I grew up exposed to the luxury fashion world owing to my parent’s involvement in the industry.
My love for fashion led me to New York to study Fashion Design at the prestigious Parsons School
of Design. I stumbled, by accident, into the jewelry world. In 2016, I was invited to Italy to visit a luxury jewelry factory. That is where I met my mentor Gabriele Veneri who was the first to believe in me as a creative individual and allowed me to freely express myself in the quest of finding an answer to the question “What would a modern luxury jewelry brand look like today?”
2.Your jewelry is crafted in Italy, yet you are based in the US. How do you manage this cross Atlantic partnership and how do you make it work well for you?
The brand was officially founded in 2016, in a deep-rooted partnership with the Italian Factory. In the first 3-4 years, I spent a lot of time working in the factory. This allowed me to better understand the process, learn the language and become an expert in the jewelry-making field. Also, I was very fortunate that my production team has been the same since the beginning, therefore, we all feel like we started this brand together. This is one of our strongest assets as a brand, we have a strong foundation, and we each trust and value each other 100%.
3.What do you love about living in LA, and how does it inspire you?
The energy of Los Angeles is special. There is something about the sun, the ocean’s breeze, and the people that makes you feel free and inspired. L.A. is culturally rich, especially in the field of arts: film, music, and now fashion. It is a city that is very ethnically diverse which exposes you to a multifaceted culture, which I find very intriguing.
4.Tell us about your partnership with Gabrielle Veneri to create the IVI collections
Gabriele is one of the jewelry industry’s most prolific manufacturers. He is a true visionary. In fact, Gabriele’s father Carlo Veneri was one of the most important figures in developing luxury metal accessories in the province of Arezzo. Gabriele became a key figure in the development of the IVI brand. He was the first one who believed in me as a creative and provided me with the resources to express myself through jewelry creations. We bonded instantly over a strong synergy and a shared mission to create a contemporary jewelry brand with a relentless drive to be at the forefront of sustainability, quality, and creativity.
5.Your jewelry – much of it at least – is 925 sterling silver plated in 18K gold or gold vermeil. You use a durable plating technique to withstand everyday use. So the gold will not come off easily? Can you explain some more?
The concept is built around the idea that we wanted to create jewels with a unique point-of-view that can be layered and worn daily, will last forever, and will not cost a fortune.
For our fine jewelry collection we use 18-karat Gold.
For our fashion jewelry collection with gemstones we use gold vermeil. Vermeil
consists of a 925 Sterling Silver base that is plated with 2.5-5 microns of pure Gold.
For our fashion jewelry collection of solid metal pieces, we use 925 Sterling Silver as the base and plate it with 1-2 microns of Pure Gold.
For our silver jewelry collection we use 925 Sterling Silver plated with Rhodium. Rhodium finishes can greatly enhance the appearance and longevity of the Sterling Silver.
6. Clearly, this technique means the jewelry is more affordable than crafting them in pure gold. Therefore, you are offering ‘high-end’ jewelry using highest quality materials but at an affordable price. Can you tell us more on why you decided to go for this approach to jewelry making, as opposed to using solid gold?
Growing up in the luxury fashion world and also being a consumer of many of the luxury fashion brands, I felt that the space of accessible luxury jewelry was often limited. It was either the quality did not meet the price, or the price was so prohibitively high. While the ‘high-end’ jewelry space is very much clustered, I wanted to give focus on the uncharted space where you have high-quality with an accessible price.
7. Why have you decided to recycle and repurpose materials (use ethical materials) for your collections? How does that work – if you can explain.
Our factory recycles gold & silver waste daily. Therefore, a high percentage of our jewels are from recycled gold & silver. In 2021, I was presented by our stone supplier with a project of upcycling and repurposing natural stones. We, therefore, designed a capsule collection around it which was very well received. Using sustainable materials and practices is part of our core mission as a brand.
8. What are some of the high end techniques used to craft your beautiful pieces?
Every jewelry piece passes a twelve-step process, consequently meaning that it requires twelve unique individuals who are specialized in a specific craft to complete one piece.
These steps include:
• Concept Development & 2D Sketch
• 3D Design
• 3D Printing or Cutting or Forming
• Assembly
• 1st Round of Quality Control
• Machine Cleaning and Polishing
• Laser Engraving
• 2nd Round of Polishing
• Plating
• 2nd Round of Quality Control
• Decorating (Enamel, Gemstones, Precious Stones)
• 3rd Round of Quality Control, Polishing & Packaging
9.What is your process like, and how long does it take to conceptualize a new ring or necklace?
The creative process is where the magic happens. I always start with a moodboard of imagery from other artists that I am drawn to. This leads to the development of the concept. The actual pieces are born from a space of absolute freedom. As soon as we capture the design direction then we dive into a deep conversation with our supply chain.
As the creative director, during the conceptual design process it is important to ask two things; What do we want to learn from this collection? What do we want to say through this collection? I then work directly with the 3D designer to design the products. We give great attention to the design details that can produce less waste, increase comfort and make the product look beautiful.
10.Your pieces are timeless and make a statement whatever you match it with – casual or formal wear. Is this how you see your jewels and how they could be worn?
Absolutely! IVI aims to create collections of intentional pieces that take an artful approach to everyday adorning – to be worn alone or stacked together. You can pair it with a white tee, or your finest. The collections find sensuality in contradictions, a comfort in simplicity and symmetry, an ode to the duality of the feminine and masculine in us all.
11. What do you enjoy most about your work?
Spending time with our clients and our team.
12. What do you find to be the biggest challenge(s) in your industry?
The jewelry industry is an ever-evolving industry. Things change every year as we move from un-branded to branded jewelry. The biggest challenge is to find your identity and purpose in a place that is pure and unknown.
13. What are your bestsellers?
Our chain necklaces have been the highlight of all of our collections.
14.What are you working on now?
I am working on the launch of our newly designed website. (www.ivi-official.com)
15. Do you have a (bricks and mortar) store? Or is that something in the pipeline? Where can we purchase IVI jewelry?
In 2022 we launched our first experimental concept store, located in Nicosia. Nicosia is my hometown. I was born and raised there and I felt that it would be perfect place to test a stand alone IVI store as a pilot.
16. Your native country, Cyprus, has many similarities with the greater East Middle region, weather, culture, values etc., have you been to the Middle East? We are sure IVI would be a great hit in this market!
I believe Cyprus has many similarities with the greater East Middle region. Our culture, values and obviously the weather are very alike. I always feel a certain connection when I travel to the Middle East. It feels very familiar.
