Culture & Style | June 6, 2025
Why Collectors Are Chasing Nikos Koulis’ Most Ambitious Collection Yet
Nikos Koulis walks the line between classic and contemporary jewelry design with an unmistakable flair.
Photographed by: Joey Leo
Written by: Sam Broekema
Trained as a dancer, Nikos Koulis was immersed in the values of the classical world through a life spent in Athens. This dichotomy sparked a lifelong pursuit–a balance between raw emotion and the relentless pursuit for perfection. The result: ravishing collections of high and fine jewelry, the latest iteration named “WISH”.
Nikos Koulis dubs these pieces “new classics.” They evoke classical antecedents like the curve of a marble column’s capital or the nape of a sculptural neck. No matter the inspiration, Koulis has hit on a formula that incites his devoted clients to covet his limited editions and seek re-editions from past collections time and again. The designer sat down with Only Natural Diamonds to describe his process and what he sees as the path forward.
Meet the Expert
- Nikos Koulis is an award-winning Greek jewelry designer known for his bold use of geometry, blackened gold, and exceptional diamonds. His collections blend classical proportions with avant-garde design.
- Trained as a dancer and raised in Athens, Koulis infuses each piece with a sense of rhythm, emotion, and architectural balance—earning him a devoted global following.
Only Natural Diamonds: I’m wondering where it all began. What is your first memory of a piece of diamond jewelry?
Nikos Koulis: After University, I taught dance. Then, later, I opened a company selling and trading diamonds, which I did for two years. As I built a clientele in wholesale, please slowly started asking me to design pieces for them. It was very organic. The piece I remember from that time was an ankle bracelet inspired by a pebble in diamond pavé. It was a nylon cord circling the ankle and underneath the foot, like a horse’s bridle.
OND: Did your work as a dancer affect how you design?
Koulis: It’s essential, the mood and the feeling you have. Sometimes, there is an amazing flow; it’s magical, it’s coming, and you can’t stop. Sometimes, you feel that you are out of inspiration and trying to find ways to get inspired again.
I’ll go for a drive, watch a film, and go to the theater. Sometimes, it starts with the raw materials, and it is love at first sight. When I buy a stone, I immediately know what it will look like as a piece of jewelry. It’s like an internal connection with the stone. I just bought an old mine pear-shaped diamond, but it’s not a traditional pear shape; it’s curved on the top. From the first time I saw this stone, I knew that it would be perfect as a brooch. Victorian.
OND: What is it about the old cuts that you like?
Koulis: The imperfection. I really like the open culets. And to my eyes, the spread facets and the shallow depth of the stone. It has that old-fashioned vibe, which I love. They sparkle in a different way. It’s very attractive that it comes from the past, from the earth. It’s important that it’s the original.
OND: How did growing up in Greece affect you as a designer?
Koulis: It’s in my DNA because I was born and raised in Athens. I cannot describe it and don’t even realize how it affects me. The ancient Greeks were known for the balance and proportions of their designs. I have a strong connection with proportion and balance, which are the most important considerations for a piece of jewelry.
OND: Do you use the same approach for everything? For a store, for a residence, for a piece of jewelry, for dressing yourself?
Koulis: It comes with the flow. In Ancient Greece, there were two different rhythms in architecture: the Ionic and the Doric. The Doric feels massive and brutalist. My design is often more Doric. For contrast, I like to use stones with an organic shape that are not perfect. I always try to combine soft and hard. I find this combination very interesting.
OND: You use the words classic and classical to describe your pieces. Why is that word meaningful for you?
Koulis: It’s the inspiration, which is classical, but by this, I also mean contemporary and timeless. Mostly, I am inspired by a specific period in art. It could be Art Deco, or Art Nouveau could influence me.
I strongly believe that a piece of jewelry is a piece of art that goes from mother to daughter and on. It must be something without age. The best compliment I can get from clients is that they immediately recognize a piece of my jewelry. I am trying to be consistent and to curate pieces that match the current look and feel of the brand. In a new collection, I always have references to pieces I have done in the past.
OND: Why did you title this collection “Wish”?
Koulis: It was a memory from my childhood when you blew the dandelion apart. I really liked the name because it feels dreamy and optimistic, like a fairytale. The collection’s look matches the word “wish:” very romantic and fragile. There is freedom. You are free when you dream.
When I buy a stone, I immediately know what it will look like as a piece of jewelry. It’s like an internal connection with the stone.
OND: It’s an extensive collection! Why is this the right moment for you to create such an ambitious collection?
Koulis: Ambition is always there! Honestly, sometimes it’s a personal thing. After the Spectrum collection, I revisited pieces from the past, focusing on more wearable pieces. The “Me+N” collection was minimalistic, structured, clean and organic, but it was all about the diamonds. I’m a Gemini; I get bored easily. This time, I wanted something more feminine, more romantic. This was a challenge for me because it was the first time I was using round diamonds.
OND: What were the challenges of working with round diamonds?
Koulis: To be different from everybody else. Of course.
OND: How do you keep it fresh in every collection?
Koulis: I avoid seeing jewelry. I never…okay, sometimes it pops up on Instagram, but I never search out other brands or antiques. When looking for antiques, it’s just for me. I go to all the fairs because I love antiques.
The compliment that I most like to hear is that my jewelry is wearable and that my clients enjoy the pieces. One client recently told me that every time she opens her safe to wear something other than Nikos Koulis, she doesn’t really like it. That’s a big compliment. It gives me fuel to continue.
OND: I have to say, the piece that stays in my mind so vividly is the headband. How did you decide this was the moment for something like that? Have you done a headband or a crown in this way before?
Koulis: I’ve made many headpieces! I created a beautiful one with lines of gold wrapping around the head in a channel of very delicate metal. It was covered in tiny diamond briolettes, all set within the headband.
OND: So, what is next for you?
Koulis: I need some rest, but not because I’m tired – I’m full of energy. But you cannot create new pieces every month. We have a demand for one-of-a-kind pieces. Don’t forget, it’s a strategy that I add to previous collections, as well. I never call a Nikos Koulis collection “old” or” new”. Often, I’m asked for very “old” designs to be reproduced.
Especially in the last two years, independent designers have faced these big brands with all this money for campaigns. It’s a lot. I don’t want to get an award because I’m an independent designer.
But people are looking for exclusivity and creativity. They are knowledgeable about jewelry, having collected for many years. I am very happy we have these clients. They really want to be different. They don’t seek attention from the pieces they wear, but from how they wear them- and because they love them. Jewelry is not a trend.
