Jewellery, Watches, Antiquities and Objects of Vertu

An Earth and Moon pendant necklace by Minas, the bi-coloured globe rotating on an axis, suspended from a black cord with a full moon slider, signed ‘Minas’, length adjustable. £600-£700

Minas was born in Athens in 1938 to a Greek family of migrants from Asia Minor. From a young age he showed his interest and love for design. At 15, he began an internship with Angelos Vourakis, the official jewellery supplier to the Greek royal court, which led to his first job in the art of jewellery making.
In 1959, Minas began his military service in the Greek Royal Navy, gaining an interest and experience in mechanical engineering. Leaving Greece in 1969, with 200 dollars in his pocket and a one way ticket to America, he quickly secured a job with David Webb, one of the most famous jewellery manufacturers of the time. He soon set up his own workshop in New York, creating and marketing his own designs, focusing on the themes of simplicity, ergonomics and harmony. By 1976 he began exporting his jewellery to Italy, moving to Milan to cooperate fully with leading gemologist Roberto Cusi.

After Cusi’s death in 1981, Minas returned to his homeland Greece, continuing to develop his designs for furniture and machinery as well as jewellery. In 1986 he moved to the island of Mykonos, and in 1992 exhibited his full body of work at the Zoumboulakis Gallery. During that year he made contact with the Danish company Georg Jensen and his 12 year cooperation with the brand began, leading to major exhibitions in Copenhagen, New York, London and Paris. He opened his first official store in Mykonos in 1998 and second store in Athens in 2005.