About Der Papierfuchs

"To take a piece of ordinary paper, lovingly paint it, decorate it and then cut and roll it into a bead, a thing of beauty and style, is a wonderfully exciting thing to be able to do. The process is trully magical."
                   Kathy Tsangaridis

Der Papierfuchs line of jewellery is the creation of artist and crafter, Kathy Tsangaridis who works and lives in a quaint little village in the west of Germany. All the jewellery pieces featured in the Der Papierfuchs range are made using paper beads that have been designed and handmade by Kathy. Each complete piece of jewellery is also designed and constructed by the artist making each piece unique.

The name Der Papierfuchs means quite simply the paper fox and has been chosen by the artist to reflect the fact that all the jewellery featured is made out of paper beads and like the crafty fox himself, these beads are clever and crafty, turning the humble piece of paper into something beautiful and wearable.

Furthermore a fox is a handsome and beautiful creature that posesses a sense of style and flair. When we think of the fox we often think of an animal that is attractive with its luxurious coat and slender physique. Thus inspired by the fox, Kathy also aims to create jewellery that is also beautiful and stylish, something that when worn will make the person wearing it feel a little bit more 'foxy' themselves.

The stars of Der Papierfuchs collection are of couse the paper beads themself.  Kathy loves making and working with paper beads for with paper beads you are only limited by your imagination and not by the beads on offer from suppliers.

Colours and textures can be created at will by mixing artist paints and painting directly on the paper itself. Metallic shimmers, variating hues, and motifs all can be achieved at the stroke of a brush or felt tip pen.  Varying sizes and shapes are also easily achieved using various paper thicknesses.

There are several different types of paper beads produced and used by the artist in her jewellery. The most basic of beads are made from coloured card stock or paper that is cut and rolled into a bead before being varnished.

Some beads are hand coloured before being rolled. Colouring is often done with a paintbrush and artist acrylic paints or watercolours. Stamping techniques are also used as well as colouring with graphic markers. Colouring the paper by hand like this gives Kathy total control over the colour of the beads as well as adding texture and colour variation to the beads.

Some of the jewellery pieces feature paper beads that are made from newspaper and coloured printouts of photos and pictures found on the internet. This technique allows Kathy to manipulate and use imagry from various styles and themes. Scans from comic books and vintage photos are two of her favourite items to work with.

Lastly there are a range of beads that feature hand-drawn and coloured motifs that are completely designed by the artist herself. These motifs are whymsical and sweet in nature and feature bold flat colours which bring them to life. Some of the artist's favourite motifs include owls, mushrooms, apple trees and city skylines. These motifs are not drawn and then printed onto paper, they are directly drawn and coloured on the bead themselves. There are never two beads completely and exactly the same. Each bead itself is a minature work of art.

At the moment you can find Der Papierfuchs jewellery on Etsy, an online platform where you can buy and sell handmade and vintage items. Just type in 'Papierfuchsjewellery' in the search pannel. Der Papierfuchs is also on Facebook so please 'like' the page to recieve updates.

Lastly if you live in West Germany, near Duisburg, Wesel, or just over the Dutch border you may like to visit the various markets that Der Papierfuchs will be participating in. There you can buy directly from Kathy and try the jewellery on yourself.