Creator Katerina Vassou

There is something quite experiential in the way that Katerina Vassou entered the field of jewellery; it is reflected in her approach to design, as well as in the results of her inspiration, the pieces that make up her collections.

Having strong views on jewellery, which she loves, it should come as no surprise that Katerina has ended up in the field, as a creator. And the fact that, on her first contact with it, she confronted metal full of curiosity, cutting it, molding it to watch it transform into a piece of jewellery, has truly defined her creative approach to jewellery design: experiential, in the sense that she proceeds step by step towards the completed piece, letting the material bring out its qualities; sentimental, to the extent that a creator transmutes their mood and feelings into an artifact; but also down-to-earth, since she never forgets that she is crafting an object meant to be worn, to embrace a wrist or adorn the neckline of the woman that will choose it.

The result of this approach is handcrafted pieces, and consequently, complete collections that stand out because they carry her boldness to constantly try new material, mew methods and techniques; but also because, at the same time, the forms and the unexpected shapes, the textures and the styles, correspond to human emotions and moods.

“This is something that happens intuitively, I am not doing it on purpose”, she says. “For instance, I see it happening in pieces that come out as more ‘harsh’. It just comes out by itself, and this has to do with anything, such as the situation we’ve just went through, with the lockdowns…” she notes.

However, her mood may flow through her jewellery, yet the final result, namely the piece on a body, as it is meant to, looks like it radiates the personality of the wearer. Maybe this is also because of Katerina’s sources of inspiration. She can get an impulse for her next design from “a material that will draw my attention” – so she starts working on it, to figure out where it could lead her to –, and even from women themselves. “When I see a girl with a nice personal style, I imagine a specific piece of jewellery, and when I make it, I may think that I would love to see that woman wear it”.

This is why she really appreciates people’s enthusiastic reactions to her jewellery. It is, of course, only natural for a designer to be happy to get warm feedback from their audience; still, customer love gets even more valuable for Katerina, who always wants to do “something different, I want to make a difference and I love it when they see it and they say that it’s nice, it’s dynamic, it’s got character”.

Besides, this way she feels like she is sharing her own love for jewellery, for which she believes that it does not just enrich a look, but that it actually completes it. She wants her jewellery to add intensity to a look, not by taking it over, but by complementing it. And she always tells to those who hesitate to wear more than one pieces of her jewellery in just one look, that “if they believe in the jewellery” and they like to just “wear it, and not let it wear them”, the aesthetic outcome is going to be excellent and absolutely compatible with their personal style.

The future

Katerina’s urge and desire to discover new paths in the way she designs and crafts her jewellery, are sure to prepare us for a rich creative future. “Sometimes the piece comes out exactly the way I’ve imagined it, sometimes it comes out even better. It can also be that, when I see it once again, I realize I am not pleased with it. But I do not touch it. This is how your own self gets you in the process of becoming better. I do not rest, every time I want to give something more to my designs”.

Thus, she feels impelled to experiment, to choose more challenging material, to design more complex shapes, in order to escape the usual and the classics. She remains open to new methods, to innovative technology, such as 3D printing, which is something she would like to try and combine with her own way of working, envisioning pieces of jewellery that remind of contemporary art creations.

In any case, and with the prospect of many new handmade pieces lying ahead of her, Katerina keeps enriching her collections with pieces of jewellery that, regardless of the paths that have led her to their creation, she admits she just loves: “I love every piece. I am connected with all of them”, she says, hoping to pass some of that love to her audience.