The longevity of human history, stretching beyond any single life, recorded in fragments and ruins.
The durability of human teeth — a material that survives centuries.
"Wear" as a glimpse into the past life of an object, every scratch and polish a trace of touch and time.
Patina, a visual diary of contact.
Objects as silent witnesses to lives lived, carrying the residue of moments no longer visible.
Jewellery as portable and ornamental — beauty that moves with the body.
Vestige — ίχνος — a mark of something that once existed but is no longer present.
Traces — ίχνη — small signs of what came before.
Remnant — υπόλειμμα — a surviving fragment from a greater whole.
Relic — Λείψανο — a survivor from an earlier time, imbued with significance.
Monument — μνημείο — a structure to remember, to resist forgetting.
Body scars as a moving gallery of personal history.
Jewellery as currency in times of displacement, a form of wealth hidden in plain sight.
Life’s milestones marked through the inclusion of bone, hair, or fragments of found animal decay — physical indicators of primal time.
Objects as vessels of superstition, memory, and protection.
Keepsakes as physical embodiments of absence, holding what can no longer be held.
The confluence of tradition, transience, and the intimate nature of personal treasures.
Amulets — φυλακτό — objects believed to have protective powers.
Periapt — περίαπτ — a charm fastened close to the body, worn for safety.
Sacred — ιερό — revered beyond material value.
Memento — ενθύμιο — a small object holding the idea of an entire person, place, or event.
My Greek forebears carried jewellery as a symbol of wealth and cultural heritage, moving through physical, temporal, and metaphorical spaces.
Cultural ornaments as a map of trade routes and migrations.
Challenging the perceived meaning and value of jewellery in societies.
Referencing the historical use of metal as coinage — currency melted down and reshaped into ornaments.
The shifting symbolism of materials over centuries, their meanings recast by each generation.
Designed to be worn in clusters, adorning the body in abundance to evoke a tangible sense of weight.
Layering as a deliberate act of excess and statement.
The sound of jewellery as a signal to warn, to claim space.
Antiquity — αρχαιότητα — the deep past, before the Middle Ages.
Byzantine — Βυζαντινός — a culture of complexity, devotion, and art.
Hellenistic — ελληνιστικός — the expansion of Greek history, culture, and influence.