Melanie Georgacopoulos

Fascinated by the ancient Greek artefacts she saw in museums, Melanie developed an interest in jewellery from an early age. She began her training in her home town of Athens at the Mokume Vocational Institute where she studied both handmade and production jewellery techniques before leaving Greece to study in the UK. There she completed a BA in Sculpture at the Edinburgh College of Art before honing back into the subject of jewellery for her Masters at the Royal College of Art in London. It was during her studies that she discovered pearls, going on to dedicate her graduation collection to their reinvention.

Since then, the paradoxical, intriguing nature of pearls and mother of pearl has remained at the core of Melanie’s practice. Her sculptural background is evident in the way in which she works with her chosen materials in fearless new ways to release their potential and stimulate new interpretations. She continually strives to challenge the existing preconceptions of pearls and that of traditional jewellery design itself. It is this unique approach which has given her the opportunity to showcase her pieces regularly at fairs, exhibitions and galleries worldwide.

Her work has been exhibited at prestigious art fairs such as PAD Art & Design and COLLECT in London, and FOG Design+Art in San Francisco, USA. She has spoken on the subject of pearls at the Victoria & Albert Museum, London and at Geneva’s GemGenève, and over the last ten years has exhibited her pieces at museums, concept stores and galleries worldwide. Melanie has won awards for both her craftsmanship and design, notably winning Gold for both lapidary and for conceptual jewellery design at The Goldsmiths’ Crafts and Design Council Awards in 2023 and 2022.