Interview of Marie-Hélène de Taillac

Where does your love of jewelry come from? “From my childhood. I was born in Libya but grew up in Lebanon, in Beirut, where my father worked for the French government. We moved around a lot. My first jewelry-related memories are from that time. I remember my mother taking my sister and me to a jeweler in the souk in Beirut, to have a stone reset in a ring. The jeweler gave us a tiny sapphire and a minuscule ruby. Our very first precious stones. I was thrilled. I also have memories of my parents returning from a trip to Iran with postcards of the Shah’s jewels. I used to imagine all kinds of stories about them. Later, as a teenager, I read Joseph Kessel’s The Valley of Rubies, which left a huge impression on me. /public-objects/ceb03d50-a098-4215-b749-d628d7189c27-04462008-c412-4a6d-a8e8-5e7aca71b105-Bagues%20Fleurs%20de%20Prunier%20MHT%20prix%20sur%20demande.webp Image sélectionnée Then what? “As a seventeen-year-old, I collected vintage jewelry and was already interested in gemology. I moved to London in the 1980s, which was quite a fun period. First I found a job selling costume jewelry, then went to work at John Galliano’s and, after that, for the milliner Philip Treacy. Fashion in the 1990s favored a more minimalist look, captured by brands such as Jil Sander and Miu Miu. I enjoyed fashion and it occurred to me that the jewelry of that time was beautiful but rather plain. My idea was to incorporate gemstones into simple designs that would complement the era’s understated fashions. Nothing over the top or ‘family jewels’. At 31 I launched my first collection at Barneys then at Colette. I never did train as a gemologist but I did take time to learn every aspect of the profession.” /public-objects/966791ea-5b73-4b59-ab28-c11e914eb16d-bfa83bbe-106e-476f-a15c-f433f7632f62-Marie-H%C3%83%C2%A9l%C3%83%C2%A8ne%20de%20Taillac%20Bagues%20Cabochon%20MHT%20prix%20sur%20demande1000.webp Image sélectionnée “When choosing from a batch of stones, I look for the ones that feel most alive, the ones that give off a particular vibration.” Colored gems have been a feature of your designs from the very beginning. What is it about colored stones that most appeals and how do you choose them? “In my line of work, you’ll often hear people say you should choose stones that ‘speak’ to you and it’s true. I believe I have a genuine feel for color, as well as being attentive to a stone’s luster. When choosing from a batch of stones, I look for the ones that feel most alive, the ones that give off a particular vibration, which aren’t necessarily the most perfect. Some jewelers look for purity or perfection in a stone, whereas I’m touched by a gem’s personality. Nature creates the most extraordinary colors. It’s magical. I have a strong bond with nature and I’ve noticed how often a similar connection forms between women and my jewelry, rings in particular. It’s like wearing a fragment of nature on your finger. Then there’s the contact between stone and skin. A stone feels cold at first but is gradually warmed by heat from the body. In India, where my jewelry is made, they say the skin sees. A gemstone is a living thing. Its colors and light change over the course of the day, with its surroundings. My role is to showcase this beauty, which I do in a most instinctive way.” /public-objects/c9b47b84-9d1b-49df-96bd-77f0a5649d52-03180efa-7ac1-4a90-be3d-b6cbdc84521c-Collier%20en%20morganite%20MHT%20prix%20sur%20demande.webp Image sélectionnée Have attitudes towards colored stones changed over the past 30 years? “I’d say Bulgari was instrumental in sparking interest in colored gemstones. Straight away, I was using a briolette cut for amethysts and tourmalines. In fact tourmalines are one of my favorite stones. I started putting colors together without worrying about whether it was the ‘done thing’ or not. Tanzanite, tourmaline, emerald, sapphire… only the end result mattered. A writer at The Times called me ‘the most copied jeweler in the world’. Because my designs were simple, they were easy to recreate. People just assumed they already existed. As soon as more designers started working with different combinations of color, the price of gemstones such as tourmaline rocketed. Spinel is another example of a stone I’ve always loved that used to be completely overlooked and whose price has also exploded.” /public-objects/0e0db5e5-48ad-4ea0-bf5d-f05dae9c7fde-6ec23c64-a205-443f-a84b-b2d28bad0480-Boucles%20d'oreilles%20Serpent%20en%20or%20jaune%20peridot%20et%20saphir%20rose%20MHT%20prix%20sur%20demande.webp Image sélectionnée Is there one piece of jewelry you wouldn’t be without? “I wear earrings a lot but like rings and bracelets the most. You see them, feel them, they’re present in your life. One of my favorite rings, which I designed in 1997, is now at the Musée des Arts Décoratifs in Paris. It’s called the Cabochon although the stone is actually faceted. I wear different versions, aquamarine or lapis-lazuli or moonstone, to suit my mood. I’m wearing a lot of aquamarine at the moment. It’s associated with travel and I travel a lot. I have a soft spot for my Punky bracelets, too. I love their chunkiness and the way they dress the wrist. I enjoy stacking rings or bracelets. There’s something very architectural about accumulations of contrasting shapes and colors, and stones set at different heights. Jewelry should adapt and live alongside the women who wear it. It should bring radiance, light and color. We should play more with jewelry’s cosmetic potential.”