I bought these scissors years ago when I lived in Ioannina a town in North Western Greece very close to the border with Albania and one of the last places under Ottoman rule during a time when a community of Orthodox Christians, Muslims and Sephardim Jews lived side by side. Life is significantly different now but there still remains some of the past in the old part of the town surrounding the ancient castle and beautiful lake and mountains. Theses scissors were made by a female blacksmith at the end of my street who also made a huge range of utilitarian products for local tradespeople, farmers and shepherds. These scissors have never needed to be sharpened even after years of studio use and since I started brush making they’ve been an essential tool for trimming the bristle before delivering to the shops. I have’t been back for a while but i’ve heard that there is now a branch of IKEA on the outskirts of the town. it goes without saying that IKEA will offer the people of the region a reasonably priced alternative but could never have the same significance as the ones I own and have so much personal attachment to from the past and present and possibly to the future owner whoever that might be.
