In 1999 Ileana launches her signature Evil Eye Collection. An abundance of colored precious stones and their placing on rings, bracelets, necklaces & earrings- have often evolved in her expression of the eye. A quasi-universal symbol of protection, the Evil Eye is referred to as μάτι (mati) in Greek. Findings of the Evil Eye in craft and architecture date back to the 6th century BC. The reinterpretation of strong, cross-cultural symbols has always been a source of inspiration for Ileana Makri, who has experienced first-hand that “Symbols have a broad, universal appeal that crosses cultural divides”. Her body of work features a range of mystical and figurative symbols, many pointing back to her roots in Greek mythology.

"The cycle of life repeats again and again" - Ileana Makri's Again Collection refers to the fluid cycle of birth and rebirth, both physical and symbolic. A universal symbol of totality and wholeness, the circle harkens back to our very origins and notion of infinity. Not the intellectual, geometric aspect - but the organic, in-mutable state of our deeper self.

Launch of the Snake Collection. leana Makri has always been fascinated by the symbolism of nature. Her best-selling Snake collection is now considered a classic. Working in her signature refined and sensual aesthetic, Ileana’s most recent addition to the collection is the Berus ring: a snake embracing itself in a unique piece that combines the natural aura of the beast with Ileana’s powerful interpretation of it.

Combining her fascination for symbols with a rock 'n' roll attitude, Ileana Makri's shield collection features covetable adornments which have long captured the attention of the Hollywood and style A-lists.

Inspired by the Star-filled Greek summer night skies.

Imagining the treasures of the lost Atlantis.

In her Lace Collection Ileana Makri recreates the delicate fabric into covetable pieces of fine jewelry delicately handcrafted from 18k gold and pavé set in hues of white, champagne and black sparkling diamonds.

From a young age, Ileana has been fascinated by gemstones. Their geometric shapes, bright colors and overwhelming light. This lead her to design her eponymous Gem collection. In this collection she recreates gemstones with her favorite technique of pave setting in vivid vibrant colors.
The traditional classification of Gems in the West, which goes back to the ancient Greeks, begins with a distinction between precious and semi-precious stones; similar distinctions are made in other cultures. In modern usage the precious stones are diamond, ruby, sapphire and emerald, with all other gemstones being semi-precious. This distinction reflects the rarity of the respective stones in ancient times, as well as their quality: all are translucent with fine color in their purest forms, except for the colorless diamond.

Fascinated by the beautiful iridescent beetles of  my native Greece  I embarked on a journey to discover the bugs and beetles of the world.  A book  I bought on a business trip to NY prompted me to google for bugs and found a thesaurus of fascinating varieties. Enchanted by the diversity of shape and the glorious colour combinations I came across I felt the irresistible urge to translate the world of bugs  into my work.  To compete with nature is an impossible goal, but I tried my best using multicoloured diamonds, rubies, sapphires,  tsavorites and a lot of love.

The origin of the safety pins dates back to the 14th century BC; they were used in the same manner as modern day safety pins. In fact the very first safety pins of the 14th and 13th centuries B.C. looked remarkably like the safety pins of  today. They were first introduced by the Myceneans on the Greek Peloponnesus and soon spread around the then known word.
Throughout the centuries safety pins, while keeping to an extent  their practical purpose became ornaments as well.  Particularly, during the emergence of Punk rock in the late seventies, safety pins became associated with the genre, its followers and fashion, and safety pins were incorporated into wardrobes as clothing decoration or as piercings, shifting the purpose of the pins from practicality to fashion.
The idea of designing a safety pin jewelry collection comes from the need to incorporate a design concept into practical items, thus also making them desirable. Not to mention that in today’s turbulent times, “safety”, itself, is  far from decorative but most desirable.

Symbols have always been worn on the body: it is a universal human impulse. Ileana embraces the iconic, talismanic virtue of jewelry in this collection, which ranges from playful to spiritual as we do.

A celebration of Music.

In 2009 an introduction to London-based fashion designer Marios Schwab resulted in a series of jewelry collaborations for his catwalk presentations. An astonishing collaboration that created enormous press excitement both in the UK and Internationally.

“Particularly stunning was a dress in candy pink and the jewelry – a collaboration between Schwab and Ileana Makri, which saw crystal formations cluster round the neck and cuffs. This was a lesson in how to do sexy while still keeping your cool.”

-Vogue Magazine on the A/W 09/10 collection

“Despite its cerebral and somewhat downbeat theory, in practice this show was quite beautiful to witness – with stunning sparkling cuffs (this is second season working with jewellery designer Ileana Makri), and ultra modern sunglasses injecting straight talking cool.”

-Vogue Magazine on the S/S 2010 collection

THE ROW completes its Resort 2012 collection with a collaboration of fine jewelry by Ileana Makri, borne of Ileana and THE ROW’s shared idea of minimal timeless design. Much like THE ROW, Ileana focuses on creating classic pieces with a modern approach. She combines the effervescent spirit of the Belle Époque with her own spiritual influences for a product that is at once effortless and significant. Crafted of rose & white gold, featuring evil eye pendants adorned with colorful diamonds.

Ileana Makri travels –literally and metaphorically- around the world, taking a deeper look into the past, discovering beliefs, traditions, meanings and even rituals based around the idea of  “Geometry” that steered her to translate her discoveries into her own craft.
Jewelry, spirituality, mathematics and astronomy all merge in her project. Triangular Shapes blend in delicate pieces of 18K gold while white and black diamonds participate discretely on her creations. “Geometric creations allow us to dream and escape, to interpret the universe through our own vision.”

Completely seduced by the unique strength of a baguette-cut diamond, Ileana Makri designed this collection of simple, clean lines. The perfect geometry of each gem underlines the quality and human touch of it’s setting, the slight variations contributing to this very refined, yet laidback look. Designed for stacking, the playful interaction of black and yellow gold allows you to amp up the volume between modernity and tradition. 

The Eye has always been a favorite symbol of Ileana’s and has taken many forms throughout her body of work. An abundance of colored precious stones and their placing on rings, bracelets, necklaces & earrings- have often evolved in her expression of the eye. But further searching was lurking and the right moment came for those eyes to come to life and express themselves. The new jewels bring life & emotion to the designer’s creations with a surrealist design aesthetic. The “living” eyes of the new collection made of 18k gold, sapphires, diamonds, and other precious gemstones, come to life and express their feelings with tears of both sadness & joy.

Elements from all over the world came together in the mid-1920s to inspire the all-encompassing, humanist art movement known as Deco. Never before had a philosophy brought so many cultures and aesthetics together. It celebrated craft and gave free reign to the imagination, celebrating the fantasies, fears and desires of people all over the world. Ileana Makri interpreted these elements to create a powerful collection, embracing bold geometry and contrasted beauty.

A fusion of past collections all rolled into one.

Ileana Makri’s Grass collection is a celebration of Nature. Throughout her body of work, Ileana has drawn inspiration from nature and symbolism to develop a deeply personal, timeless language. “Grass” is an invitation to revel in a fun, fresh attitude. Soft and animated 18k gold blades of grass are punctuated by bright emeralds and sparkling diamonds reminiscent of dew drops. Sensual, gently tapered lines are heightened by the crisp contrast between yellow gold and deep, vivid green.

Sweet as Candy

Ileana launches her bespoke line of one of a kind pieces.