Click here to read more about the owner of Fi, Eleana.
Visiting Arnhem?
Arnhem is a hidden gem in the Netherlands. Situated halfway between Amsterdam and Dusseldorf, on the riverbank of the Nederrijn, it’s easy to reach by train, car or boat. With a rich history and beautiful green surroundings, Arnhem fills with life day and night. A small city that has it all: cute cafes and pubs, rooftop bars and cozy wine bars, Michelin star restaurants and local bakeries, specialty shops and big chains, fashion and interior design studios, superb parks and museums, it’s all there to explore by foot!
Shopping in Arnhem? Visit the 7 Straatjes!
The 7 Straatjes is as “gezellig” as it gets in Arnhem! Right in the heart of the city and just off the main streets, situated between the Ketelstraat, the Koningstraat, the Bakkerstraat and the Eusebius church is where you’ll find the cutest shops, cafes and restaurants. Fi Atelier started in 2014 in Arnhem and is situated since 2023 in Kerkstraat 37 in the 7 Straatjes. We are Arnhem’s best kept secret!
What is Fi?
I’m Eleana Filadelfeos and I’m the owner and jewellery designer at Fi Atelier. In 2014 I opened my jewellery shop, Filadelfeos Fine & Decorative Arts in the centre of Arnhem. A few years later I simplified the name to Fi Atelier: easier to pronounce!
Fi also echoes the great mathematician and scientist Fibonacci and the Golden Ratio (φ = fi). You can now find my atelier and jewellery shop at Kerkstraat 37 in the picturesque 7 Straatjes, where the full collection is on display. You can browse freely and try on earrings, necklaces, rings and bracelets. Almost everything can be adjusted in size or length according to your needs, often on the spot. Here on our webshop, a selection of pieces from the current collection are available. These can also be adjusted, just leave a note on checkout or contact us!
I post recently finished pieces on Facebook and Instagram: “fresh from the jeweller’s bench”! Drop me a message if you want to order one of these pieces. Warning: they usually go fast, so be quick!
Why jewellery?
I like to work with silver, bronze, brass, natural gemstones and pearls. I worked for many years in the diamond jewellery industry and in the museum and art world, which I enjoyed greatly and learned a lot from. I collect antique crystal and silver, I love rocks and gemstones and of course all kinds of jewellery. This is my passion: small decorative and ornamental objects that I love to discover, upgrade, restore or create. I spend lots of time at my workbench: On any given week there will be hours spent researching, designing, observing, organizing my thoughts and experimenting with new ideas. Then there will be lots of sawing, filing, hammering, soldering and polishing metal, scrapping everything and starting over, often accompanied by lavish amounts of cursing. After that, the delicate procedure of selecting stones and finishing the piece of jewellery. How rewarding! On occasion I’m not happy with the outcome. Then the piece is dismantled and the work resumes again from the beginning… a long, but necessary process!
What is important in creating jewellery?
But creating something beautiful does not come at any cost. What challenges me is the sustainability and ethical factor in my work. I am constantly conscious about this. I ask myself: how can I create something with a minimal amount of waste? how can I manipulate a material’s natural physical properties to alter its appearance, instead of using chemicals? can I re-use broken tools or instruments in a different way? can I revive a piece of jewellery that appears to be unwanted? can I fix a piece that is obsolete? how can I work in the most efficient and sustainable way possible? in 200 years, will my piece of jewellery still be wearable, and just as pretty? That is where my experience as an art conservator and restorer kicks in. My moto is: reuse, restore, revive.
What is different about Fi Atelier?
If you’ve already visited the shop, then perhaps you already know the answer! If not, then here’s two clues: flexibility and creativity. I don’t work with ready-made formulas or one-size-fits-all. Each and every customer is a unique person with different needs and I try to fit my jewellery and services to you – not the other way round! As a small business owner, I make all the decisions when it comes to designing and creating. And my long experience in art restoration has taught me how to improvise and to think out of the box.
Why do we love jewellery?
Jewellery embellishes us, but it is also a small piece of who we are. A piece doesn’t have to be expensive to mean something to you. Jewellery can also be cheap but colourful, outdated but chic, fake but fabulous, small but unusual. Above all, the jewellery that we wear tells a story: your story. How? It captures fragments of the important moments in our lives in a small shiny object that fits in our palm. Perhaps your grandmother once handed you over her favourite brooch; maybe your high school sweetheart or your husband offered you a ring; in all likelihood your best friend once got you a necklace; possibly you rocked that silver cross earring George Michael wore in the 90’s; and most certainly you’ve awarded yourself earrings to celebrate a personal success, at least once!
So, if you want to know your mother, sister, daughter or best friend in depth, ask them to see their jewellery box. Sit with them and let them share their memories and feelings about every piece. Chances are, moments like these will bring you closer and you’ll have something together to remember forever. Be part of their story, create a memory together!
My advice to all my customers: Create meaningful moments with the ones you love. Wear whatever you want and enjoy every moment. You can start right now, right here.
Love,
Eleana
Fi Atelier maakt voordelige, unieke handgemaakte sieraden in eigen studio in het centrum van Arnhem: 925 Sterling zilveren, goud vergulde en brozen armbanden, kettingen, oorbellen en ringen. We gebruiken edelstenen zoals Agaat, Amazoniet, Amethist, Apatiet, Aquamarijn, Aventurijn, Carneool, Chalcedoon, Citrien, Emerald, Granaat, ioliet, Jade, Jaspis, Bergkristal, Kwarts, Labradoriet, Lapis Lazuli, Maansteen, Malachiet, Onyx, Opaal, Parel, Peridoot, Robijn, Rozenkwarts, Saffier, Sodaliet, Spinel, Tanzaniet, Tijgeroog, Toermalijn en meer.