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High-end Watchmaking with the Montblanc Signature
High-end Watchmaking with the Montblanc Signature
We welcome Montblanc watches to our stores!Montblanc, the ultimate and most famous business gift brand, synonymous with excellent quality and luxury, counts over 160 years of history in fine watchmaking. The story:The history of Montblanc watches is linked to the legendary Swiss brand Minerva. In 1858, Charles-Yvan Robert founded his workshop in Villeret, a small Swiss village in the Jura mountains, marking the beginning of the historic era of Minerva, a brand that has become synonymous with the creation of high-fidelity chronographs. By the 1880s, Minerva had established itself in the watchmaking industry, creating innovative pocket watches in which it replaced the traditional winding pivot with a crown. The company then turned to precision timekeeping and specialised in the manufacture of professional pocket watches and chronometers. A few years later, Minerva invented one of the first manual monopusher chronographs, the calibre 13.20, and a decade later, it introduced the legendary calibre 17.29, one of the thinnest monopusher chronographs, just 5.6 mm high. Montblanc takes up the Minerva tradition by creating its handmade watch collections in the original workshops in Villeret. Every component of the watches is made and decorated by hand, including the balance wheel. It is one of the few watchmaking workshops in the world that has the expertise to handcraft a balance wheel, relying on well-trained eyes rather than modern electronic systems for precision. Montblanc's timeless collections bridge the heavy heritage of the past with contemporary and modern design in four distinct versions: the Star Legacy, 1858, Bohème and Heritage.  Visit our e-shop and see the Montblanc signature watches. Photo credit: www.montblanc.com
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Freywille: Jewellery that love color and painting
Freywille: Jewellery that love color and painting
Do you like colours, statement jewellery, and is Vincent van Gogh one of your favourite painters? Then Freywille is the ultimate brand for you! Freywille's iconic jewellery travels to Greece for the first time, and we welcome it in our stores. Freywille is a fine jewellery brand characterized by exacting craftsmanship and the use of sophisticated artistic designs and vibrant colours. Founded in 1951, in Vienna, and during its 60-year history, it has managed to gain worldwide recognition. The basic technique used in the production of the jewellery is the Fire Enamel process, in which multiple layers of enamel are applied to a metal base. The enamel is then fired in a kiln at a high temperature, creating a beautiful and durable finish.  Another feature of Freywille jewellery is the experimentation with a wide range of shades and the use of bold and bright colours, from deep blues and greens to bright yellows and pinks. The house's most popular collections include tributes to renowned artists such as Vincent van Gogh, Gustav Klimt, Claude Monet and Friedensreich Hundertwasser. The designs in these collections are inspired by famous paintings, combining intricate patterns and details that evoke their style. Freywille's independent collections consist of artistic jewellery with painterly elements inspired by Ancient Egypt, Greco-Roman art and folklore. In addition to enamel jewellery, Freywille also offers a range of creations made from high quality gold, silver and platinum, set with diamonds and other precious stones. The creativity and imagination of the designers is not only reflected in the jewellery. You can find the design you like on watches, silk scarves, ties, pens and other luxury items. In our stores we host jewellery collections dedicated to Vincent van Gogh and Claude Monet, and the stunning line of scarves is also available. See more in our e-shop.
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Granulation: Α small-scale art that reminds us that beauty is in the details!
Granulation: Α small-scale art that reminds us that beauty is in the details!
Graining is an ancient silversmithing technique that uses small grains of precious metals to decorate the surface of a piece of jewellery. The oldest archaeological finds of jewellery made using this technique were found in the royal tombs of Ur, Mesopotamia, and date back to 2500 BC. Coconut objects were also found in jewellery from Minoan Crete from 1800 BC, and in the tomb of the Pharaoh Tutankhamun made in 1350 BC. Periapto with bees, a work of Minoan art, 1700 BC This technique reached its peak by the Etruscans and the Greek goldsmiths, from the 8th to the 2nd century BC. The Etruscans perfected granulation and became known for their miniature designs, managing to draw birds and animals on the head of a pin.  Etruscan artwork, 530-480 BC.   The style of granulationGranulation is a very difficult technique that requires absolute visual control and tremendous concentration, as the whole process is done with the use of tiny tools. Once the tiny grains are made, from the precious metal of choice, they must be welded onto a metal plate, creating patterns and designs. The craftsmen of antiquity would fix the grains onto the surface of the gold with either simple resin or heated red copper. At KALFIDIS Jewellery, our 18 and 22 carat gold jewellery decorated with grains continues to be handcrafted using modern materials and tools. Alternatively, for more mass productions, the casting method is used. The KALFIDIS Jewellery charm for 2023   The designers of KALFIDIS Jewellery created the 2023 shoe for 2023 with inspiration from the technique of granulation, and the wish that all of us can always find the beauty hidden in the details.Sources: https://www.jewelpedia.com/lex97-kokkidosi-granulation.html Photo credit: Archaeological Museum of Heraklion http://odysseus.culture.gr
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Defi Extreme & Xxtreme with the signature of S.T. Dupont
Defi Extreme & Xxtreme with the signature of S.T. Dupont
We welcome the new innovative collection "Defi Extreme & Xxtreme". S.T. Dupont's classic lighter is upgraded, gaining incomparably high performance. Its dynamic design is combined with its innovative construction, with a high-precision metal insert body and semi-rigid housing for increased protection. The ergonomic design makes the Défi Extrême & Xxtreme the everyday "object d'art" that can cope with any conditions even under the most extreme weather conditions. The strong and stable blue torch flame resists the strongest winds, while S.T. Dupont's new lighter can be effective from the lowest temperatures (-10°C) to the highest (+45°C). It can even operate at altitudes of more than 3500 m. In addition, their wide flame makes XXTREME ideal cigar lighters. See the Défi Extrême & Xxtreme collection in our e-shop.(link)
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Wedding Tribute: Useful tips to choose wedding crowns
Wedding Tribute: Useful tips to choose wedding crowns
"Happy Coronation", we wish the newlyweds, referring to the most important symbolism in the sacrament of marriage, the coronas. The coronation is perhaps the most touching moment of the mystery of marriage, uniting loved ones for the rest of their lives. Crowns symbolize the creation of a kingdom, a new family, a new home. The ribbon that always unites them symbolizes the unbreakable bond of the couple. Gold plated crowns KALFIDIS Jewellery made of silver 999 Wedding crowns have a long history...They first appeared in ancient Greece, when the couple wore wreaths woven from various plants dedicated to Aphrodite, symbolizing beauty, fruitfulness and harmony. In Byzantium, crowns were made of precious materials and resembled crowns, likening the creation of a family to the creation of a kingdom. Today, wedding crowns symbolize the union of the couple and can be found in a variety of designs. How do we choose the right crowns for our wedding? Our personal taste and aesthetics are always our allies , but there are some tips that we would suggest you consider before coming to your final choice. KALFIDIS Jewellery wedding crowns with tricolour, made of silver 999 Tips to choose the crowns of your wedding: Take into account the wedding dress, the rest of the jewellery and the bride's hairstyle! In wedding crowns, as in wedding rings the choices are many. Simple or richly decorated, silver, gold-plated or white, with pearls or other precious stones. Choose the ones that match the style of your wedding, the style of the wedding dress and the bride's hairstyle, and match the material of the crowns with the material of your jewellery. Gold and silver are a classic choice for a wedding with traditional elements, while a more modern choice is two-tone and rose gold. KALFIDIS Jewellery bicolour wedding crowns, made of silver 999 A matt or hammered surface is an alternative option, while a lacquered finish is always a safe classic solution. If you have a specific wedding theme, and you want to make sure every detail highlights the style of your wedding, you can choose a custom solution that is made especially for you. At KALFIDIS Jewellery we have worked many times with wedding dress designers to add elements from the garment to the crowns, such as dried flowers. Along with the design of the wreaths, you can also choose the bridal kouffe in the same design, the crown frames for placing the wreaths after the wedding, as well as the decoration of the carafe and glasses. KALFIDIS Jewellery wedding crowns made of silver 999 Visit our e-shop and see our wedding wreath proposals or come to one of our stores to design together the wreaths you dream of.
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Patriarch Bartholomew visited YMCA
Patriarch Bartholomew visited YMCA
Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew visited YMCA on 25 May 2022, giving his blessing and wishes for the new centenary of the Fraternity, which has just begun. The management of YMCA welcomed the Prefect of Orthodoxy in an event held at the "Mimis Tsikinas" Sports Centre. The Patriarch was given a tour of the basketball museum and was informed about the history of basketball in Greece, as well as the activities and exhibits of the museum. The Director of Sports, Dimitris Karaiskos, presented the Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew with an anniversary jersey of CHANTH for the 100 years of basketball, while the President of CHANTH, Eleni Athanasiadou, and the President of the National Council of H.A.N. Greece, Georgios Papadakis, presented him with an honorary plaque and medal, designed and manufactured by our workshop.   The event was attended by the Deputy Minister of Interior for Macedonia and Thrace, Stavros Kalafatis, the representative of the Mayor of Thessaloniki, Maria Karagianni, the Consul General of France, Sandrine Mouchet, the Members of Parliament of Thessaloniki, Konstantinos Gioulekas and Ioannis Amanatidis, the Secretary General for Family Policy and Gender Equality, Calypso Goula, and the President of the Holocaust Museum, Yannis Boutaris.
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