Silversmith- Andreas Dragatis

The art of silver is another craft that is valued in Greece. Andreas Dragatis has been practicing the craft of silver since 1984, when he was fifteen years old. For the first three years, Mr. Dragatis learned the ways of a gold smith because he claimed it was easier to learn from someone else then your own father. Later, he worked with his father as a silversmith and eventually took over the business. He now has two stores in Greece; one in Athens and one in Paros. He did not learn his craft at a school because the one institution around in the eighties focused primarily on gold. Other institutions also had limited apprenticeships and only general education. The main phases to produce silver include the late, chisel, and attachment. First, the sliver is dropped into a furnace lined with borax. Once the sliver is heated it is put into a mold and then put through a press to make thinner sheets of silver. The lathe is the next tool used which helps shape the silver. Next, the silversmith makes the designs he wants on the silver with a chisel depending on what the final product is going to be.  Any additional attachments are made separately and connected to the final piece by a solder. As years go on, younger people are not going into the craft of silver making because of the increase in prices. There are however many shops throughout Greece that sell wonderful silver pieces.

A.E.