Dimitris Nikolaidis

Jewellery maker

©Melitini Nikolaidi

©Vassilis Pantzalis & Giannis Voukakis

Finding beauty in small things

Dimitris borrows medical tools to make jewellery
His microsculpture pieces are mostly inspired by nature
Some of his works are made of thinly sliced metal sheets

Having studied Sculpture Design and Painting at the Athens School of Fine Arts, next to a seminar in Gemmology, Dimitris Nikolaidis was taught silversmithing by painter and jewellery maker Giota Kaliakmani and silver-goldsmith Christophoros Prineas. Since 1986, he’s been creating microsculpture jewellery, specialising in making wax moulds for moulded jewellery, and 3D-shaping jewellery out of metal sheets. His first pieces, including a bracelet inspired by fern leaves, were made of thinly sliced sheets of alpaca, copper and bronze. Dimitris’ nature-centric approach reflects that of ancient civilisations. By studying and experimenting with metals, minerals, wood and clay for his miniature creations, he discovers the size of his own presence in the world.

Where

Interview

©Melitini Nikolaidi

©Melitini Nikolaidi

What inspired you to pick up this craft?: As a prospective art student, I used to draw sculptures at the National Archaeological Museum. When I noticed the Mycenaean jewellery collection, I was enchanted by its purity, the faded shine of gold and the green-blue hues of the glass. I wanted to create objects like those.
Is your work influenced by your roots?: The images that have stuck with me since infancy are tied to my birthplace, the arid Cycladic islands. In my pieces, you’ll find the yellow-gold of the dry meadows and the blue of the sea. The dehydrated, fragile and wrinkled metal surfaces echo the barren landscape.
How would you characterise your jewellery?: They’re more than accessories; they’re artworks in discourse with the human body, but also self-existent. When not worn, they are displayed in special cases under the right lighting. Which is why I can spend 70 hours making a pair of earrings or 200 hours on a necklace.
What defines a "well made" object?: Art objects tell stories related to matters of technique or aesthetic. Their narrative should flow uninterrupted, just like in great pieces of literature. To me, an object is well made when its story is not hindered by technical or design deficiencies.

Dimitris Nikolaidis is a master artisan: he began his career in 1986 and he started teaching in 1995