Celebrity jewelry maker in Baton Rouge today

Keith Richards just can’t take off his Konstantino bracelet. Elton John, Oprah, Dave Matthews, Sean Johns, Amy Sedaris—they’re all fans of Athenian jeweler Konstantino Sioulas, who’s in Baton Rouge today until 4 p.m. for a trunk show at Lee Michaels at the Mall of Louisiana.

“The jewelry’s a walk on the wild side—that’s why rockers love it,” the giddy Sioulas said in a romantic Greek accent this morning. “My main focus is the pleasure, the passion, and the customer is the final judge.” (Check out Konstantino’s work here konstantinotreasures.com)

Sioulas used his experience playing music at nightclubs and his education of classic Greek history and the Byzantine Empire to inspire his designs. He studied the centuries-old skills of handcrafting jewelry and now uses “ze best goldsmiths in Greece” to bring his non-traditional designs to life.

“It starts up here (pointing to his head), then I use pencil, pen and sketch a piece. No computers,” he says, laughing. “I’m constantly changing, bringing jewelry to the next step. I hate the work, work, work part.”

The rock’n’roller is making a rare appearance in Baton Rouge today, as part of his American tour of 13 hot spots, from California to Virginia, selling his handmade jewelry (priced from $200 to $18,000) in stores like Neiman Marcus and Sacks Fifth Avenue.

“I came here because this state has a certain class about it. Every place has a beauty but what indicates the South is an appreciation, a taste for art,” Sioulas says. “This place is amazing, with its old culture and artistry here. People should really appreciate my work.”