Marialena Maramenou, daughter of the jewellery designer P. Maramenos, grew up in an environment where jewellery design was strongly influenced by both traditional Greek forms and innovative ideas. Exposed to her father's creations, who has been a leading designer in the field of jewellery since the late 60's, drawing his ideas from the harmony of Greek nature and Ancient Greek symbols, she knew and appreciated the role tradition plays in designing modern jewellery. Marialena, after studying Marketing in Britain, realised that she had also the interest and the skills to delve into her own world of jewellery where she experimented with new materials and designs. After attending jewellery seminars at SynApeiro - Jewellery Space, in Athens, for three years she decided to venture out on her own and opened a shop at Hydra island. Her choice to live in Hydra, a result of her strong wish to leave Athens for a smaller more humane place, makes her hope that will allow her to come up with new designs and materials inspired by the multifaceted images of the island. As she says she has been trying to create jewels made out of pure metals, such as silver and gold, insisting on high quality and challenging designs.