Marialena Maramenou Jewellery

Marialena Maramenou (b.1981, Athens) is from the Maramenos jewellery dynasty (the oldest jewellery making family in Greece). Her father is the jewellery designer Panagiotis Maramenos. She grew up in an environment where jewellery design was strongly influenced by both traditional Greek forms and innovative ideas.

Exposed to her father's creations, who has been a leading designer in the field of jewellery since the late 60's, drawing his ideas from the harmony of Greek nature and Ancient Greek symbols, she knew and appreciated the role tradition plays in designing modern jewellery.

Marialena, after studying Marketing in Britain, realised that she had also the interest and the skills to delve into her own world of jewellery where she experimented with new materials and designs.

After attending college for three years at SynApeiro - Jewellery Space, in Athens, she broke with family tradition and ventured out on her own to open her contemporary jewellery workshop on Hydra island (Est. 2014).

Marialena's choice to live in Hydra was made as a result of her strong wish to leave Athens for a smaller more humane place. On Hydra, she can develop, design and make new, exciting pieces with different materials inspired by the multifaceted images of the island. As she says "I make jewels out of pure metals."

Marialena works at a tiny but highly organised bench in the corner of her shop. As she manages everything on her own, she doesn't spend her entire time making jewellery as she has to juggle selling her pieces too. But, as it's fascinating to watch her twisting precious metal, cutting and shaping, I suggest you call in and ask when she will next be making a new piece to see if she wouldn't mind you coming to watch.