Company History

Fotis MANOUSAKIS is the name of the founder of this company. He was one of the first jewelers and goldsmiths in what was at the time a fledgling market in the Medieval Quarter of the City of Rhodes. Limited was the range of tools that this man had in his hands at the time, both in number and in terms of capacity. Despite that, he worked his way to mastering the craft of shaping silver and – rarer at the time – gold, in original jewels.

Fotis Manousakis opened his first outlet on Sokratous street, in 1954. On the day he opened the store, his stock consisted in fifteen gold rings, thirteen gold bracelets and some thirty silver rings. Then, sales after sales, the upgrading of the premises continued. A first domain of specialty: that of brooches (see photo), featuring landscapes of Rhodes. So refined was the craftsmanship behind those confections that nothing but a furtive look at them sufficed for one to realize Fotis Manousakis’ gusto and the enthusiasm he put in each concept. Then came rings of all kinds, necklaces and bracelets. Depictions of Mandraki, of the Elafos and Elafina Italian Royal Retreats, the omnipresent three Windmills found their way on the works of Manousakis’ art.

Then, in 1961, the craftsman took a further step, launching a second outlet at 118, Sokratous street. His daughter Helena nostalgically recalls all the summer seasons she had to spend by her father’s side, working herself to exhaustion to promote the family trade.

In 1978, Petros Kounakis – then still a salesman at one of the jewelry and goldsmithery outlets of Fotis Manousakis – fell for the latter’s daughter, Helena. The affair soon matured to a wedding, heralding the start of the new generation of goldsmiths that came to enrich the Rhodian social tissue. “Petros & Helena” soon became a well-recognized brand on the island, a true emblem of the successful relationship of two people that chose to be together in business and in private life.

The tally was later to be passed on to the members of an up-and-coming generation of goldsmiths. Over the years, the outlets of the chain benefited from the boom in trade, with innumerous customers flowing in from Rhodes as well as from other countries to do their jewelry shopping at one of the “Petros & Helena” stores. Thus came the year that was to become a milestone for the business: it was 2004, the year on which the family celebrated 50 years of presence and operation of the trade.

On with the course of time. The tally is passed on to the following generation, the third in row. That was the time when Fotis Manousakis’ grandson Panagiotis Kounakis gave his grandfather the promise to work towards evolving the trade of goldsmith – and good his promise he did! The “Petros & Helena” brand name gave way to the “KOUNAKIS” brand, sealing the arrival to the trade of a new generation of goldsmiths that saw in this new name a symbol of their commitment to the continuation of the family tradition in the trade.

On 2010 Panagiotis Kounakis took over the family businesses, together with his sister Dora Kounaki. Dora Kounaki, has achieved international recognition by launching her own jewelry line.Her collection is inspired by Greek history and influences by motives of Rhodes town.

This is 2013. The trade is now in the hands of the first-born of the Kounakis family and his sister Theodora, two highly skilled, very gifted young people full of ambition.