STYLE: AGEAN JEWELS
HIDDEN away amid the white-washed walls, al fresco restaurants and fashion stores of old Mykonos town is a gem. It’s a small store, renowned for its unique, handmade jewellery, but with a client list to rival some of the world’s biggest brands.
It’s called Harry Jwls, and its namesake is a charismatic Greek-Australian, Harry Mestros. He was born in New South Wales and moved to Greece with his family, aged 6, but it wasn’t until he hit 35 that Harry started making serious jewellery.
“I began to design and handmake jewellery as an expression of my own creativity,” says Harry, “but mainly as a personal need, for myself to wear. Then I created jewellery for a few close friends and then for others. And people started admiring the jewellery and wanted to know where they could buy them.”
In 2012, Harry made the bold move to leave his then-career and start a jewellery company.
“I used to work, and then I made my hobby my profession,” he says, and he’s been sharing his creations with the world ever since. He opened his first Harry Jwls store in Mykonos in
2013, and a second store, also on Mykonos, in
2017. He now also supplies a retailer in Athens and, of course, sells online.
All his pieces are still made by hand, and Harry still designs every piece himself.
“Some take me a week or two, others can take upwards of a month to make – I just keep working until the result satisfies me.
With blazing Mediterranean sun motifs and the beaten gold and silver aesthetic of classical antiquity, it’s easy to see how Harry is influenced by the Aegean Sea and the history of Mykonos itself – but there’s more.
“Of course I admire Greek mythology, and Mykonos is an island where inspiration is everywhere – between the waves, the white
On Mykonos inspiration is everywhere – between the waves, the white houses, the multicultural energy of the people…
houses, the multicultural energy of the people, and from Delos, the small island across, where Greek god Apollo was born. But I’ve also studied sociology, so I love concepts and symbolisms and I kind of hide them in my pieces. I’m also a great fan of fantasy and Medieval tales and legends. Combine all the above and you have a Harry Jwls.”
Of all the Greek gods, Harry says Apollo is his favourite and most inspirational; indeed, he’s featured in the Harry Jwls Land Of The Gods collection. “Apollo represents the light and the sun,” says Harry, and he describes the range as both emblematic and avant-garde.
“But I don’t favour one range above another; they are all my favourites, all part of my soul – the light and the dark, and I love them all for different reasons.
What can we expect in 2019 from Harry Jwls? “It’s a secret! I’ll give you a hint: something to make anybody feel like a king or a queen.”
MORE: Find Harry Lwls at www.harryjwls.com Follow Joshua Heath on Instagram @JoshuaHeathStylist and go to joshuaheath.com.au