2027 Programme Information
Jewellery Making Retreat in Greece
Neochori, Halkidiki, Greece · June & July 2027 · 1, 2 or 3 weeks · Maximum 4 students per week
JEWELLERY ACADEMIA BY STELIOS KARANTONAS
Detailed information for joining the Jewellery Making Retreat in Greece during June and July 2027, including accommodation, travel and airport transfers, training arrangements, programme activities, materials, what is included and practical information for your stay.
Your Training in Greece
Your training is planned individually around your existing experience, what you want to learn or develop, and the number of weeks you choose to join the programme.
Before your arrival, we discuss your experience, objectives and the areas you would like to work on. From this, we plan a training schedule that makes the best use of your time in Greece.
You may focus on developing a particular technique, combining different areas of jewellery making, working on your own designs or collection, or building your training around a combination of these.
For students joining for two or three weeks, the training continues and develops from one week into the next — allowing more time for practice and repetition, introducing additional techniques, progressing a project or developing a larger body of work. While your individual training progresses, the programme alternates between Week A · Thessaloniki and Week B · Ammouliani Island, so the experiences beyond the studio also change from one week to the next.
Your training is individual.
The experience it is not.
With a maximum of four students, everyone can be working on something different while sharing the same studio, exchanging ideas, following each other’s progress and learning from what is happening at the benches around them.
Once a programme week is booked, we bring the group together on WhatsApp before the trip. It gives everyone a chance to meet, coordinate arrival plans and, where convenient, book the same or similar flights — so the group often starts connecting before reaching Greece.
And when the tools go down, the group experience continues — through the places we visit, the food we share, beaches, conversations and time spent together outside the studio.
Your Week in Greece
Each programme week includes five days of jewellery training and approximately 35 hours at the bench. Beyond the studio, the programme continues through the afternoon and evening, with beaches, archaeological sites, local food, cultural visits and time exploring the landscape around us.
Throughout June and July, the programme alternates between two weekly schedules: Week A · Thessaloniki and Week B · Ammouliani. The jewellery training time remains the same; the experiences around it change.
Students can join for one, two or three consecutive weeks.
*Places are limited to four students per week and are subject to availability. If you join for two or three consecutive weeks, your stay will include both the Thessaloniki and Ammouliani schedules, whichever week you begin with. If you are considering a multi-week stay, it is worth checking availability early so we can find consecutive dates that work with your travel plans.
5 TRAINING DAYS
Approximately 35 hours at the bench each week
2 WEEKLY SCHEDULES
Week A · Thessaloniki
Week B · Ammouliani
1, 2 OR 3 WEEKS
Choose consecutive programme weeks
2027 Programme Weeks
Both Week A · Thessaloniki and Week B · Ammouliani Island include five days of jewellery training and approximately 35 hours at the bench. The programme alternates between the two schedules, changing the experiences around your studio training from one week to the next. If you stay for more than one week, your training continues and develops with your progress, while your weeks don’t simply repeat. Thessaloniki? Ammouliani? Or both?
WEEK A · THESSALONIKI
SUMMER 2027
30 May – 6 June
13 – 20 June
27 June – 4 July
11 – 18 July
25 July – 1 August
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Week A
DAY ZERO · SUNDAY
Arrival · Transfer · Settle InDAY ONE · MONDAY
9:30am–3:30pm · Studio
Studio training with short breaks in the garden
After the studio → Beach · DinnerDAY TWO · TUESDAY
Thessaloniki Day · 9:00am–9:00pm
Museums · Inspiration · Food · CityDAY THREE · WEDNESDAY
10:00am–up to 8:00pm · Full Studio Day
2:00–4:00pm → Lunch · Aristotle Park
After 8:00pm → DinnerDAY FOUR · THURSDAY
9:30am–3:30pm · Studio
Studio training with short breaks in the garden
After the studio → Beach · DinnerDAY FIVE · FRIDAY
10:00am–up to 8:00pm · Full Studio Day
2:00–4:00pm → Lunch · Honey Tasting
After 8:00pm → Dinner & DrinksDAY SIX · SATURDAY
9:30am–4:00pm · Final Studio Day
Work · Finalise Pieces · Feedback
After the studio → ExploreDAY SEVEN · SUNDAY
Departure
or Free Day if continuing into another programme week.
WEEK B · AMMOULIANI ISLAND
SUMMER 2027
6 – 13 June
20 – 27 June
4 – 11 July
18 – 25 July
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Week B:
DAY ZERO · SUNDAY
Arrival · Transfer · Settle InDAY ONE · MONDAY
9:30am–3:30pm · Studio
Studio training with short breaks in the garden
After the studio → Beach · DinnerDAY TWO · TUESDAY
10:00am–up to 8:00pm · Full Studio Day
2:00–4:00pm → Lunch · Aristotle Park
After 8:00pm → DinnerDAY THREE · WEDNESDAY
9:30am–3:30pm · Studio
Studio training with short breaks in the garden
After the studio → Beach · DinnerDAY FOUR · THURSDAY
10:00am–up to 8:00pm · Full Studio Day
2:00–4:00pm → Lunch · Honey Tasting
After 8:00pm → Dinner & DrinksDAY FIVE · FRIDAY
10:00am–up to 7:00pm · Final Studio Day
Work · Finalise Pieces · Feedback
1½-hour lunch breakWe work for as long as needed to bring the week's training and projects to a natural close.
After the studio → Dinner
DAY SIX · SATURDAY
Ammouliani Island Day
Island · Beach · Explore · Food
Evening → DinnerDAY SEVEN · SUNDAY
Departure
or Free Day if continuing into another programme week.
The Jewellery Studio
The programme takes place in my second jewellery studio in Neochori, Halkidiki, fully equipped for the practical jewellery-making training offered through the Greece programme.
With a maximum of four students, each student has their own bench and the space to work independently, while I can move between demonstrations, individual guidance, practice and correction throughout the training.
The studio supports training across wax carving, goldsmithing and silver jewellery making, stone setting and specialist techniques, depending on the individual training schedule planned before your arrival.
A look inside the Jewellery Academia by Stelios Karantonas studio in Neochori, Halkidiki, Greece.
Tools & Materials
The tools and standard materials required for your training are available in the studio, including waxes, copper and cubic zirconia gemstones.
Included for training:
Tools · Waxes · Copper · Cubic Zirconia GemstonesNot included:
Precious metals · Non-CZ gemstones · Castings
During our call before the programme, we will discuss the projects and techniques you want to work on, giving us a clearer picture of what you will need during your training. From there, we will prepare a list of any additional materials, gemstones or specific items you will need to purchase and bring with you if they are not provided by the studio.
Accommodation
Accommodation is included as part of the Greece programme, with students staying close to the jewellery studio in Neochori, in the mountains and surrounded by forest and open landscape.
The accommodation is approximately 3 minutes from the studio by car, with transport between the accommodation and studio included as part of the programme. Alternatively, if you feel like starting the day with a walk, it is around 25 minutes on foot through the forest.
A look inside one of the two-level bungalows where students stay during the Greece programme.
The Bungalows
There are four individual two-level bungalows. Each bungalow has a double bed on each level and its own shower, with two of the bungalows also featuring a jacuzzi.
The bungalows can be booked as single accommodation or shared by two students, subject to availability. Wi-Fi and outdoor space are available.
For students joining for two or three weeks, accommodation is provided continuously for the full duration of the stay, from arrival on Sunday until departure on the Sunday following the final programme week.
Life in Neochori
Neochori is a lived-in mountain village, around 30 minutes from the nearest beaches, so although the programme gives you time away from your normal routine, you are not isolated from everyday amenities.
Around the village square and locally, there are places for breakfast, coffee, food and drinks throughout the day and into the evening, as well as a pharmacy and everyday shops and services.
Food & Coffee
Before class begins, there are options for breakfast and coffee around the village square. On some mornings, we may also have breakfast delivered to the studio and eat together in the garden before beginning our work.
Throughout the day and evening, there are plenty of places to eat good-quality Greek food made with Greek ingredients, from traditional dishes to more contemporary and internationally influenced local recipes.
You don't need to organise every meal in advance. There are options for different tastes and dietary requirements, and if you have a food allergy or specific dietary requirement, let us know before travelling so we can discuss suitable local options with you.
During the programme, food also becomes part of the experience. Depending on where we go after the studio, dinner may be in different villages and places around Halkidiki, giving the group the opportunity to experience different local food along the way.
The Experience, in Their Own Words
Every student comes to Greece with a different starting point, different objectives and their own reasons for joining the programme.
Hear from students who joined us in 2026 as they talk about their training, what they worked on at the bench, life beyond the studio and their experience of spending a week making jewellery in Greece.
Sharlenne · London
Sharlenne shares her experience of the jewellery training, studio life and her time in Greece. Interview in English.
Geraldine · Mexico
Geraldine shares her experience of the jewellery training, studio life and her time in Greece. Interview in Spanish.
Programme Fee & What’s Included
From £2500 per week
The final programme fee depends on the number of weeks you join and whether you choose single or shared accommodation.
A 10% deposit of the total programme fee secures your place and is deducted from the final balance. Instalment payments are available for the remaining amount.
Included
Jewellery training · Accommodation · Thessaloniki Airport transfers · Programme transport · Tools & standard training materials · Week A / Week B programme experiences
Not Included
Flights · Food & drinks · Museum and attraction tickets · Precious metals · Non-CZ gemstones · Casting · Personal expenses
If the 2027 Greece programme feels like the right fit for you, tell us a little about yourself, the dates that work for you and what you would like to explore or develop at the bench. From there, we can begin planning what your time in Greece could look like.