indigena jewelry
stylisme Maria Over
Shooting on location in Brazil
Model brasilian actress Clara Paixao
The designer and owner behind the jewelry label indígena, Maria Over, is of Greek and Dutch origin and was raised in various countries. This multicultural background naturally created an avid interest in experiencing different cultures and elements that Maria likes to transfer into contemporary objects, either through her jewelry design, spatial installations or digital work.
After studying Fine Arts in the Netherlands, Sweden and the USA and working as an art director for a number of high-profile agencies in New York City, Maria met her Brazilian husband and moved to Germany with him. She had always had a love for creating jewelry for herself and for friends, and enjoyed collecting stones, shells and all kinds of little trinkets on her travels. In early 2006, she finally decided to take her love for jewelry making to the next level began designing jewelry professionally. Her label indígena, a name play on the indigenous materials she incorporates in her work and her favorite color – deepest blue Indigo.
indígena began selling through selected boutiques, and attracted a loyal following rapidly. Maria combined her passion for creating one of a kind pieces using found materials from her travels with her love of detail and craftsmanship. High-quality materials like fine, faceted semi-precious stones in vibrant colors, gold and sterling silver are combined into once luxurious pairs of earrings, once into daring statement necklaces, once into unusual bracelets.
The inspiration? Comes from the melding of the diverse influences in Maria’s background, mystical Greece, free-spirited Netherlands, minimalist Sweden, entrepreneurial USA, forming her unconventional approach towards her designs. The resulting hybrid of culture, art and Zeitgeist are reflected in the pure elegance and beauty of indígena jewelry. « What matters to me, are the combination of color, surface and shape as well as the harmonious relationship with the body » says Maria about her creative process. « Every piece tells a story through its materials and its origin, in the way it moves with you, plays with the light and accentuates your skin color. Sometimes delicate and gentle, sometimes expressive and bold, but always an original « .
After having a baby girl in 2009, Maria felt that she wanted to complement her indígena line for women with a collection of high-end pieces for babies as she felt this missing on the market. Out came indígena nenê, a limited collection of whimsical and precious jewelry and accessories for babies and girls, for the women of tomorrow.
Indigena today continues to grow and confidently retains its character for artistic, one-of-a-kind, individual pieces. “I constantly create new pieces and love keeping in continuous motion, evolving my style and vision”, Maria explains. She recently published her second catalog working with her Brazilian friend and actress Clara Paixao, to present her current pieces. Set in Brazil, the photographs harness the essence of summer that indígena embodies, the faint reminiscence of salty air, of walking barefoot in the sand and feeling free.
Selected indígena jewelry can be found in boutiques in Germany and online at www.indigena.de
Contact: Maria Over, maria@indigena.de, 0049 (0) 160 5523862