NEW YORK – A Jewel Made in Greece, powered by Enterprise Greece, returns to New York City with a jewelry exhibition at the Museum of Arts & Design (MAD), 2 Columbus Circle in Manhattan, November 20-23.

The exhibition, on the 7th floor of the Museum offers an opportunity to feel the fresh wave of creativity and design from Greece in the heart of New York City.

The exhibition is an official New York City Jewelry Week event and helps promote the extraordinary work by gifted designers from Greece.

A Jewel Made in Greece (AJMIG) is a flexible and elegant platform which engages designers/producers of contemporary art jewelry by developing a creative dialogue between the culture of art and the history of Greek jewelry.

Mary Samoli, jewelry designer and founder of the platform, told TNH about the event and the importance of supporting the work of Greek artists and jewelry designers. Reaching a wider American audience is a goal of the event and for all the participants whose unique, handmade jewelry emphasizes the best of Greece and its timeless, enduring tradition in jewelry. Samoli noted that the exhibition includes 22 designers this year. She told TNH that there is also a plan in the works for an upcoming AJMIG event at the Consulate General of Greece in New York in perhaps about 3-4 months.

The designs are by Andrea Varda, AthenArt, Contessina, Dimos, Elena Thiveou for Deka Jewelry, Eleni Daskalaki, Evretta Vordoni, Evangelos Kyriakos, Georgia Pattos, Golden Outliers, Orofasma, Kontakis, Kouzoupis, Leflow, Opus 4, Maro Kornilaki, Mary Gaitani, Maureen Wellens, Maria Chaniou, Kiki Kuhlmann, Tsakalos, and Samoli.

The MAD exhibition continues AJMIG’s dynamic, international efforts which included the recent exhibition Fruits & Symbols at the Numismatic Museum in Athens from May-October 2019 with jewelry designs inspired by the images on ancient coins.

Numismatic Museum Director Dr. George Kakavas was among those present at the exhibition in New York. Art historian and independent curator Iris Kritikou, the Art Consultant for A Jewel Made in Greece, was also present and offered her insights on the exhibition for those in attendance on November 21.

Consul General of Greece in New York Konstantinos Koutras visited the exhibition on November 21 as well and reiterated the support for AJMIG and the designers. Also in attendance, the Director of the Office of Economic and Commercial Affairs at the Consulate General of Greece in New York Georgios Michailidis, Economic and Commercial Affairs Attache Vasilios Liveris, Capital Link Managing Director Olga Bornozi, filmmaker Vicki Vasilopoulos, and Catherine Moutoussis, treasurer of the Archdiocesan Cathedral Philoptochos Society.

Designer Evangelos Kyriakou spoke to TNH about The White Crocodiles of NY designs which he noted were inspired by the urban legend of crocodiles living in the NYC sewer system. He reimagines the myth in his impressive designs using the ancient technique of glyptography, carved relief on cattle bones, for candleholders and neck ornaments, while bracelets and hair ornaments were made using the very modern 3D printing technology and PLA, a biodegradable corn based polymer.

Designer Georgia Pattos told TNH about her one of a kind pieces which she noted are “unreplicatable” due to her painstaking technique which involves wrapping stones, precious, semi-precious, and other materials with long lengths of wire in gold and other metals. When asked how she became involved with the exhibition, she told TNH that she met Samoli on Facebook and then in person in Greece and was invited to participate.

Artist and jewelry designer Andreas Vernardakis told TNH about his Andrea Varda designs, noting the inspiration from nature, the sea and Greek mythology, and how as a sculptor he instinctively considers jewelry as “sculpture to wear.”

More information about A Jewel Made in Greece and the extraordinary designs and artists is available online: www.ajewelmadeingreece.gr.

New York City Jewelry Week (NYCJW) runs from November 18-24 this year and is the first and only local week dedicated to promoting and celebrating the world of jewelry through educational and innovative focused programming. With over 150 events across New York City and Brooklyn, NYCJW offers unique opportunities to explore private studios along Fifth Avenue, view the innovative designs of Greek artists in the AJMIG exhibition at MAD, take a class with a world renowned master jeweler, and learn about the future of gemstones while in Elizabeth Taylor’s old NYC haunt.

More information is available online: nycjewelryweek.com.