Danai Giannelli: Modern Heirlooms Meet Responsible Craft

Athens-based Danai Giannelli's design ethos is a very straight-forward one: joyful jewelry punctuated by color, light, and emotion.

Her inspirations range far and wide, from scarabs and other magical creatures; to geometry; the sea shells she picks up on the sandy beaches of Mytilini island; or deeply personal keepsakes passed down from her mother and grandmother. Delicate silhouettes, splashes of mood-boosting colors, and a commitment to channeling positive energy with every single piece, are some of the common threads tying every design together.

"I believe in the energy of the stones," says Gianelli.

Most recently, she has been spending some time reading up on all the mythological references around beetles. Fascinated by their long history and associations with the energy of the sun, her latest collection - dubbed 'The Beetles' - offers a light-hearted, modern-day take on this universally-acknowledged, ancient symbol, with miniature gold and silver charms made more playful with colorful ruby, sapphire, or tsavorite stones.

Elsewhere, some of the brand's best-selling, core collections reference traditional Greek keepsakes, inspired by the ones passed down from the designer's mother when she had her children, or family heirlooms dating back to Asia Minor.

By incorporating deeply personal stories and meaning into her designs - the kind that transcend age and backgrounds and appeal to customer's emotions - Gianelli ensures that she is now creating heirlooms of her own. Her clients - mostly women aged 35 to 50, with a discerning eye for style and a strong will to step away from mass-consumed brands - tend to never take some of the pieces they buy off, holding onto them for good luck and only letting them go to pass them down to loved ones.

"I want my jewelry to embody the values of love and protection. We want to embrace this tradition of passing pieces down from generation to generation," added the designer.

The quality of the jewelry also ensures that her work can have the long lineage Gianelli is aspiring too.

As part of the brand's ongoing sustainability commitments, the company works exclusively with artisans in Athens who have years of expertise in plating, stone placement, and moulding. Everything is handmade using gold, silver, precious or semi-precious stones, and diamonds that have been certified by the Kimberley Process Certification Scheme.

Far removed from fast production or traditional seasonal models, Gianelli produces new pieces once or twice a year - or as and when she feels she has something new and inspiring to share. She mixes in new pieces with existing ones, never discontinuing past collections.

She mostly operates on a made-to-order basis to ensure she is only producing according to demand and not leaving any excess stock behind. But her close relationships with Athens' based jewelry workshops and local craftspeople, ensure she can quickly fulfil larger orders as they come in and offer customization services.

This intimate crafting process is a big part of the reason why for the past 6 years, the brand has been operating off its Athens showroom, a place a little off the beaten track with no obvious signage, that customers get to discover; visit privately; meet the designer and build longterm relationships; as well as place custom orders.

But everyone is welcome in Gianneli's showroom, who makes a point of adopting an inclusive approach to her work and offers a wide range of price points, ranging from cord bracelets priced at 40 euros to one-of-a-kind fine pieces up to 3,800 euros.

Given this more discreet nature of the physical showroom, e-commerce has been the brand's biggest shopfront since 2015. This meant that the business was well equipped to face the industry's overnight refocus to all things digital that occurred as a result of the pandemic, with sales going up 95 percent in 2020 versus 2019. There has been a further 25 percent uptick in 2021, with the majority of the clientele based in Greece and growing interest from markets such as Europe and the U.S.

Looking ahead, Gianelli is now planning to introduce more unisex designs; build on the solid foundation of her direct-to-consumer business with wholesale partnerships with boutiques around the world and concept stores - and simply, to keep spreading joy with her designs.