Jewellers hands measuring a Yellow Gold ring with three diamonds

These hands belong to one of our talented jewellers, Dionysios. Known for his love of coffee and traditional greek treats, and his calm, cool and collected approach to life, Dionysios handcrafts many of our pieces for our family of Natalie Marie stockists. From why he became a jeweller to his favourite gemstones, learn more about Dionysios below...

 

Who do these hands belong to?

Dionysios Tsinonis, everyone calls me Nisi. 

 

What is your role at Natalie Marie Jewellery and how long have you been on the team? 

I am a Junior jeweller at NMJ and I work mostly on collection pieces for our group of Natalie Marie stockists. I have been on the team for approximately 8 months.

 

When did you first come across Natalie Marie Jewellery? 

I was talking to a friend and fellow jeweller about taking my first step into the jewellery world and the art of contemporary jewellery in Sydney. My friend mentioned Natalie Marie as a company that is in touch with its market and has aced the balance between classical design and sustainable jewellery.

Dionysios Tsinonis sitting at his work place smiling into the camera

Describe a typical day for you...

A lucky weekday looks like, having my morning coffee with Zimaropita (a Greek savory pancake). Otherwise, it’s a coffee, bacon and egg roll before making my commute to Avalon Beach from St Leonards. From there it’s another coffee before I take my place at the bench and work through my jobs for the day. These include any of the things you might see online but predominately our stockist collection items. There’s 1 to 5 coffees in-between this work and my lunch.

After my workday is done, during summer (if I’m lucky, again) I’ll take the opportunity to go for a spearfish near North Avalon before hopping on the horse and heading home to gear up for my jiu-jitsu class.  

 

What is your most treasured piece of jewellery?

A curb style, name plate bracelet in 18ct Yellow Gold that I inherited from my late father. 

 

What is your favourite Natalie Marie piece?

The Heavy Naum Stacking Ring  - It's a reticulated ring and I love the process of reticulation.

 

Where would we find you on the weekend? How do you unwind?

Spearfishing/freediving, a bit of jujitsu, having a beer and a bonfire in the garden with my housemates or finding a new music event to head to. 

Dionysios Tsinonis at the Natalie Marie studio in Avalon Beach sitting across from a colleague who explains a jeweller making process

 

Coffee or tea? How do you take it?

Coffee – Almond piccolo. But I do not mind a rooibos tea from time to time. 

  

Beach, city or mountains?

Beach and mountains.

 

What inspires you?

Music, massively. My friends in creative fields. Anything that anyone does passionately. 

 

What originally made you interested in becoming a jeweller?

I went on an art camp to Bali in high school where we did a jewellery workshop. That sparked a flame that led to fire with a conversation with a jewellery design student at university. 

 

If you could live anywhere else, apart from Sydney, where would it be?

Greece.

 

What are you currently reading or listening to?

Bertrand Russell, the analysis of mind. 

 

What are you most grateful for?

My mother.

 

If you could spend the day with anyone in the world, dead or alive, who would it be and what would you do?  

My father. Ask him about the afterlife. Smoke a cigar and enjoy a whiskey. 

Jewellers hands working on jewellery

If you were not working at NMJ as a jeweller, what would you be doing?

Perhaps a furniture designer as object design is one of my majors at Uni. 

 

What is the best piece of advice you've been given?

If you have nothing nice to say, do not say anything at all – My Mothers words.

You can do absolutely anything you want. If you don’t try, you’ll never know if it’s for you. Do not feel obligated to live up to anybody’s expectations of you but feel obligated to live up to your own expectations of yourself – My Fathers words.

 

What is on your wish list right now?

New speargun. And for my roof to be fixed.

 

What is your favourite gemstone?

Emerald or watermelon tourmaline.

Dionysios Tsinonis sitting at his jewellery work station working on a necklace

PC: @tealily