Katerina was born in Chania, Crete and was raised in a home where art was a way of life and artistic expression was encouraged. She studied ballet and theater throughout her childhood which led her to complete her degree in Theater Studies at Patra University, Greece.

In 1988, her parents Nikos and Eva Makriyianni opened “Technima”, a jewelry boutique –workshop specializing in unique, one of a kind designs which quickly became a highly succesful business.  Katerina’s love for the applied arts and her family’s legacy, led her to focus her own interests and career in the field of jewelry design and production. She pursued specialized courses in design and engraving at the L’ Arti Orafe University in Florence while running the family boutique and developing her own personal design style.