How did you get into jewelry?
I went back to school when I turned 49, and I said, “What am I going to do with my life?” Jewelry is in my DNA, so I studied my passion, gemology, in Geneva, London and online. In a very organic way, I started making a business out of it. Each piece I was designing was for me. I ended up having 30 pieces, and my husband said, “Are you ever going to sell something?” So I started selling to friends and family.
Before this career change, you worked in banking. What lessons did you carry forward from that profession?
Working in the international corporate world of finance taught me everything about flexibility, adaptability, discipline and processes. You learn to set goals, to listen to orders and to give them, to be flexible and adapt to changes in the market. It gave me the skills to motivate myself. You are only as good as what’s coming next, or you’re out. My biggest lesson was humility.
Which piece or collection would you consider your most iconic?
The Tsarina is the most recognizable collection I have, but for me, the new collection, Celeste, is the one that will become iconic [because of the] way I’ve worked with jade. I’ve been using white jade and combining it with colored stones; it’s non-traditional and more contemporary. I stayed away from green jade and the other jade colors, because I find them to be kitsch. I have had a lot of success with it in New York.
Which other jewelry designers do you admire?
When you really start to study [jewelry], there are two or three people that have really influenced the designers of today — JAR, Suzanne Belperron and René Boivin. I’m also crazy about pearls, and Mizuki, I think, is fantastic. I also love Fernando Jorge, Selim Mouzannar and Silvia Furmanovich.
Colored gemstones are a key element in your work. Do you have a favorite?
I love tourmaline. What fascinates me is watermelon bi-colored tourmaline. They are magical, and in them they have an entire story to tell. I bought a lot of them when I was last in Thailand [where my jewelry is manufactured], and I’m making a bracelet and earrings with a mix of colored pearls in the same harmony as watermelon tourmaline. Someone who loves color, like me, can only love this.
Your grandfather was a famous diamond dealer in Antwerp. What role do diamonds play in your designs?
I love diamonds. I have a very hard time staying away from diamonds. I usually use diamonds to complement and highlight the metal as well as the stone. For me, diamonds will always be my favorite [gemstone], as they add to the timelessness and luxury of the design. My grandfather was a sightholder, a manufacturer, and he was also grading the stones and was a founder of the laboratory HRD Antwerp. He had 200 people cutting stones and was the supplier to the king [of Belgium] and Bulgari. For me, diamonds are the ultimate luxury.
This year will be your second appearance at Couture in Las Vegas. How important is the American market to you?
The US is one of my most important markets, along with Russia and the Middle East. After Couture last year, I did some very nice business. I worked with seasonal stores in the Hamptons, a shop in Florida — which is a very important market for me — and the south, Texas. I have the kind of jewelry that jewelry lovers like to buy. People love jewelry in the States and are very open to new designers. England, [where I am based,] is not.
What’s next for your brand?
For the business, it’s expanding sales in the States, by doing Couture and the Finery Row trunk shows. We will also probably participate in the Abu Dhabi jewelry fair, as that is a very good market for me. I’m also going to create a collection for [younger consumers] based on the Tsarina collection, make it very petite, just to have [a lower entry-level] price point of, say, $1,000 to $3,000. I have an 11-year-old, and all she wants is to wear my jewelry, and she’s been begging me, “Can you make the Tsarina smaller?” I also have [teenage] nieces who are big jewelry buyers, but they buy [fashion jewelry brand] APM Monaco. They said to me, “Can you please make me one of yours, but cheaper?” I cannot make fakes, but I will make it smaller. I will stay using 18-karat gold, and I may or may not use diamonds.
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Image: Nadine Aysoy
Article from the Rapaport Magazine - June 2019. To subscribe click here.