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/

Thuesday Focus: my DaWanda favorite jeweler ShellyDaly

ShellyDaly is one of my favorite jewelery maker in DaWanda. That's why I couldn't miss the opportunity to focus on her work when DaWanda announced it's new competition for bloggers: *Post about your favorite product*

I love the way she uses satiny smooth beach stones, gently tumbled by the ocean on Cape Cod's White Crest beach, to make her jewels! An elegant way to wear a beach stone, and an ode to summer at the beach...

• Her bio:

Shelly lives in Baltimore, Maryland near the Chesapeake Bay and the Atlantic Ocean, where she collects beach stones to make her stunning and rare jewelry. In her past life, she was an interior designer. As a self-taught jeweler, she learnt step by step, enjoying to assemble her diverse materials. Now, she continues to learn new skills by reading and taking classes whenever time allows.

Her passion began very early: since she was a little girl, she's collected rocks and has been making things with them ever since along with epic messes, much to her family's dismay. They are fortunate right now to have the mess contained in one small room. It is her favorite place.

• Her work:

Shelly enjoys handcrafting pieces she loves to wear. Simple and singular, each jewel of her "Cap Cod Stone" series offers a unique opportunity. She uses varied materials and includes heavy gauge bronze, sterling silver, steel and burnished brass. Currently in 2009, the merging of the color and the rocks is in process and she is very unclear about where this will all go....

As she's a DaWanda member since June, I warmly welcome her and wish her a good continuation!