Gigi Maradei
São Paulo, Brazil
My name is Gisela, I am a Brazilian and British citizen. London is a special place for me, because it was there where I better shaped my passion for jewellery and jewellery making. The opportunity I had there, by being in contact with so many different cultures, was invaluable.
African jewellery was my first love, probably because it brings the same powerful energy I feel from the works of Brazilian Indigenous Peoples.
When I was a child I used to make necklaces for my dolls and later, with the help of my.granny, I began producing pieces for carnaval costumes.
In the eighties I went to University and put aside the pleasure I had in creating my own " little treasures"... It was only in the nineties, when I moved to the UK, that everything slowly began again. There I was constantly going to galleries, markets, second hand shops, car boots and garage sales searching for "lost treasures". Everywhere I visited, the first thing I wanted to do was to explore these places.
I will never understand why so many people prefer buying only new things when it is possible to acquire amazing and very good quality old things instead. I like the history the objects posses and the story that they can tell, as well as the fact that they were able to survive beautifuly through time.
I think that by mixing old and new we can give birth to extremely interesting objects.
I don't follow trends, because I believe people look much more beautiful by wearing unique and original pieces.
I am living in Brazil again, and last year I decided to officially start "gigimaradei", a project to turn my old passion for jewellery into something a bit more serious, in which I can bring old jewellery material back to life. I believe upcycling, besides being a sustainable practice, is also a way to develop beautiful and artistic pieces.