Flavia Nessi
An art historian especially fond of beads
I have been collecting beads all my life throughout my travels around the world, and even at local flea markets. In this way my collection of handmade creations constitutes a kind of personal travelog. Since Antiquity people have cherished beads and valued their beauty. A symbol of prestige and prosperity, beads were originally conceived to adorn or to protect their wearers. They prove loyal companions (prayer, meditative or worry beads) but can also mark identity or commemorate milestones in a life that the owner can treasure forever, heirlooms passed down from one generation to the next.
The value attached to the beads I have collected consists in the aesthetic pleasure they provide but also resides in their complex history. I like combining all varieties: ancient, antique, vintage, new; beads made from ceramic, glass, metal even gold, Bakelite or resin interspersed with semi-precious stones. It is indeed the unusual and fortuitous crossings of cultures and materials from different parts of the world that gives my beaded handiwork its unique character.
Inspired by the beads' singular beauty, I would like to share with you my passion for these small cultural artefacts that I collect and assemble into inventive modern jewellery designs.
The value attached to the beads I have collected consists in the aesthetic pleasure they provide but also resides in their complex history. I like combining all varieties: ancient, antique, vintage, new; beads made from ceramic, glass, metal even gold, Bakelite or resin interspersed with semi-precious stones. It is indeed the unusual and fortuitous crossings of cultures and materials from different parts of the world that gives my beaded handiwork its unique character.
Inspired by the beads' singular beauty, I would like to share with you my passion for these small cultural artefacts that I collect and assemble into inventive modern jewellery designs.
"Efplasti is a modern jewelry brand that embodies elegance, creativity, and craftsmanship."
Tina Vassilakopoulou
A designer in both methodology and vision
Despite my educational background in business administration and my early professional experience in the field, my involvement with handicrafts, in particular a mix of wirework and multifarious colourful bead compositions stemmed from my serendipitous participation in a research project on hand-carved wooden tools used by Greek women in the early 1900s. Inspired by the implements and the textile techniques documented in the book 'Tales of Tools' that was the fruit of this research, I set my sights on combining historical traditional craftsmanship with contemporary jewelry design.
The practice I have been developing over the last years in sculpting beaded jewellery is rooted in a lifelong passion for creativity, a drive that has remained constant in me since childhood, as there is a close relationship between an individual's nature and how it is expressed through creative work. A simple line of copper, silver, or gold-plated wire transcends itself in the hands of the fiber artist as its length is plaited, twined, knitted, crocheted, and braided into woven forms.
This collection represents a significant step in my creative evolution, a desire for renewal while reflecting a commitment to continuous growth as a creator and designer in both process and vision through the ongoing exploration of techniques to produce jewelry from the textile traditions of the world's ancient cultures, as they recorded for posterity the human tradition of wearable expression.
The practice I have been developing over the last years in sculpting beaded jewellery is rooted in a lifelong passion for creativity, a drive that has remained constant in me since childhood, as there is a close relationship between an individual's nature and how it is expressed through creative work. A simple line of copper, silver, or gold-plated wire transcends itself in the hands of the fiber artist as its length is plaited, twined, knitted, crocheted, and braided into woven forms.
This collection represents a significant step in my creative evolution, a desire for renewal while reflecting a commitment to continuous growth as a creator and designer in both process and vision through the ongoing exploration of techniques to produce jewelry from the textile traditions of the world's ancient cultures, as they recorded for posterity the human tradition of wearable expression.