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Retail
Designer Lines
By Amber Michelle
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GlamMoon watch from the
Charriol St.-Tropez collection. |
As the global brand ambassador for Charriol, Coralie Charriol-Paul epitomizes the Charriol woman...confident, aware and chic. As vice president and creative director for jewelry and leather goods at the family-owned Swiss firm that was started by her father, Philippe Charriol, Coralie has the lifestyle and fashion sense of today’s woman, who embodies business, philanthropy and family. Coralie is involved with the charity Graduate Women International (GWI)that seeks to empower women and girls through lifelong education. In addition, along with her husband Dennis Paul, she created “React to Film,” an award-winning nonprofit, issues-based filmmaking education program that uses cutting-edge documentaries to promote civic engagement for youth. Coralie draws upon her life experiences and her background in art and design — she holds a degree in art history from Tufts University in Boston — to create jewelry and watches that empower women.
In a recent conversation with Rapaport Magazine Editor-in-Chief Amber Michelle, Coralie discussed the Charriol brand philosophy.
What is the inspiration for the new collections?
I get my inspiration from the life I lead — from travels, fashion, what women are wearing, magazines, museums. We have a very strong DNA in the Charriol brand. We use the stainless steel twist in everything. Each piece has to have a little or a lot of our signature. Then we have to target a price point or a material to use. Very thin, delicate bracelets are happening; color is big. We’ve always been very classic — stainless steel, black, gold. Now we have a color lacquer coating on our cable. It brings youth and freshness to the design. It’s a cycle. We went from no jewelry to lots of chains and now the choker is back, but it is open in the front and that makes it cool. It’s very structured.
How does stainless steel become fine jewelry?
The miracle of Charriol stainless steel is that it is treated so it does not tarnish or break. It has a satin finish so that it looks rich. The backbone of the collection is cable and it is enriched with intricate motifs of silver and gems. We are in the middle: We are a fine jewelry brand with a fashion jewelry price, but it is quality, lasting jewelry.
How did you become involved with the charity Graduate Women International and why did you choose to donate proceeds from the St.-Tropez GlamMoon watch to the charity?
We’re just launching the watch this graduation season. When I graduated, I got a watch with the year and the name of the university engraved on it. I’m an advocate for education, it’s very important, and I wanted an international group. We’re a women’s brand and the St.-Tropez is for women. It has no male equivalent. I would like Charriol to become the “it” graduation watch. When a woman graduates, she gets the watch and the proceeds go to help other women graduate from high school or college. Charriol will donate 5 percent of the proceeds from all St.-Tropez watches sold to the charity.
In your opinion, what are the elements that make good jewelry design?
The jewelry has to be comfortable. It becomes part of you. You can wear it, but you don’t feel it. Then, you want something that tells a story. There is something to say about the material used or the name of the collection. When a woman buys a piece of jewelry, it marks a moment in her life. If a woman spends her first check from her first job on a piece of jewelry, it has to have meaning. It marks a momentous moment. The jewelry has to go with other pieces and it has to make a statement.
What do diamonds add to a design?
I was born in April, so diamonds are my birthstone. I’m an alpha woman, red is my favorite color and I love fire. There is nothing better than a diamond. But a diamond doesn’t mean eternity and all of that cheesy stuff. A diamond is the best, hardest stone; it means perfect power, but it doesn’t have to be perfect, it can have inclusions. I like the naturalness of it. No stone shines brighter than a diamond. I like the bling of it.Article from the Rapaport Magazine - April 2016. To subscribe click here.
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