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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.

Presentation of pearls and their secrets, at the cocktail event we organized with the cooperation of Utopia, the most important European pearl jewellery company, at our store in Tsimiski. Anna Gaia, the youngest, third generation owner of the Italian house Utopia, together with Akanthos Kalfidis, also the youngest third generation owner of KALFIDIS Jewellery, gave a unique presentation about pearls and their use in jewellery making.

Gold is a metal with a bright yellow colour and is the main material used in jewellery making. People have loved it from ancient times to the present day because of its unique properties, rarity and beauty. Pure gold is also called Venetian gold, a name that refers to the Venetian coins, which were made exclusively of solid gold. For gold we also use the word "malama" referring not only to jewellery, but also to quality, e.g. for a person we say "he has a malama heart", as well as "he has a heart of gold". Gold is extremely expensive, because of the enormous difficulties and costs of mining and processing, but also because of supply and demand. The special features of gold Some of the special characteristics of gold are the following: Does not oxidize (does not rust), Can be forged very easily, Has a unique colour and shine, It is non-toxic and does not cause allergies, It is edible! It is very soft and flexible (even a gram of gold can be made into a very thin plate and giving us a square meter of gold leaf). The colour of gold and alloys Yellow gold is the most common, but gold today is also available in a wide range of colours. Because it is soft enough to work with, alloys are formed with impurities of gold and other metals in order to make more durable objects and to make it more affordable.An alloy is the union of two or more metals to form a new material. Depending on the impurities, the alloy acquires the corresponding colour. Yellow gold alloys contain mainly bronze, white gold alloys contain silver and palladium, and pink gold alloys contain copper. Other attempts to produce alloys of other colours are currently under investigation. The measurement of gold in carats The carat (K) is a unit of gold content and should not be confused with the carat (CT) which is the unit of weight of precious stones. The purity of gold in an alloy with other metals is determined by its carat. 24 carats is the maximum limit which means that the gold has not been mixed with other metals. At 18 carats, therefore, we have 75% gold and 25% other metals, such as bronze, copper or silver. In 14 carat jewellery we have respectively 58.33% gold and 41.67% other alloys. Each piece of jewellery is engraved with the purity of its metals expressed per thousand units. That is, an 18-carat jewel, which consists of 75% pure gold, is stamped with 750 degrees.  

See which gemstone corresponds to the month you were born and find out what its unique properties are! January-Granate January's birthstone is the beautiful garnet. Its name is derived from the Latin word "grantum", meaning "pomegranate", and is attributed to the similarity of the crystals, both in shape and colour, to the seeds of the fruit. Garnet, offers energy, courage and optimism, and is also characterized by a variety of healing properties. February-Amnesty Were you born in February and your favourite colour is purple? It's no coincidence! The birthstone of the month is the gorgeous amethyst, found in shades from dark purple to light lilac! Amethyst protects against drunkenness and addictions and removes negative emotions. It is said that St. Valentine, who is being honored this month, always wore an amethyst ring! March-Aquamarine The March birthstone brings us a taste of summer! Aquamarine, named "sea water" after its unique blue hues, is considered one of the most famous and popular gemstones. The most famous piece of aquamarine is the one that adorns the Royal Crown of Great Britain. Aquamarine belongs to the same family as emerald and is associated with a variety of beneficial properties. It offers calmness and mental clarity and removes phobias, giving courage and self-awareness. In folk traditions, it is believed to offer its owner insight, courage and happiness, while it protects the love of the couple and promises a happy marriage! Also, the aquamarine is the lucky stone of sailors! April-Diamond April's birthstone is the diamond, the "king" of gemstones, known for its particular brilliance and properties, but also for the stories and myths that accompany it. The diamond symbolizes eternity, health and courage, and gives self-confidence and spiritual balance. Its name is derived from the Greek word "adamas" which means indomitable, invincible. It has been used in a variety of ways in jewellery making and has 'starred' many times in films, books and songs. It is one of the favourite materials of high jewellery and, as a symbol of absolute love, the diamond solitaire ring is the classic wedding proposal gift for your beloved. May-Scarlet May's birthstone is the emerald, the most expensive gemstone after the diamond! The emerald is known for its striking green colour, which is even used as a benchmark for the shades of other green stones. It is a symbol of love, kindness and wisdom, while at the same time symbolizing prosperity and is believed to bring brilliance and success in the professional field. This is perhaps why it is a favourite choice for celebrity jewellery. Case in point is Mariah Carey's one-stone ring, featuring the dazzling 17-carat emerald and costing $2.5 million! June-Pearl June's birthday stone is the beautiful and popular pearl, one of the most common choices for women in jewellery. A symbol of love, kindness and beauty, the pearl is thought to impart elegance, femininity and timeless style. In fashion history, it was strongly associated with Coco Chanel, who used to wear rows of pearls even with her most casual looks. As Christian Dior said of Chanel: "With a black sweater and ten rows of pearls, she stirred up the fashion." July-Ruby July's birthstone is the ruby, known for its special red colour and unique properties. Ruby drives away sadness and removes negative energy, giving energy, courage and strength. It is thought to have healing properties that detoxify the body and are beneficial for the heart and circulation. One of the most famous, yet precious, pieces of jewellery in the history of jewellery making is the Cartier-designed ruby and diamond necklace for Elisabeth Taylor. August-Peridot The favorite stone of August that brings luck to the lions and virgins of this month is the bright peridot, with its excellent light green color. It is a stone that has been associated with many healing properties and brings beauty and optimism to our lives. Its unique positive energy fits perfectly with August and holidays! September-Sapphine September's birthstone, the sapphire or "stone of wisdom", is the gemstone of tranquility and contemplation and offers peace and protection to anyone who wears it. The most distinctive and famous piece of sapphire jewellery is Princess Diana's engagement ring, featuring the striking oval Ceylon sapphire set with diamonds. This is the same ring that Prince William gave to Kate Middleton. October-Tourmaline October's birthstone is tourmaline, a favourite material in the jewellery industry. Tourmaline is found in all the colours of the rainbow, and can also form beautiful combinations of two or more shades. It gives love, peace and longevity. November-Citrine Those of you born in November can brighten and enjoy the cold days of the month by choosing jewellery with the bright citrine! Citrine, the November birthstone, is known for the calm and positive energy, warmth and good luck it brings to anyone who wears it. December-Blue Topaz The last birthday stone of the year is the beautiful blue topaz. Topaz has been known since ancient times and is named after its place of origin, the Red Sea island of Topaz. It is found in many shades with a variety of colour properties. Those of you born in December benefit from its multiple healing properties, and it gives you humour, optimism and integrity.