Utilizing silver and gold, one native artist is working to maintain a neighborhood custom alive
Nicosia’s previous city is a spot the place the previous and current intertwine within the slender streets and ageing workshops, the place instruments worn from years of use inform tales of disappearing arts. However there are some artists ensuring these conventional crafts keep alive, and Efthymia is considered one of them. Working within the coronary heart of this metropolis, she ensures these tales proceed to be advised – by means of silver, gold and private resilience.
“It’s a dying artwork, however I’m decided to assist change that,” she says.
Efthymia has made it her mission to breathe new life into the centuries-old custom of jewelry making on the island. Her journey started removed from Cyprus following prime UK design programmes: a BA in 3D Design at Bathtub Spa College and a neighborhood studying course in jewelry making at Bathtub Faculty. Every step formed her distinctive strategy to jewelry design, however it was the choice to return to Cyprus in 2020, amid the worldwide pandemic, that grew to become a pivotal second in her profession.
“I moved again to Cyprus not completely positive the place I fitted in on the planet of jewelry. I had discovered rather a lot, however I hadn’t but discovered my voice,” she says. “What I did discover, although, was a neighborhood of older artisans – most of them males – who had been practising for many years. Assembly them, listening to their tales, and shopping for second-hand instruments from their workshops opened my eyes to the fact of the career on the island.”
Her time strolling the previous centre of Nicosia launched her to the silversmiths who had spent their lives perfecting their craft, solely to observe the business fade as fewer younger individuals confirmed curiosity. This expertise not solely impressed her cemented her objective: to revitalise the jewellery-making career on the island by infusing it with new vitality and trendy concepts, whereas nonetheless respecting its roots.
Some of the vital figures in her journey is Lakis Paphitis, a longtime goldsmith who grew to become Efthymia’s mentor. “Lakis taught me the artwork of fantastic jewelry,” she says. “He didn’t simply educate me technical abilities – he taught me endurance and precision. Working with somebody so skilled was a humbling expertise, however it additionally gave me the arrogance to push my very own boundaries.”
However it’s not simply Paphitis that impacted her, she’s constructed her whole follow on working with native artisans, making a neighborhood round her craft. “Being a part of this neighborhood has formed my strategy to jewelry making. Cyprus could have a small market, however it’s stuffed with knowledge. You simply have to search out it.” Nonetheless, it hasn’t been a simple highway.
As a younger girl coming into a historically male-dominated business, Efthymia has confronted her share of challenges. “I used to be rejected a number of instances when looking for companions within the area, and my selections had been typically questioned. However I discovered to face my floor, to be agency and to push by means of.”
Her work is devoted to storytelling. Her newest assortment, for instance, attracts inspiration from a brief story she wrote a couple of mermaid who desires of getting wings. “I researched legendary creatures like Sirens and hand-carved items impressed by them and the ocean,” she explains. “It’s not nearly creating lovely jewelry; it’s about creating items that carry a way of intimacy and connection. Each piece I make is a part of me.”
Efthymia’s design philosophy doesn’t simply revolve round aesthetics. It’s deeply rooted in sustainability. She runs her enterprise on a made-to-order mannequin, which minimises waste and permits her to work at a slower, extra deliberate tempo. “Sustainability is on the core of every part I do,” she says. “I need to create jewelry that lasts, each by way of design and materials.
“The youthful technology is extra conscious and demanding of sustainable merchandise, however there’s nonetheless an extended method to go in Cyprus. There’s numerous greenwashing occurring, and as designers, we now have an obligation to teach our prospects. I attempt to be as clear as attainable, exhibiting the behind-the-scenes course of of creating my jewelry. It’s sluggish, it’s meticulous, and that’s what makes it invaluable.”
As her enterprise grows, Efthymia hopes to make use of extra ethically produced supplies, comparable to recycled silver and ethically sourced gem stones, with the objective of finally making a provide chain that advantages different native jewellers as properly. “If I can discover suppliers that meet these requirements, it gained’t simply profit me – it’ll profit the whole neighborhood of jewellers right here.”
“I’ve discovered that nothing might be achieved with out neighborhood. I’ve had the help of so many individuals, from mentors to different jewellers, and I need to cross that on. It’s why I’m so captivated with serving to different younger jewellers, particularly girls, discover their footing,” she says. “The market could also be small, however meaning there’s room for innovation and progress. This previous yr has taught me to view Cyprus as a sandbox to play in fairly than a desert.”