Pearls Gone Wild: Melanie Georgacopoulos

This Athens-born, London-based designer puts the ‘fresh’ in freshwater with her innovative creations.

An independent jeweler for private connoisseurs since 2010 and head designer for M/G Tasaki since 2015, Greek-born Melanie Georgacopoulos received her jewelry training in her native Athens as well as London. Challenging the traditional approach to pearls, she shows how this material can be fresh and fashionable, far from the classical strand we all know.

What made you choose a career as a jeweler?
I have always been drawn to handmaking and creating, but what drew me to jewelry specifically was the connection of an object to the body. It poses a great challenge to make not only a desirable piece, but also one that sits comfortably and becomes part of oneself when [one is] wearing it.

Where does your inspiration come from?
There are so many things that inspire me, but I find many of my ideas in my environment, and especially in all my travels. I’m lucky to connect with many people, and there are so many I would like to meet one day.

What are the materials that you most love to work with?
There are so many, but I really love to use pearls, gold, silver and mother-of-pearl. I like to work with materials that will stand the test of time.

Mélanie Georgacopoulos Facets Diamond Pink earrings, gold, mother-of-pearl. — The Facets Diamond Pink earrings in gold and mother-of-pearl.

Mélanie Georgacopoulos white gold ring with mother-of-pearl and freshwater pearls — White gold ring with mother-of-pearl and freshwater pearls.

Mélanie Georgacopoulos Oval gemstone brooch, multicolor mother-of-pearl and gold — The Oval gemstone brooch with multicolor mother-of-pearl and gold.

Who is the Melanie Georgacopoulos woman?
Judging from which pieces have been popular so far, I would say that my clients are women who look for timeless, minimal pieces that are somewhat different from what they see everywhere.

You live in Hamburg but come from Greece and have worked in London. Do you think of yourself as a citizen of the world?
Absolutely, and I hope in the future I am able to experience living in other countries, too! It’s such an enriching experience to get to know other cultures and find out so much about yourself while doing so. The internet makes it possible nowadays to really work from everywhere.

What are your most iconic creations?
I would definitely say the Sliced series, which is now produced by M/G Tasaki, but also some recent works from the Nacre collection, which was a big step for me because I started using mother-of-pearl, too.

Mélanie Georgacopoulos white gold necklace with mother-of-pearl and freshwater pearls — White gold necklace with mother-of-pearl and freshwater pearls.

Mélanie Georgacopoulos MOP Diamond open bangle, gold, freshwater white pearl, mother-of-pearl — The MOP Diamond open bangle in gold, freshwater white pearl, and mother-of-pearl.

Which designers do you admire?
A lot! Angela Cummings, Taffin, Suzanne Belperron, [René] Lalique, Line Vautrin. They made me dream of becoming a jeweler, and I have learned so much from looking at their pieces.

What are your next projects?
I am working on my first collection with gemstones, including diamonds, to be launched in 2020, as well as my M/G Tasaki collection [that will] be launched in June 2020 in Japan.