tape measure or a piece of string and a ruler. Take measurement as indicated on the drawing, by applying a finger against your wrist. Note the value by rounding off in 1/2 superior cm.

· For stiff bracelets which do not open such as bangles, indicated size represent the inner diameter of the bangle. I advise you, for the choice of the size of your bangle, to take into account not only the measurement of your wrist, but also the size of your hand. You will need a flexible tape measure or a piece of string and a ruler.

· Make your hand as small as possible, as if you were putting on bangles, bringing your thumb and little finger together.

· Using a tape measure (or string), measure the around your hand at the widest point (the tape measure should be pulled taught, not loose). Make note of the actual circumference of your hand (if you used string, make a mark where the string meets, then measure the length with your ruler to get your hand circumference).

· To calculate the diameter, divide the circumference by 3,14.

Necklaces

The picture to the left can be used to get an idea of which necklace lengths fall where. Most pendants come on chains of 40cm / 16 inches or 45cm / 18 inches but others are also available on request.

Gold and tanzanite pendant

Here is one of my last creation: a magnifiscient one-of a kind gold pendant, with a 1,11 carat tanzanite.

Tanzanite was first discovered in 1967 in Tanzania, East Africa. As one of the newest and most exotically colored gemstones, Tanzanite is part of the Zoisite mineral species and is only found in East Africa. Tanzanite is very rarely a pure blue and usually exhibits rich purple overtones. It is so beautiful that it is often mistaken for Kashmir Sapphire (itself now so rare).

TANZANITE'S STUNNING BEAUTY
Tanzanite is an incredibly beautiful gemstone that derives it's stunning appearance from it's remarkably strong Trichroic properties, that is it shows alternately three different colours, blue, violet and red depending on the angle from which it is viewed. However all Tanzanite that is cut for commercial purposes is heat treated thus tending to fix the colour bringing out the best. Generally the best quality and cut of Tanzanite is a deep intense violet bluish colour. A word of caution with regards to the use and care of Tanzanite, Tanzanite is quite fragile; it has hardness of 6.5 on the Moh scale. To put this in perspective, compare Tanzanite to Sapphire which has hardness of 9. For this reason, although it can be worn daily, be very gentle with this exotic gem. Care should be taken to protect it from knocks, pressure and extreme temperature changes. Never use ultrasonic cleaners to clean jewelry with Tanzanite.

TANZANITE - CREATED BY EARTH AND FIRE
The fact is that it is actually a form of Zoisite and in it's untreated form is a dull grayish brown in colour that in order to release it's almost unrivalled natural beauty is heated to 500 degrees Centigrade. The heat treatment needed is why it was never discovered until a lightning strike caused a bush fire that naturally heated the rough Zoisite bringing forth the amazing stone we know as Tanzanite much to the delight and amazement of the Massai tribesmen.

TANZANITE - HARDER AND HARDER TO FIND... The price of Tanzanite has obviously risen due to the ratio of supply and demand (and can only continue to do so) with high grades of Tanzanite selling for as much as US$1200 per carat. Like most other gems, when the carat weight of a tanzanite increases, its price per carat goes up. It is still possible however to buy top quality Tanzanite for around the US$700 mark in the smaller sizes such as 3 to 5 carat.
Tanzanite has been available in the world since the late 1960’s and has become one of the most coveted precious gems on the planet.

(source: http://www.tanzaniteauthority.com/)

New: now you can buy my jewels on Etsy!

I just open my Etsy shop, especially for US and International buyers. So, please come and visit me! http://www.akkenajewelry.etsy.com/