Maria João Bahia

Jewellery maker

©Nicole Giopp

A leap of faith

Maria's workshop is located in a beautiful historic building
She has been passionate about making for 30 years
She considers her workshop to be her creative refuge

Maria João Bahia was 23 years old and on a path to a career in law when she dropped out of university. After studying design and practising jewellery making in a then male-dominated craft, she bought a small workshop from an old artisan. Maria started repairing jewellery for friends before creating unique pieces of her own. She opened her first shop in 1998 in a “leap of faith”. Her courage paid off. Today, Maria works with her team in a heritage building in Lisbon’s prestigious Avenida da Liberdade. Her endless creativity attracts a sophisticated global clientele and has enabled diverse creations such as trophies for the Portuguese Golden Globes, a reliquary for the Pope and gastro-jewellery for Michelin-starred chefs.

Interview

What do you love most about your craft?: I love to express a client’s story in a unique piece of jewellery. It is also an amazing journey to transform an old item into a contemporary one. This happens in my workshop and I really enjoy doing the hard work along with the craftsmen I have trained.
Have you been influenced by a master?: My father, João Charters de Almeida, was my most important master. As a sculptor, artist and professor he created art on a large scale and somehow influenced me to do art on a smaller scale. He inspired me to imagine jewellery in a broader way.
Where does all your creativity come from?: From my experiences, my clients’ stories but also from Portugal’s rich history, as one of the first countries to discover the oceans. I feel strongly connected to my country and love using traditional crafts and techniques in contemporary ways.
Could you share a remarkable moment in your career?: I have been blessed with quite a few! One was when Mr Hubert Hermes requested a necklace for his wife with the teeth of a lion. Another was creating a reliquary for Pope Benedict XVI and my emotion when he kept it in his private chapel.

Maria João Bahia is a master artisan: he began his career in 1987 and he started teaching in 1997