ALKEMEYA
I studied Literature and Drama at Queen Mary University of London, Method acting at RADA and obtained a Masters Degree in Cultural and Creative Industries from King’s College continuing to explore the inner psychological worlds of different characters in literary plays and novel adaptations. After nine years in London, a beautiful but unexpected acquaintance led me to Paris where I discovered the aesthetic values and style of the French. I had the luck to live in the most quaint neighbourhood of Paris, the Marais, where I was inspired by the charm of Rue Charlot , Rue de Sévigné and Rue Pastourelle, and got acquainted with the local Parisian artisanal products.After a couple of years in Paris I became a mother of two girls and I spent long hours thinking of the day that I would be offering my daughters unique jewellery pieces just like my grandmother offered me. This was the initial spark that inspired to create my own pieces derived from my own personal stories.To me the eternal value of jewellery is a symbol of ever-lasting love and now that my grandma has passed away, I feel her presence in the stories that each of her jewellery piece carries.The name Alkemeya was born out of my love for long lost civilisations and philosophies. The word encapsulates the spirituality of the branch of natural philosophy called Alchemy. Inspired by ancient Egyptian mythology, Kēme means black earth and refers to the fertile and auriferous soil of the Nile Valley. Alchemists attempted to purify, mature, and perfect certain materials into noble metals particularly gold through a seemingly magical process. The perfection of the human body and soul was thought to result from the ‘alchemical Magnus Opus’ and, in the Hellenistic and Western mystery tradition, the achievement of ‘gnosis’.To me Alchemy is an allegory for the magical process of jewellery making. Each Alkemēya collection has a story and each piece has a symbolic meaning giving special properties to its owner.” Daphne Tsitsiliani
