Greek Medal

Drawing inspiration from her ancient Greek heritage, award-winning jewelry designer Elena Votsi produces clean and bold pieces with the use of exquisite semiprecious stones for her cutting-edge line. The island of Hydra- her birthplace- is a source of creativity for Votsi, where the jewelry is made and modeled on classical forms. She began her career as an artist, having studied traditional painting and drawing at the Athens School of Fine Arts followed by graduate studies at the famous Royal College of Art in London. Votsi was even asked to design the medal for the 2004 Olympic Games in Athens, and has had her jewels on display in London art galleries.

Votsi’s use of the sphere reflects the beauty of the Greek sun, and her melange of magnificent rings, necklaces and earrings- such as a meteorite and diamond cross necklace- has won her the Design Awards of Las Vegas twice, in 2009 and 2011. 18K gold rings that look like a wound-up ribbon- which in Greek culture symbolizes everything from athletics to marriage- or an oversized gold box that can store trinkets are just some of the stunning fine-art jewelry women covet and often collect for themselves. Votsi opened her first store in Athens in 1995, with another in Hydra- and her collection is also exclusively available at Bergdorf Goodman. Her recent trunk show at LA’s Maxfield- the fashion shrine- was a hit and you also can find her distinct trinkets profiled everywhere these days. It’s all Greek to me.  www.elenavotsi.com