Capturing the beauty of Portuguese tiles in jewelry

For a limited time, fans of Átrio jewelry will have the chance to shop locally, at Portugalia Marketplace. An Átrio Pop-Up Shop featuring the jewelry inspired by the centuries-old tiles found throughout Portugal and other Mediterranean countries will open at Portugalia Marketplace on Saturday, April 28, for one day only.

Tiles from the Santa Iria Church, created by a North African in the 16th century, an Italian mosaic and even the tiles on a decaying residence in the Portuguese coastal city Matosinhos are the inspiration behind artist Elizabeth Allen Anjos' creations in the Átrio line of jewelry. The polymer clay pieces adorning earrings, bracelets, rings and necklaces are replicas of the tiles that she feels are so important to remember and preserve.

On the Átrio Facebook page, Anjos often pairs up the jewels with the site containing the tiles that she replicates in miniature. The diamond point tiles on the Santa Iria Church are so-called because of the diamond shape at the center of the tiles. The tiles, the oldest known diamond point tiles in Portugal, dating back to 1602, can also be found on a church in Spain, according to her posts on the Átrio Facebook page.

“Seeing the theft and destruction of Portuguese tiles taking place all over the country, I feel it is important to tell the story of each piece. It’s probably the part I enjoy the most,” said Anjos in an interview with The Herald News.

Though immersed in creating more pieces for the Atrio Pop-Up at Portugalia and another one in New Jersey, Anjos took break from creating to talk about her pieces and the life she found as an American transplant in Portugal.

A native of Connecticut, Anjos said she met her Portuguese husband, Armenio Anjos, at a youth camp in the Adirondacks when she was 17. Two years later, they married and moved to Portugal. That was back in 1983, before supermarkets and highways changed the landscape of the country. “I learned to speak Portuguese from friends and neighbors and always felt loved and embraced by them,” said Anjos.

In her new home, Anjos appreciated the beauty of the country through the eyes of a foreigner. Initially they lived in Figueira da Foz, then Santa Maria de Feira, South of Porto for the last 15 years. “Creativity runs in the family, and I literally prayed to God for years for an opportunity to create something beautiful,” she said. “I thank Him for giving me the opportunity to use my hands to create something beautiful.”

She called the jewelry line Átrio, the Portuguese word for courtyard, a place she found particularly intriguing in the country’s older residences. “I always loved going to old manor homes where it was cold on the outside, but here was always an inner courtyard that was warm and protected,” said Anjos.

When she decided to replicate the beautiful tiles on jewelry, the reception at first was not what Anjos expected. She was literally laughed out of a store in Porto, she said. That was about six years ago, but Anjos persisted and a couple years later they started taking off. Her jewelry has been featured in several magazine layouts including Marie Claire Indonesia, Vogue Indonesia and Mexico and L’Officieil. A Rimmel London Espanha commercial recently featured her earrings.

She and her husband moved back to America four years ago to be closer to family, including their two sons, Josiah, a software engineer who lives near Washington, DC and electronic music producer André, who won a Grammy Award for his work as RAC (Remix Artist Collective) last year.

Now when Anjos and her husband go back to Portugal for visits, they spend their days “on the ‘hunt’ for beautiful azulejos (tiles) rather than relaxing on the beautiful beaches,” she said.

Anjos said she will be bringing earrings, bracelets, rings and necklaces to the Átrio Pop-Up Shop at Portugalia Marketplace, 489 Bedford St., Fall River, from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. on Saturday, April 28.