Margaret Athanas
Margaret Athanas is an independent fine jewelry designer and jeweller from North Carolina, USA.
That's right, we made an exception to our rule of representing only Canadian jewelers to include Margaret's jewelry, because of her funky style that we find absolutely unique!
Margaret Athanas has been making jewelry for over 12 years. She began by taking classes during her sophomore year at East Carolina University and quickly fell in love with the medium. She decided to specialize in metal design and was fortunate to have four professors who took her under their wing. She learned mixed media from Bob Ebendorf and Ken Bova, forming from Tim Lazure and enameling from Mi-Sook Hur. Margaret was captivated with the process and spent all her free time in the studio exploring all the possibilities and equipment. She and her twin sister even set up an Etsy store while they were at school to sell their creations, which later grew into a business they ran for ten years. They made sterling silver and brass jewelry with semi-precious stones and traveled all over doing markets, selling in stores and even had some of their jewelry featured in one of Beyonce's music videos!
After graduating, Margaret wanted to learn to work with metals and gemstones and eventually landed a job in the repair shop of a large jewelry store, where she honed her skills as a bench jeweler. After she and her sister moved in different directions, they closed their business in 2022 and Margaret began to concentrate on fine jewelry. She founded In the Light of Day Jewelry in September of that year, and it has been her most rewarding adventure to date. She is delighted to be able to continue deepening her knowledge in the field she loves so much, and excels in the art of jewelry making.
We're happy to present to you a short interview in which you'll learn about what inspires Margaret, what she loves and get a glimpse of who she is.
Who are the artists you love the most, who inspire you or accompany you? Do they influence your work, and if so, in what way?
The French Impressionists have always held a special place in my heart, they remind me of when my mom would visit our school growing up to teach art history. I love their use of joyful color and nature as the subject of inspiration. I too am greatly inspired by the natural world. I also appreciate that their work was more centered around evoking emotion than necessarily accurately depicting a scene.
Jewelry is highly emotional and its difficult to capture how a piece can make you feel. The best pieces of jewelry get handed down because of how special they are to the people who's lives they touch and there is nothing more flattering for a jeweler than to be a part of that journey.
Do you have any strategies for overcoming these obstacles?
This is something that I think anyone who creates struggles with and is definitely something that I am working on being more gentle with myself about.
I have started to collect the positive feedback that I receive about my work in a notebook, so that when I have times of doubt, I can look back and remind myself of all my hard work!
This idea also works for setting goals, because you can look back and have tangible proof of your progress.
If you could be reincarnated as a flower, which one would you choose and why?
I think it would have to say a peony. I have a glorious yellow one that I paid way too much for, but every fleeting bloom brings me so much joy! They take a lot of patience to grow but they are worth the wait!
Is there a movie or music band you could watch on repeat and never tire of?
I love watching movies and discovering new music. That being said, I always go back to this silly movie with Heath Ledger and Julia Stiles called 10 Things I Hate About You. I could watch it a million times and never get tired of it!
Maybe it helps my credibility that it was based on The Taming of the Shrew, but really I just identify with the main character so much. I was very similar growing up!
Do you have any guilty pleasures?
Too many to count! Really though, I try to enjoy life as much as possible. Whether thats a good meal, usually prepared by my talented husband, a good book, a movie to watch when I'm by myself or walk on a really nice day.
I try to take the opportunity to indulge when I can!
How do you think art can have an impact on society or on people's lives? How does your own work fit into this larger context?
Art plays a huge role in people's lives whether they realize it or not. Art is how you communicate, plate your dinner, enjoy a good book, etc. When I think of art, I think of the best of humanity. Art is meant to evoke an emotion and connect you to your humanity. I'd like to think that my work holds special meaning for those that choose to wear it and reminds them of special times in their lives.
Finally, what is your favorite museum (worldwide)?
I love the Met in New York! Their jewelry collection is awe inspiring but my favorite part has to be the armor exhibit! It has such beautiful ornate pieces that you just have to see to believe!
Thank you for sharing a little of yourself with us, Margaret!
