The blistering pendant of Helios

The blistering pendant with the face of the ancient God of light, Helios, originated from the islands of Carria, Rhodes (Circa 230-205 BC), is a magnificent coin replica of numismatic art in ancient Greece. 

Helios, personification of the Sun in Greek mythology, was son of Titans. He was a handsome god crowned with a shining aureole.

The island of Rhodes is almost the only place where Helios enjoys an important cult. In Greek mythology, Rhodes was the goddess of the island of Rhodes and wife of Helios, personification of the sun-god. You can make out the Rhodes name (in Greek) above the rose and bud on the reverse side. The obverse ('heads' side) shows Helios himself. The pattern of Helios and rose with bud appears often on coins of ancient Greece.

The pendant is made of sterling silver with a diameter of 2,2 cm (0,9 inch).

Les abeilles de Malia

Un des dessins de bijoux les plus rénommés de tous les temps, les abeilles de Malia, un artefact incroyable hébergé par le musée d'Héraklion, en Crète.

Les abeilles de Malia sont considérées comme l'une des découvertes archéologiques de bijoux les plus définitives de la civilisation minoenne. Ces abeilles d'or sont représentées verser une goutte de miel dans un rayon de miel. L’article est affiché au musée archéologique d’Héraklion, en Crète. Il remonte à plus de 3800 ans. Fouillé par les Français de la nécropole Chrysolakkos à Malia (ou autrement écrit Mallia), Crète, d'abord publié en 1930 (P. Demargne, BCH54 (1930) pp.404-21 et pl.19).

Même pour les standards actuels, les évidences de la compétence et de l’artisanat sur ​​les abeilles de Malia sont énormes et incontrournables et laisseront tout bijoutier qualifié étoné et abasourdi par son détail granulé et par sa structure difficile et stimulante.  Cet article constitue l’un des spécimens les plus importants et les plus renommés de l'art minoen et des anciens bijoux sur un niveau universel.

The bees of Malia

One of the most renowned jewelry designs of all time, The Bees of Malia, an incredible artifact hosted by the Heraklion Μuseum, Crete.

The bees of Malia are considered to be of the most definitive archaeological findings of Jewelry from the Minoan civilization. These gold bees are depicted storing away a drop of honey in a comb. 

The finding is displayed at the 'Heraklion' Αrchaeological Μuseum in Crete. It dates back more than 3800 years. Excavated by the French from the Chrysolakkos necropolis in Mallia, Crete, first published in 1930 (P. Demargne, BCH54 (1930) pp.404-21 and pl.19).

Even with today's standards, the skill and craftsmanship evident on the Malia bees is phenomenal and unsurpassed, and still leaves even the most skilled jeweler breathless and bewildered with its granulated detail and extremely challenging structure. This item constitutes one of the most important and renowned specimens of Minoan art and ancient jewelry on a universal level.

Post by Greek Jewelry Shop.

'Arise' project - Greek Mythology photobook by Tristan Dark

When we first heard from Marco Brunetti a photographer from Italy it was in the form of a customer request towards our website greek jewelry shop. But his request from us was far from usual. He wanted to create a work of art in the form of a photographic art-book in full tribulation to the gods of Greece, their origin and their more than notorious mischief and mysterious intertwining relationships.
As he wanted to use costumes and jewelry in true ancient Greek form, it was not such a surprise that he approached our website for some props. I was so amused and quite flattered that he wanted to do something truly beautiful and flattered that the fruit of his 2-3 year project would contain our jewelry that I invited him over to Greece and showed him the best I could of the monuments. What was intriguing was his persistence and vitality in this project which is finaly released and called 'ARISE'. Everything about this book is very stylized and indeed quite imaginative and should I say.. incredibly sexy! After visiting the Temple of Poseidon together for his research and spending a couple of nights in Delphi and , we could only become friends.

Marco clearly dignifies his aesthetic preference to the subject of the female Goddesses, while the infinite drama unfolds, characterized by endless cliff-hanging and symbolic dilemmas that Greek Mythology is so renown for. In Greek Mythology, everthing happens for a reason, characters are born and killed wisely or seductively or with jealousy or hate only to reveal a new state of philosophical being. Most names of Greek gods, particularly the Primal gods and Titans are the core univeral concepts (names) like eg. the Sky, the Sea and Earth. Their relationships critical to the existence a philosophy of embodied concepts and ideals such as the first western one, the Greek one.

Likewise to everything following a rationale in the Greek mythology, 'ARISE' has it's own unique reason for having finally been realized after several years of hard work. It is perhaps the first time I have seen a large format luxury edition extended study of mythology with a predominant approach on the aesthetic principles of Greek mythology. All through the eyes of an Italian photographer.
While the myth unfolds, Marco's eye is on the characters as an observer of these always passionate and tragic personas, the youth, the passion, the envy, the disaster, the fertility and the enigma which always gives birth to something new.
I hope you enjoy the preview photos of this outstanding production.

Arise website
Arise facebook page

It was a pleasant surprise to come across a beautiful set of electronic publications distributed openly on the internet about ancient Greek archaeological sites and museums. We invite all our friends who are interested in ancient Greece and would like to browse specific archaeological sites and museums before visiting (or others who are in the mood for some ancient Greek homework) to browse and enjoy!

The National Archaeological Museum

Author: Nikolaos Kaltsas 
Year Published : 2007
© Copyright: EFG Eurobank Ergasias S.A. / John S. Latsis Public Benefit Foundation
ISBN: 978-960-89339-2-7
Publisher: OLKOS
Pages: 464E-Book ENE-Book GR

More ebooks on Greek museums and archaeological sites..

• Samos: The archaeological museums
• Τhe Archaeological Museum of Pella
• Τhe Archaeological Museum of Thebes
• Marathon and the Archaeological Museum
• The Archaeological Museum of Olympia
• The National Archaeological Museum
• The Archaeological Museum of Delphi
• The Archaeological Museum of Herakleion
• The Archaeological Museum of Thessaloniki
• Delos
• Elefsis: The Archaeological Site and the Museum
• The Archaeological Museum of Piraeus
• The Acropolis Museum
• Greece at the Benaki Museum

The Hellenic Ministry of Culture has the copyright in these photographs and in the antiquities that constitute their subject and the Archaeological Receipts Fund receives the royalties from their (physical?) publication.

A stunning 3D tour of Athens

If you've never actually visited Greece or if you haven't been in a while, there's a stunning little gizmo here that will bring you a little closer! We particularly loved the natural 'Tzitziki' (Greek for Cicada) sound blended into the atmospheric audio that tends to put you right in that sunny dry summer mood that Greece is so divine for.. Ouzo is served with Octopus and Kalamari at noon... Sea you there!

Stunning virtual Athens tour

New product - Large faceted 'ionic' Greek-key motif earrings

Its not regularly that we promote or announce new products - namely because most of the 2000+ jewelry designs in the Greek Jewelry Shop range go back 3-4 generations in the Vaphiadis family history back to the early 1900's and the essence of our jewelry range is virtually timeless. In this sense there's nothing 'new' about this design that constitutes an exception - apart from the fact that it was added to our online store today following the request of a customer who browsed our entire catalogue and 'needed' these earrings for his wife for Christmas.. but this has been a great opportunity to say something about this sensational design.

I felt that the specific earrings - Timothy's 'find' in the full catalog section of our site - deserved not only to be added to our online store, but a special note. Upon reading his email we were actually baffled as to why we missed these earrings in our earlier selections and why we hadn't made these available in our earrings section far sooner!

These large glossy meander earrings have a distinctly feminine appeal in true Grecian style. Despite that their surface is curiously simple (ie, not covered with intricate detail like other Hellenistic rhythms), their incredibly simple and attractive silhouette embodies a pure feminine form in archetypical Greek rhythm - that one would most likely associate to being Ionic.

There is certainly a profoundly contemporary and modernistic feel derived from minimalist forms such as these, which revives the essence of classical Greek perception. A timelessness which is always current (much like in the case of an Ionic column) because of the 'wisdom' surrounding it's simplicity of form.

It is perhaps no coincidence that most professional and skilled designers today, whether in jewelry, architecture, fashion or even industrial design will most likely confess that it is a much greater challenge and more difficult to reduce a form to the essentials, than to add features - which often lead to clutter.

The fact that the Greek civilization achieved to reach the core essential, archetypical and fluid lines in their structures and art - is a reflection of the phenomenal advance which they also achieved in social sciences, politics, philosophy, fine art and theater. The principle of reduction (αφαίρεση = subtraction) alone leads to conclusions and a deeper understanding of nature and key motives which not only appeal to the senses but are building blocks in civilization.

Greek Jewelry Shop Product Link: Large faceted 'Ionic' Greek-Key motif earrings

Material: Sterling Silver

Length: Approx 4.6 cm in length (approx 1 3/4 inches)

GreekJewelryShop's jewelry collection visits Sydney on the 24th November with ancient Alexander treasures

We're happy to announce partnership with another one of the world's key museums. November 24th is the opening date for the first ever display on such large scale of Greek antiquities at the Australian Museum in Sydney lent from the permanent collection of the Hermitage. Apart from viewing one of the most significant collections of antiquities from the reign and era of Alexander the Great, visitors to this event from around the world will also be able to view and purchase a large collection of Ancient Greek Jewelry from our very own collection which will be the official merchandise at the Museum gift shop.
Over 400 significant ancient artifacts from the hermitage will be on show which are travelling in 3 different shipments from Russia for security purposes. The selection of our jewelry available for purchase at the gift shop consists of numerous Hellenistic jewelry and coinage jewelry in the form of rings, necklaces, bracelets, cufflinks and earrings.

Tickets and further information about the event are available from the dedicated Alexander in Sydney website

Eroica (heroically)

A nostalic composition by the sensational Marios Strofalis. The collection of photographs in the slide show depicts immense Hellenic personalities of the past - among others the one and only Konstantinos Kavafis, the brilliant Manos Hatjidakis, Nobel prize-winning poet Odysseas Elitis and George Seferis while it opens with rare photos from Athens in the 1920's.
Revisiting these hauntingly nostalgic images, if one has a familiarity and long connection with Greek people.. one cannot ignore the fact that however small the country, its impact on humanity is too often under-rated and that the survival and growth of Greece has never been an easy business.

Greece at its best has been a birthplace of culture and this has always been its wealth, its abundance.With a mythology so rich embedded in its very language, with the understanding of the compassion, the anger and even the fears of 'the gods', there's no comedy or tragedy that you can teach a Greek nor can you better explain the concept of irony to him. The mere meaning of democracy and tyranny,
the difference between syp-pathy, em-pathy and anti-pathy
poly-nomy, auto-nomy and anti-nomy,
mono-poly, duo-poly and oligo-poly
pluto-cracy vs demo-cracy vs theo-cracy
and hundreds if not thousands of concepts more that are Greek principles by birthright that have evenhandedly gifted the rest of the world with their own wealth.

Claiming that Greeks also have to make excellent bankers, financial analysts and politicians is like expecting all people to be the same when they are not. Almost like giving little mirrors and bangles away to an indigenous people in south America who are nomads and years later expecting them to be like you, dress like you and talk like you. Greeks are apparently also a little different. While Anglo-Saxon cultures have excelled in banking and insurance, the Greeks have freely gifted them most of the words and concepts which their contracts are worded with.

But apparently there is some trade-off...
The current sticky situation in Greece is an ugly one but not a new one for the Hellenes who have spent their entire existence conquering and being conquered and cycling between rise and declines. The test of time shows that after Nemesis (Νέμεσις) has washed away the Hubris ('Υβρις) there will again come a peaceful time for the Hellenes and they will stand on their feet again. The question is will Europe be able to eventually see through its 'defeat' and embody new meanings to its new state when Greek words have finished.

Hot discounts at the hottest time of year!

Its that time of year again when our skilled artisans simply deserve to spend quality time with their families after a hard year's work!
The heat is on in Greece for good.. in more than the Celsius scale! And rest is the best way to prepare before another battle this September. The sky is blue, the sea is soothing and there's nothing new to us-Greeks about comedy and tragedy - all an inseparable part of life.

While we're on a break, and dipping in the rich Aegean blue waves, your orders get a bonus of 25% off all our prices - That means that by waiting to receive the items just a little longer, you get an incredible 1/4 of our prices off for your valued custom!

Customer service will still be open to answer any customer questions by email.

Details about how to participate in this super-deal can be found at special discounts and promotion codes (the offer is 25% at the time of publishing but will finish if you wait longer than August 20th or so)

An old house entrance on the island of Kythnos 

I love acorns?

Now this does sound typical of Snoopy (I love peanuts?) - for those of you have been around for long enough to remember.. Gosh I sound old.. but actually this entry is about less retro than the 1970's comic strip and actually very much happening today..

To get closer to the point, I heard of somebody recently which actually has a true passion and a true plan for reviving a local traditional industry in Greece on the picturesque island of Kea in (naturally in Greece), which is not far from the Athenian mainland. It was only yesterday however that I was invited over to try her famous acorn cookies to learn a lot more about the story 'hands on'!

Baking acorn cookies with kids from the village

Marcie, a dynamic Californian woman who has lived on the island for many years has taken a challenging initiative to revive the agricultural development and the contemporary use of acorns for all sorts of purposes. She recently raised over a whooping $10,000 on the internet alone via kickstarter for this precise passion. The acorn which grows abundantly in Kea, was once a strong sector and a main source of income for the locals. Since the development of tourism and the drastic increase of the value of land however, the locals lost interest completely in this agricultural activity. What is most interesting is the incredible number of uses that acorns can be used for which I never imagined previous to hearing of Marcie's passion and eating her acorn-cookies and home-made wine at the Red Tractor Farm

The interior of one of the cottages on the Red Tractor Farm

As she explained to me acorns offer a pigment for dying leather (shoes, bags etc) which is far superior to any other method of dying and treating leather. Acorns can also derive flour which can be used to cook numerous foods with and these are only just some of the uses.. Marcie has not only raised funds to equip the community with machinery able to harvest them, she has 'cooked up' old acorn recipes and acorn recipes of her own! She also keeps a journal to keep the world up to date with whats new in her project.

Marcie and her husband Kostis (who is Greek and from Kea) own a beautiful farm called 'The Red Tractor Farm on the island which is very much a part of their family history. It is exquisitely serene and hosts numerous visitors from around the world every year offering each visitor a large number of activities and to fully enjoy the true less 'touristy' atmosphere of the island.

Well done Marcie, keep up the excellent work!

For today, we cannot but mourn..

At these historically difficult times for Greece, there is little that can be said to alleviate the grief and pain for the strike against the civilized world in the heart of historic Europe. For all those passengers in life who have passed through Greece once or a few times in their lives and felt the warmth and the blessed-by-God earth and sea of the aegean, words have no meaning. The light of truth is everywhere, between the passenger and Him. Who has not spoken with Him under the sun of the Aegean? As a ritual, each traveler has been allowed this moment.

Such is the warmth of Greece. The calm depth of simplicity, warms the heart, and happiness, comedy and tragedy become one. Such beauty makes engages everyone. Indeed even the gods of Olympus were permeable receptors of such passion, weakness and the humble beauty of humanity. We are not gods, we are human yet with many flaws. We, the Greeks (or Hellenes) understand the essence of freedom and civilization and we have been credited for this. Indeed we envisaged 'Europa' in our myths as an artiste persuaded and subdued by the tempting reincarnation of Zeus as a Bull. This was the true Greek myth. This is what makes us Hellenes. As Alexander the Great advocated, taught by Aristotle, 'He who is a Hellene is not so by birth right but by choice - as every man is free have Hellenic thought'.

Greece has been humiliated but it is not finished. It is too wise to forget, and it has struggled too much in the past to give up. Greece is NOT hopeless because it is a country rich in history, and having history is having wisdom and belonging. Wisdom is to learn from one's mistakes and to set the example for those mistakes of others. Those who carry a little of Greece in their hearts or in their memories must always find room to smile.. for the sun is still shining on us.

For today however, we cannot but mourn.

Greek Jewelry Shop is proud to be featured on the cover of "The Jewel of Persia"

It was around six months ago, when I received an unusual email request sent a satisfied customer.. nothing unusual so far except that this particular customer was Roseanna M. White the author, who was particularly keen on gaining permission to use one of our family's very old jewelry designs for the illustrative cover of her new book The Jewel of Persia

I was very flattered indeed that our Large silver torc bracelet, an all time classic which my uncle Lefteris Vaphiadis last adapted in the 1960's had been selected to perceptively enhance with its presence, a thrilling new book written by an already successful author.

I was also pleasantly surprised that the integrity of the author was such that she did go to the effort of requesting proper permission acknowledging the bracelets copyright (instead of grabbing some images from Google the easy way). Despite what the proper legal route to such endeavors may be, as an artist myself that makes original jewelry designs, I can only congratulate her on this behavior. This behavior being commendable, subsequently has a lot to say about the way the author treats and respects her historic research which is beautifully blended into her novels.

As one reader/reviewer has written already: "I love how Roseanna intertwines history with fiction is such a way it is hard to tell where the truth ends and fiction begins. She has lots of historical information listed on her website to help you see how she wove her story around those facts. She is very clear on what she created and what is factual. It is done so beautifully that it is easy to see how it could have happened."

To be honest, as the book has only just been launched, I have not had a chance to read it yet as my copy is on its way directly from the author (I am very excited!!) , but judging by the book reviews on amazon the novel is already a great hit!

More eloquently said.. by the great Manos Hatzidakis

I just realized that what I tried to describe as the beautiful feeling of spring in Greece (in my last post), has already been said, more poetically, more eloquently and at least 40 years in advance by the brilliant composer Hatzidakis..

Greek Jewelry with summer nostalgia

Its not too long ago that these shots were lent to us to photograph from the extensive ancient greek jewelry collection of greek jewelry shop.

The view of them on sandy beaches and on the poolside brings a sigh.. even to me, the photographer.

Why is it that Greece and the Mediterranean is so incredibly blessed in the summertime.. Longing for the Spring and Summer-time. The smell of dryness and hint of herbs in the air... the anxiety and longing in the atmosphere to finish work and enjoy the rest of the day - while the day lasts long into the night.

In Greece you know it has finally arrived when you have that warmth in the air in the late evenings and through the sound of children playing in the 'plateias' (squares) at 8 or 9 o'clock in the evening. No one is in the mood to sleep or let the summer slip away.. yet it always does and now is the time to start looking forward to that tingling feeling of summer again

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Greek Jewelry Shop creations now available at the Louvre

It a great honor and pleasure for us, the proprietors at Greek Jewelry Shop, to announce that our Greek jewelry designs are now available to the public in Paris via the official gift shop at the Louvre! The family tradition of Vaphiadis Jewelry) dates back 4 generations to 1928 in Asia Minor, previously a highly populated area by Greeks quite acclaimed in the fields of artisanship and commerce.

Our history and tradition

In the last half century the Vaphiadis family have pioneered in developing prototypes and inspired adaptations of numerous ancient ancient works of art and museum pieces related to classical Greek, Minoan, Mycenean, Etruscan and Byzantine periods. The efforts and consistency in creating fine reproductions of this ancient treasures with due respect to the cultural domains involved have led to numerous successes and to establishing the Vaphiadis family name as one of the pioneers in the field of ancient jewelry reproductions.

Amongst the most well known designs are the 1964 dolphin ring, originally a Minoan symbol, adapted from Minoan wall-paintings by Lefteris Vaphiadis, becoming one of the most recognized and most copied ring designs of this century world-wide.

Clients

Amongst our clientèle, we have been very proud over the years to have served esteemed customers such as several heads of State on official visits to Greece, a long list of European and American movie-stars and a recent Whitehouse first lady. (We would rather not mention names - as such an endorsement is a little tacky without their expressed consent)

Associations

Since 2005, 'Greek Jewelry Shop' collection by Vaphiadis has been proudly featured by organisations and institutes around world such as the city of Luxembourg museum, the Getty Villa museum (California) and has associated itself via sponsorship with various Hellenic artistic causes such as the L.A. Greek Film festival.

From April 2010, part of our collection will also be available at the The Louvre museum in Paris, France via the highly esteemed government-run establishment RMN (The association of National [French] Museums). Such an association and partnership has been a great honor for a family business such as ours that has been developed with much love and commitment to the beauty of ancient works of art, which has now found a new home under what is considered as Europe's most important historical museum.

The collection featured at the Louvre constitutes a 'time-capsule' for several almost extinct ancient aesthetics and processes in jewelry-making which are still manufactured today with many of the same methods used by our ancestors. The selection of designs are mainly of the Hellenistic and Minoan epocs.

Great low-budget traditional Greek food taverna in the Athens Jewelry district

If you're travelling through Athens on a budget or simply want to sample some "Greek food for Greeks" .. which means - great food without the "frills", then you can certainly do with a local Athenian to make a recommendation and to guide you in the right direction.

"Doris" is a wonderful taverna for its food and service, classified more as a "mageirion" (which means eatery in Greek).

"Mageiria" (plural) are traditionally the type of restaurants created for one purpose only - offering home-made food to locals at reasonable prices. There are not many of these left in Athens these days as eating out has become quite expensive and the focus has moved more to the frills.. live music or the decor of the environment.. making it quite hard to find good food at reasonable prices.

As an 'eatery' you will find that Doris over-qualifies! The selection of plates is quite impressive offering numerous delicious freshly oven-cooked Greek dishes done 100% the traditional way. It is a clean environment with courteous and friendly service. Unfortunately, they do not have a website.. but in my opinion even this reflects their traditional non-frills philosophy.. as their only focus is concentrating on satisfying large crowds of Athenians daily with good food.

'Doris' is located in the busy heart of Athens, just under Syntagma square, which is where most of Athens' jewelry workshops are situated. This is within walking distance of both Syntagma metro station and the Panepistimio metro station.

Average price per person: Below 10 Euros!

Address: Praxitelous 30, central Athens (walking distance from Syntagma square and Plaka)

Opening hours: Daily until 6 p.m.

Booking: You do not need to book at this restaurant, but if you insist on calling first their number is 210 3232671

Highlights: They make their own bread daily and all food is cooked with extra virgin olive oil.. (this is a fine detail you will not find in most of Plaka's tavernas that charge upto 4 times the price for similar dishes). Leave enough space to try their Loukoumades (dessert) after lunch!

Say hello: If you happen to go, say hello to Themis, the delightful owner, from us, the staff at GreekJewelryShop! You may even bump into us as we eat lunch there 1-2 times a week!

Nana Mouskouri

'The Greeks' have a tragic tendency to praise talent and importance after death. This may be partly due to wisdom, as indeed one's entire role in life can only be fully judged by what this person leaves behind. On the other hand, this austerity of judgement may also embody - in a nutshell - why Greek culture has failed to progress significantly since our country was granted independence and was re-established as a state after 1821.

As a Greek citizen, this factor is indeed quite saddening at times when repeatedly in history it has proved to require death, before the acknowledgement of a hero or a patriot who has paid his/her dues to serving their conscience and justifying patriotic means at the same time.

Nana Mouskouri is a Lady (with all the meaning of the word) who has served Greece and yet has hardly been acknowledged or appreciated by the Greek state anywhere near as much as as she has earned and deserved through her long career in music and later politics. After having sold over 300 million records worldwide and having represented Greece with utmost grace and persistence, for just over 50 years, it is blatantly clear that she deserves a great deal more recognition from the Greek state and Greek people than she has received. If she were British she would have been Knighted by the Queen to say the least.

Politics: Nana Mouskouri was appointed a UNICEF Goodwill Ambassador in 1993. She took over from the previous ambassador, the recently deceased actress Audrey Hepburn. Mouskouri's first U.N. mission took her to Bosnia to draw attention to the plight of children affected by Bosnian war. She was deeply moved by her experience in Bosnia and went on to give a series of fund-raising concerts in Sweden and Belgium.

She was elected a Member of the European Parliament from 1994 until 1999, when she resigned from her position as an MEP, reportedly because as a pacifist, she refused to back wars.

As it goes and as one Greek to another, from a much younger generation than you Nana, and with the humility appointed to me by no one else other by my conscience, I say THANK YOU Nana, for your devotion to art and humanity and for your unrecognized efforts for Greece.