Syraka studied at theVeloudakis School of Fashion Design in Athens, before moving to the Esmode School in Paris, where she turned to jewellery design. Her jewellery combines the soft with the hard, the old with the new."When all the crazy things in my mind converge," she laughs,"my imagination springs to life."

After frequent exhibitions in Athens, Levis Vintage Jeans invited Syraka to design their 2000 collection. Her designs play with the concept of clothing and unclothing - a mohair tarantula crawling up a denim jacket, or a red leather belt stitched onto a pair of jeans.

Syraka delights in the playful. She describes her idiosyncratic style as always "creating a surprise." She transforms mismatched materials into delicate creations - aluminium plated bags softened by feminine feathers, wire shawls woven with romantic tulle, or 19th century Greek coins and new-age crystals. She often travels to Paris or London to scour flea markets for antique beads, or to Prague, in search of rare crystals.

A far cry from minimalism, Syraka's jewellery "...makes the everyday fantastic." This Greek jewel, whose work is already on sale in Athens and London, looks set to dazzle an international audience.