NIKOS KOULIS, NIKOS KOULIS

Nikos Koulis was born in Greece and studied gemology in Athens, London and the American GIA Institute. For four years now he has been presenting his jewelry brand in Basel.

Nikos Koulis, Echo bracelet

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Nikos Koulis, Spectrum earrings

Nikos Koulis, Lucky ring

Nikos Koulis, Echo bracelet

— Why did you decide to become a jeweler?

— I was born and raised in Greece, in a family of diamond traders - my parents still have an office in Athens and Bangkok. Having received a philological education, I decided that I did not want to teach literature to schoolchildren, and continued the family tradition. I received a degree in gemology from GIA and also studied jewelry design and glyptic art in Italy and England. My company was initially engaged in the wholesale sale of diamonds. At the same time, I was always making jewelry as gifts for family and friends, so one day during the holidays my friends asked why not create my own brand. I had education, work experience and a good portfolio, so I was absolutely ready to launch a brand, especially since while studying at GIA I dreamed of jewelry with my own brand.

— How would you describe the style of your brand?

— I would say that this is a current classic. I don't really like the term "fashionable" because I don't follow trends. I want to make classic jewelry, using the highest quality stones and materials, but at the same time produce modern jewelry. In addition, not only design is important to me, but also the quality of work.

— What inspires you?

- Greek mythology and architecture, Byzantine motifs and Western minimalism - this is the style in which my boutique on the island of Mykonos is designed, another one is located in Athens. There are snakes on the rings and earrings from the Sappho's Room collection; the Phaedra's Box line features small gold balls strung on chains that form rings, voluminous plastron necklaces, and earrings with heraldic motifs. The jewelry is flexible, movable, and at the same time has a clear structure. The Fontana collection is inspired by the architecture of the Parthenon columns: the choker is made of a special alloy of “flexible” gold, one end is decorated with diamond curls, the other with a hematite ball. In our latest line, Spectrum, I explored the spectrum and strength of light rays. Rings, earrings, and pendants have teardrop-shaped details decorated with colored stones.

— What is the process of creating jewelry?

— I draw all the time and constantly correct something in my sketches and in working models of jewelry, so the result is very different from the original idea. But I like this game. The design process is challenging and exciting. I constantly think about how to make jewelry lighter, more mobile, more flexible. After the sketch, we make a prototype from silver and test it for a long time, “tormenting” it - we look at the weight and mobility of the parts. The computer will not help in this matter. My jewelry studio is located in Athens, but we produce some jewelry, for example titanium, in Bangkok, in my family’s workshop. In Athens we make jewelry from gold and stones, all handmade work is concentrated here.

— There are a lot of young brands now. How are you different from them?

— Most of my jewelry is not just pavé, it’s a whole story. We use special cutting of stones, micropave, and make transformable jewelry. Even the emerald baguettes we use are very small - they are very difficult to make and find. But we love challenges - that's our vision.

— How do you see the future of the Nikos Koulis brand?

— I want our salespeople to understand and be able to explain Nikos Koulis jewelry to customers. Very often, buyers do not want to try on something new, change their ideas, they do not understand that some things will help them feel younger and sexier. Today my brand is represented in 14 countries, mainly in the form of corner stores. We carefully select partners who share our vision. There are only two boutiques so far - in Athens and Mykonos.

— Why do women need jewelry at all?

— Jewelry makes them internally beautiful. And maybe this sounds strange for a jeweler, but it doesn’t matter too much to me how a woman looks - the main thing is how she feels. Jewelry, by and large, is not needed - it’s a mystery why we wear it. Luxury is actually not needed either, it is not what makes us happy. But today making jewelry is my job. I am romantic.

Interviewed by Nina Spiridonova, Robb Report

"IT IS NOT LUXURY THAT MAKES US HAPPY"