My name is Christine and I am the the mind, the eyes and the hands behind xroma jewelry.
A few facts about me:
(this interview was posted in Etsy Greek Street Team blog on 23.7.2015)
Tell us a bit about yourself.
My name is Christine, I was born, raised and live in Athens, in the city center, and I love travels and colors.
I grew up watching my grandfather, a non-professional painter, mixing the colors on his pallet, creating new color shades, talking about “cobalt blue”, “cadmium red”, “burnt sienna”…
Later, during my studies in Archaeology and Art History, I focused even more on the use of color in art, in architecture and in everyday life.
Jewelry making came up as a result of my … perfectionism: I was often in the search of the perfect color ring (rings are my all time favorite jewelry), with the exact color shade I had in mind, but of course I could never find it. So, I started searching various techniques, trying, experimenting and finally I discovered resin, a transparent liquid that can be colored and turn into any color shade, which when it’s cured and harden it looks like a colored glass.
So, I started making jewelry for myself, for my friends and one thing led to another and soon xroma was on Etsy.
My shop’s name is actually the username I use for many years in internet. It’s a 2 in 1 name, as it’s actually a combination of my name’s initials, but at the same time it expresses my passion for color (xroma, pronounced “chroma”, in Greek means “color”)…
My name is Christine, I was born, raised and live in Athens, in the city center, and I love travels and colors.
I grew up watching my grandfather, a non-professional painter, mixing the colors on his pallet, creating new color shades, talking about “cobalt blue”, “cadmium red”, “burnt sienna”…
Later, during my studies in Archaeology and Art History, I focused even more on the use of color in art, in architecture and in everyday life.
Jewelry making came up as a result of my … perfectionism: I was often in the search of the perfect color ring (rings are my all time favorite jewelry), with the exact color shade I had in mind, but of course I could never find it. So, I started searching various techniques, trying, experimenting and finally I discovered resin, a transparent liquid that can be colored and turn into any color shade, which when it’s cured and harden it looks like a colored glass.
So, I started making jewelry for myself, for my friends and one thing led to another and soon xroma was on Etsy.
My shop’s name is actually the username I use for many years in internet. It’s a 2 in 1 name, as it’s actually a combination of my name’s initials, but at the same time it expresses my passion for color (xroma, pronounced “chroma”, in Greek means “color”)…
What inspires you and where do your ideas come from?
My inspiration comes from anything colorful: a flower,
a fruit flesh, the sea, an artwork, a piece of fabric, the wall painting of an
old house, a sea pebble, a precious stone, a traditional ceramic, a sea glass,
even my favorite dress or a nail polish!
Metal, resin (liquid glass) and, of course, the 5 color pigments (red, blue, yellow, white, black) which with the right combination, in the right amount, can create any color shade.
Why should somebody buy handmade?
Every handmade item is unique, it’s the realization of
an inspiration, it’s made with care and attention, it is “charged” with the
art, the love and the energy of the creator.
My favorite quote is «You can’t buy love, but you can
buy handmade and that’s kind of the same thing».
Apart from creating things, what do you do?
I am an archaeologist, a mother of two kids, I do pilates, I am a bookworm, I enjoy baking sweets, I love doing long walks (especially in the city centre), I watch fanatically movies and foreign TV series, and I’m always dreaming and mentally planning my next trip…
I am an archaeologist, a mother of two kids, I do pilates, I am a bookworm, I enjoy baking sweets, I love doing long walks (especially in the city centre), I watch fanatically movies and foreign TV series, and I’m always dreaming and mentally planning my next trip…
How do you promote your work?
I use all kinds of social media and I have to admit that I enjoy this kind of promotion almost as much as creation itself! Facebook gives me the opportunity to contact with much more people, Pinterest and Tumblr are smart, interesting and often inspirational, Instagram is beautiful and direct, Blogger gives me the opportunity to present all my creations in one place.
But most of all, I believe that the best promotion for xroma creations is all those alluring women who wear them, each with her attitude and personal style, and promote them better than the best photograph!...
I use all kinds of social media and I have to admit that I enjoy this kind of promotion almost as much as creation itself! Facebook gives me the opportunity to contact with much more people, Pinterest and Tumblr are smart, interesting and often inspirational, Instagram is beautiful and direct, Blogger gives me the opportunity to present all my creations in one place.
But most of all, I believe that the best promotion for xroma creations is all those alluring women who wear them, each with her attitude and personal style, and promote them better than the best photograph!...
Tell us about your working space.
My working space is a small desk next to the big, family desk. The negative about this space is that it’s placed in a corner area without a window, therefore without direct sunlight. The positive about it is that it’s a very cozy room, with all my tools and supplies in order, placed in nice little colorful boxes, with beloved family photos on the walls, a room that reflects creativity, as many times you can find me and my husband working side by side, me making jewelry and him drawing for children’s books illustrations!
My working space is a small desk next to the big, family desk. The negative about this space is that it’s placed in a corner area without a window, therefore without direct sunlight. The positive about it is that it’s a very cozy room, with all my tools and supplies in order, placed in nice little colorful boxes, with beloved family photos on the walls, a room that reflects creativity, as many times you can find me and my husband working side by side, me making jewelry and him drawing for children’s books illustrations!
Which is your favorite tool?
My favorite tool is… my teaspoon! I’m not kidding,
with my tiny teaspoon I mix the resin with the catalyst, I make the colorings
and I pour the mix in the jewelry bases. My second favorite tool is my heat
gun, which helps the resin to cure right and harden.
Do you have somebody who helps you with your Etsy shop?
Jewelry making, photography, photo editing, descriptions, social media promotion, studying (so much studying!), orders, packaging, mailing, I make them all by myself.
But for some photographs that have a higher level of difficulty (like low light photography, or photos with me as a model) I get help by my husband, who is an amateur but a very advanced photographer.
Jewelry making, photography, photo editing, descriptions, social media promotion, studying (so much studying!), orders, packaging, mailing, I make them all by myself.
But for some photographs that have a higher level of difficulty (like low light photography, or photos with me as a model) I get help by my husband, who is an amateur but a very advanced photographer.
My favorite websites/shops/movies/books/music
I check daily all of my favorite social media (Facebook, Tumblr, Instagram, Pinterest), many greek bloggers (thankfully there’s Bloglovin’, so I can easily watch what’s new), I read Lifo, I browse Bored Panda and Colossal and before each trip (nearby or faraway) I search for hotel, restaurant and café reviews at ΤripΑdvisor.
Favorite movies (how can I choose only a few?): Cinema il Paradiso, Amelie, Match Point, The Shawshank Redemption, Pulp Fiction, Seven, Gattaca, The Shinning, Before Sunrise, Toy Story, everything by Woody Allen and Almodovar.
Favorite books: Life after Life (Kate Atkinson), High Fidelity (Nick Hornby), Middlesex (Jeffrey Evgenides), Loxandra (Maria Iordanidou), Ellie Lambeti (Freddie Germanos), all Stephen King’s books. Lately, I am fixated on Scandinavian crime literature, with Millennium trilogy, by Stieg Larsson, as my favorite.
I listen to a lot of music, many different kinds, greek or foreign, oldies or mainstream, depending on the time or the mood, from Portokaloglou to Red Hot Chili Peppers! Lately, I am tuned on Pepper 96,6 radio station.
I check daily all of my favorite social media (Facebook, Tumblr, Instagram, Pinterest), many greek bloggers (thankfully there’s Bloglovin’, so I can easily watch what’s new), I read Lifo, I browse Bored Panda and Colossal and before each trip (nearby or faraway) I search for hotel, restaurant and café reviews at ΤripΑdvisor.
Favorite movies (how can I choose only a few?): Cinema il Paradiso, Amelie, Match Point, The Shawshank Redemption, Pulp Fiction, Seven, Gattaca, The Shinning, Before Sunrise, Toy Story, everything by Woody Allen and Almodovar.
Favorite books: Life after Life (Kate Atkinson), High Fidelity (Nick Hornby), Middlesex (Jeffrey Evgenides), Loxandra (Maria Iordanidou), Ellie Lambeti (Freddie Germanos), all Stephen King’s books. Lately, I am fixated on Scandinavian crime literature, with Millennium trilogy, by Stieg Larsson, as my favorite.
I listen to a lot of music, many different kinds, greek or foreign, oldies or mainstream, depending on the time or the mood, from Portokaloglou to Red Hot Chili Peppers! Lately, I am tuned on Pepper 96,6 radio station.
In 10 years time...
…I wish I will keep on learning, trying, creating,
keep on being persistent, passionate and always in love. I wish for my
children, which will be reaching adulthood by that time, to have found what
makes them passionate and to explore that with passion and commitment.
For xroma
I wish new ideas, new colors, new creations, that will be travelling all over
the world… And, since we are talking about 10 years from now, I admit that I
allow myself a bit of science fiction and I picture me owing a kind of a 3d
metal printer to “print” my own jewelry bases and other supplies, without the
need of a foundry.
You can also find me here: etsy, fb, pinterest, instagram, tumblr, twitter
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