Chain Reaction: Shells Reinvented with the Melanie Georgacopoulos Katina Collection

Since focusing her attention on pearls in 2010, Melanie Georgacopoulos has become something of an expert in taking this recognisable material and transforming it into unexpected creations. In the last five years, she’s shifted her focus to shells – the more commonly disregarded ‘homes’ of pearls – and has used them to produce double-take jewels that subvert our perceptions of what this relatively soft substance can achieve. This is perfectly demonstrated in the new Katina collection, which uses carved quahog shell and mother of pearl to recreate the links in a classic metal chain. I spoke to Melanie to discover more about her latest, innovative offering…

In the past, we’ve described Melanie Georgacopoulos as a trailblazer with a sculptural aesthetic and a penchant for the avant-garde. We’ve also acknowledged her mastery of mother of pearl and her ability to breathe life into its lustre without resorting to classic inlay. What really sets her apart, at least in my opinion, are the optical illusion-type ranges that subvert our perceptions. A great example is the Carats collection from 2020, which makes solid mother of pearl look like pillowy soft clouds, rippling with the impact of hippopus pearls.

Although mother of pearl is widely used in watchmaking, it is unfortunately underused in fine jewellery. This is something that I am hoping to change, as mother of pearl is a wonderful material to work with that comes in an incredible range of colours and textures, Melanie Georgacopoulos.