MELANIE GEORGACOPOULOS

First of all, it should be noted that I started working with the pearl quite by chance.
From 2005 to 2007 I was then pursuing my Masters studies at Royal College of Art And I was working with many different materials while still finding my own style… and I was drawing a lot of geometric shapes. When my department head Hans Stofer saw my drawings (there were a lot of round shapes), he told me to try working with beads since they are round.
So I followed his advice and my first idea was to take a pearl and cut it in half to see what was inside! I was just curious!
It was a revelation for me; I was completely captivated and realized pretty quickly that there was almost no contemporary jewelry with pearls. So after my end-of-year show in 2007, which was dedicated to pearls, and since I sold very well the pieces I made with pearls, I decided to found my brand in 2010. The idea was to «re-invent» the pearl in contemporary jewelry. The mother-of-pearl came to integrate into my work very naturally. In fact, about 3/4 years ago, it was like an organic progression. Simply by looking at what’s around the pearl and that almost no one talks about… Once again, it’s a material that is rarely used in contemporary jewelry in an interesting way. However, I find that the mother-of-pearl is a very intriguing material. It’s so close to the pearl and at the same time very different.
Ultimately, I think there's a huge potential to explore there too!

Melanie, what piece of jewelry makes you dream?

I love jewelry that intrigues me, those that I couldn’t make myself. Moreover, he has vintage jewelry that is part of its era, like the gold jewelry in the Greek museums with which I grew up. It should be noted that I love pieces that push the boundaries of creativity or technique. Basically, it’s the jewelry that has a soul where you can feel the hand that made it.

Which jeweler inspired you?

There are several of them. René Lalique always makes me dream!
Line Vautrin for his unique perspective, Solange Azagury Partridge for his audacity and Alexandra Jefford for his sculptural pieces.

What is the first piece of jewelry you made?

Around the age of 15 I knew that I wanted to be part of the world of jewelry; it was a great strength and a great opportunity. At that time I spent entire weekends making earrings with the parts of a broken computer.
Fortunately, my mother kept all my first pieces!
In terms of the first contemporary jewel I created with beads, this is the necklace with cut-up beads TASAKI After I resumed.

Do you have an anecdote related to one of your creations?

Every piece, especially the latest in the collection Carats, They have a little history.
They are difficult to achieve; you have to find the right person who is willing to try to make something different, which sometimes forces them to overcome their patience and their limits…

What’s fantastic is that through the pieces I commission, it allows me to meet interesting people, and sometimes even difficult ones, to whom I have to adapt, and when the piece is finally finished, a new stage begins for showing it, talking about it, and selling it…
It’s a journey that sometimes feels like a small marathon through which I always learn something, not only in terms of techniques but also in terms of myself; I evolve through each piece I create.

If you had to choose a work of art?

Right now I'm working on the David Shrigley, I really like his humor and cynicism, his apparent lightness when talking about serious things. I would very much like to give him a gift. «Special edition rug I m Special».

What can I wish you?

Health of course, and always a curiosity to continue my explorations into pearls and mother-of-pearl!

Thanks Melanie for this exchange; thanks to you, the pearl is reinterpreted and its classic image is challenged to offer us a new, more contemporary approach.

Melanie Georgacopoulos
melaniegeorgacopoulos.com