All jewellery tells a story. From conception to creation, and from the display to you, to start a new journey of giving smiles and love, marking the most beautiful moments of our lives. The wedding rings are one of the most beloved jewellery, because of their symbolism and emotional value. It is a piece of jewellery that will be worn for a lifetime, so it is very important that it perfectly represents the couple's aesthetic and has a perfect fit. The story of the wedding ring starts with an appointment in our shop to tell us your inspiration and ideas and help you come up with the final design and materials. Then the specialized craftsmen of KALFIDIS Jewellery undertake the manufacture of the jewellery, in one of the most complete goldsmith workshops in Greece.
We are presenting below the stages of the production of the wedding ring:
In the furnace, preparation of a gold alloy.
Alloy fluidization, homogenization, and solidification.
On the cylinder, shaping in plate or wire, depending on the design.
The gold plate takes the shape of the ring we want.
Union and completion of the construction.
Forging
Forging
Our final result!
During the week from Monday 25.11 to Saturday 30.11, visitors to our store in the centre of Thessaloniki, 104 Tsimiski Street, had the opportunity to discover the unique collections of Marco Bicego, one of the greatest contemporary representatives of Italian goldsmithing.Those who attended had the opportunity to try the designer's handmade creations and participated in many surprises that we had prepared. The main event was held with great success on Friday 29 November. It was a week that left us with wonderful moments and impressions. A week full of meetings with old and new friends that was the best start to the Christmas season.
In 2000 Marco Bicego created his first collection. But his journey into the world of jewellery had begun much earlier, when, after spending his childhood in the family business, he was initiated into its secrets in the most direct way.
Today his company is a shining example of authentic Italian style and traditional jewellery making techniques. Based in northeast Italy, the "heart" of the country's jewellery manufacturers, the company employs over 100 people, not counting its staff around the world.
His relationship with his profession is close and absolute. "It is my roots, my very soul, the one that unites me with my family and gives me the strength to create," he says. His inspiration comes from nature, with which he has always been particularly close, giving him joy and peace. It is no coincidence that his work features natural and irregular shapes, what he calls the ultimate imperfection of nature. For Marco Bicego, a piece of jewellery, apart from being fashionable, must be beautiful, recognisable and timeless. "I don't like uniformity and something that still fascinates me in my work is that I'm not yet bored of my jewellery. Every time I taste the emotions that come from creating a handmade piece, its history and the experience it holds within it" , she says.
In his collections dedicated to coloured gemstones, such as Jaipur and Paradise, he uses a "rain" of tourmalines, topazes and amethysts, often in irregular shapes and different colours, creating a stunning contrast with yellow gold, another characteristic element of his jewellery. "Yellow gold is the DNA of our company. Although many people think it's old-fashioned, I find it exciting and extremely modern, thanks to the traditional bulino technique we use in all our jewellery," he explains. With a presence all over the world, from Europe and the US to Japan, he travels a lot, finding the opportunity to get in touch with different cultures, growing as a designer and entrepreneur.
From this vast experience comes his belief that every woman should be free to create her own Marco Bicego style. "The way each woman wears her jewellery is completely personal and reflects her personality and lifestyle. The biggest mistake for me is to follow fashion trends instead of finding what one likes and expresses oneself. Trends have no personality." .
As an artist and entrepreneur, Marco Bicego is passionate about his work. "We rely on the uniqueness of our jewellery, the quality of our art and the beauty of our gemstones. We strive for the best to offer our customers a valuable experience, ensuring and after-sales support, without any time limit. As every piece of jewellery is unique, the customer who buys it deserves special attention and respect.
But beyond that, I love the challenge of creating, which emanates from an inner emotional path that ultimately turns a creation into jewellery that women love and generates the desire to wear it all day long. That, for me, is the ultimate satisfaction."
Tania and Alexandros answer our questions and share with us moments from their wonderful wedding in Samothrace!
How did the marriage proposal happen?
"The wedding proposal was a pleasant surprise, very spontaneous and happened in February 2018 on the birthday of a very dear friend, when Alexander announced that he was thinking of having our wedding in the summer in our favorite place, the island of Samothrace! So the place had been decided and with it the church which is the beautiful Agia Paraskevi of Ano Meria. A chapel on the sea!"
What were your first thoughts about marriage?
"To have a wedding in a closed circle of friends with a three-day party with dear people in our favorite place! As it happened! Our date was booked for the 1st of September."
What was the first thing that you did?
"The first thing that we did was to announce it to parents and friends. Of course there was some resistance from our parents about having just friends and family with no other relatives (other than our parents' siblings) but we let them know that this is what we really wanted and very soon they accepted it."
How did you plan your wedding?
"For the design of the wedding we chose without a second thought my old and good friend and fellow student Sotirios from Sotirios vintage art gallery! With a few photos, a few words, a lot of love and passion he made the decoration in the church and the party area more beautiful than we ever thought! Our wedding was boho style with romantic touches and the colors we chose were shades of rotten apple with some darker notes and all the colors the landscape palette offered us in the surrounding area!"
Were the wedding dress, bouquet and rings in a similar aesthetic?
"Yes. The wedding dress was also in a similar romantic mood, while for the rings we wanted something simple yet special. The bouquet was a waxed bouquet (treated to stay in its original state for a very long time) with hydrangea, eucalyptus, ruskus, esparagurra, phleum, helecho vine, rice flower."
How did you end up having this beautiful wedding and what moments stand out for you Tanya?
"The wedding day was like a dream from the morning. Preparations with the best man, a little bit of stress and a lot of joy! If I had to pick out a few moments from the day it would be three, the first one being the custom of the groom leaving his house with his family accompanied by traditional instruments and going to the bride's house to pick her up and go to the church together! So the most beautiful and touching moment was when Alexander arrived and we saw each other! The second was the moment when I was going to the church with my parents and my brother and the last but not the least important moment was when we arrived with our groomsmen at the party and our people were there!"
What is your advice to a couple for planning their wedding?
"To the guys who are now preparing their wedding, we want to tell them to enjoy it! May they do what they have dreamed of and what fills them up! Don't try to make everyone happy if it's not them first! They should choose to be around people who fit them and calm them down! For stress I will not say not to have because they will have little! No matter what! And that's in the game and on that day it's nice. Because once you see your man, he goes away and then you feel the happiness."
Engagement ring by Marco Bicego with amethyst and handmade rings: KALFIDIS Jewellery
Photographer: Nikos Papadoglou Photography
In 2019, 100 years have passed since the appearance of Basketball in our country and YMCA, on the occasion of the anniversary, has organized a series of actions and events throughout 2019. On Sunday, October 27, the top event of the programme took place with the inauguration of the new wing of the basketball museum of YMCA and the outdoor courts, with the honorary presence of the President of the Republic, Mr.Prokopis Pavlopoulos.
18K gold lapel badge by KALFIDIS Jewelleryawarded to the President of the Republic, Mr. Prokopis Pavlopoulos
After six years of successful operation, the Basketball Museum of YMCA, was expanded to a second floor within the Sports Center of YMCA - Mimis Tsikinas. The new wing hosts thematic sections of the Greek Basketball bodies. E.E.P.K. (Association of Greek Basketball Coaches), O.D.K.E. (Federation of Greek Basketball Referees), O.S.E.K.A. (Federation of Greek Basketball Clubs with Wheelchair) and S.D.K.TH. (Association of Basketball Referees of Thessaloniki).
The President of the Republic was welcomed by the President of the company Yannis Sossidis and the Board of Directors of CHANTH. The tour was conducted by the dream team of the old-timers of HANTH, Noni Ananiadis, Michalis Giannouzakos, Stratos Vamvakoudis, Spyros Vougias, Lakis Tsavas and the museological team, Eleftheria Theodoroudi, museologist and Lydia Sihani, museum educator. The presentation and promotion of CHANTH has been undertaken since the establishment of the museum in 2013, by the amazing Vassilis Skountis. Congratulations are due to all the executives of CHANTH headed by the sports director Dimitris Karaisko and the public relations manager Lena Vrani.
KALFIDIS Jewellery undertook the manufacture of a decorative desk, press papier, which was presented to the dignitaries, as well as the 18K gold lapel badge awarded to the President of the Republic.
Ruby and sapphire are certainly two materials that we have combined with rare and expensive jewellery. But how many of you know that they are the same stone?
The scientific name is Corundum (corundum) and it gets its special colour from the metals that are found with it. Thus, the deep red colour of ruby, which we all love, is due to the presence of chromium. When it is found with iron, its colour turns blue and then we call it Sapphire. Corundums, however, are also found in many other colours and then we call them sapphires, using the colour in their name e.g. yellow sapphire, pink sapphire etc.
Ruby: Interesting information
Description: The word "ruby" comes from the Latin word ruber, which means red. In ancient times, the ruby was known as "sapphire purple" or "sapphire purple".
Gemstone: Considered one of the most important gemstones, along with diamond, sapphire and emerald.
Hardness: The corundum is the second hardest material found in nature, after diamond. On the Mohs scale of hardness, it is number 9 (only diamond is number 10).
Where do we find them: The main source of rubies has for centuries been the Mogok Valley in northern Myanmar, but today very few good quality rubies come from there. Other countries in which rubies are mined are: Sri Lanka, Tanzania, Kenya, Madagascar and others.
Birthday stone: Ruby is the birthstone of July and is considered a symbol of power with many healing properties.
Pigeon's blood ruby: The most demanded shade in rubies is Pigeon's blood, a deep red with a rare blue tone.
Famous jewellery with rubies: One of the most famous, yet valuable, pieces of jewellery in the history of jewellery making is the Cartier-designed ruby and diamond necklace for Elisabeth Taylor.
The most expensive ruby: In May 2015, Sotheby's sold for £19,600,000 (a world record ruby value) the ''Sunrise Ruby'', a 25.59-carat Burmese red ruby set in a Cartier jewel.
