We, as the Designer Interviews ("DI") had the distinct pleasure and opportunity to interview award-winning, most creative and innovative Eleni Tezapsidou ("ET").

The jewellery society of Thessaloniki is represented by Eleni since 2008 when she was the first woman elected President of the city's association, a union founded in 1924. Since then, she tries to promote Greek designers both locally as well as worldwide. She is the Vice President of the Hellenic Federation of Craft Silversmiths Jewelers Watch Sellers and in November 2016 she was elected in the Hellenic Confederation of Professionals Craftsmen and Merchants. Eleni designs, crafts, sells and teaches jewellery making in Greece.

Eleni Tezapsidou Designs

We are pleased to share with you original and innovative design work by Eleni Tezapsidou.

Designer Interview of Eleni Tezapsidou:

DI: Could you please tell us more about your art and design background? What made you become an artist/designer? Have you always wanted to be a designer?

ET : I was raised in a traditional jewellery business family. My interest in jewellery designing came after graduating from high school. I love everything that looks elegant and geometrical. I wanted to bring into life my jewellery designs.

DI: Can you tell us more about your company / design studio?

ET : My jewellery workshop is mostly characterised for its custom-made jewellery pieces that we try to design according to the wishes of our customers. We design, we manufacture and we sell the jewellery ourselves and this is why we can achieve maximum quality.

DI: What is "design" for you?

ET : Design is expression for me.

DI: What kinds of works do you like designing most?

ET : I love designing jewellery pieces that can be worn in everyday life.

DI: What is your most favorite design, could you please tell more about it?

ET : My favourite jewellery piece is the Tiffany diamond brooch with the exceptional Canary Yellow diamond. It is so simple with the yellow diamond in the leading part and a small canary bird on the side.

DI: What was the first thing you designed for a company?

ET : It was an eternity ring;simple with five colourless diamonds.

DI: What is your favorite material / platform / technology?

ET : My favourite material is gold and precious stones.

DI: When do you feel the most creative?

ET : Creativity does not have a specific time. It has inspiration that derives after experimentation combined with experience.

DI: Which aspects of a design do you focus more during designing?

ET : I try to focus in the details of my design as I believe that small details really make a difference.

DI: What kind of emotions do you feel when you design?

ET : Excitement, satisfaction and pride.

DI: What makes a design successful?

ET : A design can be successful when it can be recognizable and immediately combined with the designer's profile.

DI: When judging a design as good or bad, which aspects do you consider first?

ET : Elegance, utility, inspiration.

DI: From your point of view, what are the responsibilities of a designer for society and environment?

ET : As I use materials that are recycled for thousands of years, I strongly believe that a designer must try to present pieces of work towards these directions.

DI: How do you think the "design field" is evolving? What is the future of design?

ET : As the european economic crisis increases, I believe that the design field has been highly challenged.

DI: When was your last exhibition and where was it? And when do you want to hold your next exhibition?

ET : I exhibit my works at my jewellery show room.

DI: Where does the design inspiration for your works come from? How do you feed your creativity? What are your sources of inspirations?

ET : My inspiration comes from Ancient Greek history, from new shapes, from images I might encounter in my everyday life.

DI: How would you describe your design style? What made you explore more this style and what are the main characteristics of your style? What's your approach to design?

ET : I would describe my style as geometrical.

DI: Where do you live? Do you feel the cultural heritage of your country affects your designs? What are the pros and cons during designing as a result of living in your country?

ET : I live in Greece, the country that has more than 5 millions of years heritage in jewellery design and craftmanship.

DI: How do you work with companies?

ET : I design and I then I manufacture for them.

DI: What are your suggestions to companies for working with a designer? How can companies select a good designer?

ET : The company must find the designer that can provide a characteristic profile for them.

DI: Can you talk a little about your design process?

ET : The design process is very simple for me. I have an inspiration and I work on it exactly at the moment that I have my flash.

DI: What are 5 of your favorite design items at home?

ET : 1) A Cycladic small statue.2) A bronze leaf crown from Northern Greece.3) One of my brother's Rennaissance paintings.4) A designer's espresso making pot from my Italian best friend's wedding.5) My grandmother's handmade wooden table.

DI: Can you describe a day in your life?

ET : I work throughout the day either designing, manufacturing or teaching.

DI: Could you please share some pearls of wisdom for young designers? What are your suggestions to young, up and coming designers?

ET : Never forget the reason they first decided to be what they wanted to be.

DI: From your perspective, what would you say are some positives and negatives of being a designer?

ET : Being a designer can be exciting as you see in pictures what you have imagined but it can also be dissapointing not to be able to have the recognition you expect to have.

DI: What is your "golden rule" in design?

ET : Sketch it exactly when you imagine it.

DI: What skills are most important for a designer?

ET : Inspiration, designing skills and patience.

DI: Which tools do you use during design? What is inside your toolbox? Such as software, application, hardware, books, sources of inspiration etc.?

ET : Jewellery designing refferences and I have recently made some tutorials on Rhinoceros software for designing.

DI: Designing can sometimes be a really time consuming task, how do you manage your time?

ET : I try to design during the night.

DI: How long does it take to design an object from beginning to end?

ET : It depends on the item that we design. It can take just a few hours or it can take some days.

DI: What is the most frequently asked question to you, as a designer?

ET : How did you think of this?

DI: What was your most important job experience?

ET : Working with my father is my most important job experience.

DI: Who are some of your clients?

ET : Jewellery shops throughout Greece are some of my clients.

DI: What type of design work do you enjoy the most and why?

ET : Designing earrings is what I enjoy the most.

DI: What are your future plans? What is next for you?

ET : I really do not have any plans for the moment. I try to make a new summer collection to be presented to my clients in a couple of months and I continue working at my jewellery show room.

DI: Do you work as a team, or do you develop your designs yourself?

ET : I work on my own.

DI: Do you have any works-in-progress being designed that you would like to talk about?

ET : My summer collection is what I work on at the moment and the title is "Sea Animal World".

DI: How can people contact you?

ET : People can easily contact me through my facebook page TEZORO JEWELLERY or my e-mail.

DI: Any other things you would like to cover that have not been covered in these questions?

ET : It has been a great experience participating at the A Design Award Competition.