The Katina collection, named after Melanie’s Greek great aunt, continues Melanie’s exploration and elevation of shells through the reinvention of a treasured family heirloom.

This bold collection is one of the most personal that Melanie has ever made, being a direct ode to a silver byzantine chain that she inherited from her aunt Katina. The chain was among the few possessions that Katina bought with her when she fled Smyrna in 1922, during the catastrophic Great Fire. Jewellery can hold value in many ways; whether due to its material or sentimental value, what’s certain is that the chain was cherished enough to be taken along and passed down, eventually finding its way into Melanie’s hands.

Enthralled by the necklace’s history and intrigued by the complexity of the chains style, Melanie began to explore its form through the medium of shells. Known for her work with pearls, Melanie has found herself increasingly captivated by their lesser celebrated homes. There are two colour variations, the first features white mother of pearl, white freshwater pearls and yellow gold, whilst the darker versions utilise quahog shell, onyx and blackened silver.

These are Melanie’s first pieces using the quahog shell, which showcases the same distinct white – to lavender – to deep purple colour of quahog pearls. The quahog shell has historically and continues to hold significant cultural importance to the Haudenosaunee, an Indigenous confederacy of North America, who used it to create valuable beads, called wampum. These beads were used to make strings or belts that served to signify a person’s credentials, or to record historical events, traditions or laws. It is thought that the white part of the shell signified peace while the purple colour related to messages of a more serious or political nature. Wampum beads were later adopted as a currency by European colonists in North America.

With elements created from the shells Melanie set out to replicate the composition of her aunt’s chain as closely as possible, in some cases using pearl threading techniques to create links from beads that echo the look of the twisted wire on the original design. The pieces are surprising and, in some cases misleading, at first glance you can’t be sure of the material you’re looking at. The shell gains strength when the links are connected to one another to form the chain, much like individuals and communities coming together amidst conflict or adversity. In a climate fractured by division and uncertainty, where history seems to repeat itself, these chains serve as symbols of hope.