G reek J ewellery 1827 - 1995




Fig. 2. "Ear of Wheat", brooch in 22 carat gold. Copy of a 3rd century BC find from near Syracuse. CHRISTOTECHNIKI S. TOMAZINAKIS & SONS

Fig. 3. Necklace of 18 carat gold. Inspired by seaweed.
CHRISOTECHNIKI S. TOMAZINAKIS & SONS

In the preceding chapters we have had the opportunity of reviewing briefly the creative course of Greek jewellery over the past five thousand years and the techniques applied throughout the centuries. Even so, for those of us without first-hand experience of modern silver- and goldsmiths it is difficult to imagine that a continuous tradition exists in the techniques these master craftsmen use, as well as in the spirit of inquiry and the expression of deeper values that guide them in their work with the same disarming naturalism as the joy they feel on seeing their finished creations.

This process of transforming noble or base metal into orna- ments goes far beyond a simple knowledge of techniques. It involves the special skill and sensitivity distinctive of Greek jewellers, whose inventive imagination perceives and responds to the needs and the spirit of contemporary concepts and aesthetics. This is what has differentiated Greek jewellery over the centuries and set its seal on its continuity, not only as a bequest of designs and techniques but also as a creative process. A process actively experienced by jewellers in every age and which bears the stamp of their cultural identity, both conscious as historical and technical knowledge, and unconscious as a way of thinking and a view of life.

Greek jewellery and its development in the modern age is directly related to the course of the modern Greek state and the formation of contemporary Greek culture, which can be divid- ed into two major periods. The first period commenced with the declaration of the independence of the Greek nation in 1827 and is characterized by the import of European models in state administration, the arts, education and everyday life. The second began in about 1940, coinciding with the Nazi Occupation and the Germans' demand for Greek jewellery as souvenirs. This demand was continued by tourists in the 1950s, contributing to a rekindling of interest in Greek jew- ellery-making. From the 1960s onwards there was a veritable burgeoning of this art, which has since continued its dynamic upward thrust at both the commercial and the artistic level. As a result Greek jewellery today presents a distinctive morpho-


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