A precious setting dedicated to creativity

A precious setting dedicated to creativity
and to talented jewellery designers.
38 rue du Mont Thabor
75001 PARIS — FRANCE
[email protected]
Phone: +33 (0)1 58 62 25 86
Opening hours:
Monday: 12.30 - 7.30
Tuesday to Saturday: 11.30 - 7.30
White Bird presents in their purest shape rare and
refined jewellery pieces, often one-off limited editions,
and brings to light designers and craftsmen represented
in their most accurate style. From all over the world, those
designers, women to the great majority, are noted for their
independance as much in their style as in their development.
Precious in their essence, their jewellery plays the luxury
card without showiness and remain affordable.
White Bird is a place for transmission, a precious setting
where amateurs and collectors can freely and with equanimity
look into each designer’s own world and privacy.
The boutique executed in close collaboration with Austrian
architect Günther Domenig, manages to exude neither
the coolness of a contemporary art gallery nor the hushed
and stifling atmosphere of the classic jewellery store.
Each jewel is enhanced by a unique surrounding mixing
second-hand furniture and raw materials, natural
cane bird-cages and crystal clear glass cubes.
Press office: FAVORI
233 rue Saint-Honoré
75001 PARIS — FRANCE
[email protected]
Phone: +33 (0)1 42 71 20 46
A self-taught jeweller, Stéphanie Roger began twenty years ago
in the finest jewellers’ maisons in the renowned Place Vendôme.
She worked in marketing and retail with Cartier, Piaget
and Chaumet. Stéphanie then managed the business of Dinh Van
from 1998 until 2005.
Her deepest wish is to be as close as possible to the designers
and the act of creation and to explore the potential of the
jeweller’s craft.
With the feel of an atelier and a selection firmly grounded
in her own taste and experience, Stéphanie opened WHITE bIRD
as her own special place at the end of 2010. White Bird is a short, rewarding walk from the Place Vendôme
but many figurative miles from a traditional jewellery shop.
STÉPHANIE ROGER
White Bird displays the work of Alexandra Jefford, Arielle de Pinto,
Brooke Gregson, Cathy Waterman, Dezso, Dorette, Hirondelle,
Honorine Jewels, Ileana Makri, Jacqueline Rabun, Jean Grisoni,
Karen Liberman, Lena Skadegard, Lia di Gregorio, Lito, Loquetlondon,
Naohiko Noguchi, Natasha Collis, Noor Fares, Philippa Holland,
Pippa Small, Polly Wales, Sia Taylor, Sophie Bille Brahe
and Tenthousandthings.
38 rue du Mont Thabor 75001 Paris — FRANCE / [email protected]
Alexandra Jefford was born and raised in Geneva and lives
in London. She studied fine art at Central St Martins,
concentrating on etching and drawing. She first pursued
a career as an artist and illustrator then began
designing jewellery in 2002.
She was commissioned by the V&A to design a piece for the museum
based on their Japanese Collection in 2005 and was one of four
top British designers to be showcased at International Jewellery
London in 2005. She has also exhibited at White Cube gallery,
London in 2006 and Perimeter Gallery (Paris) in 2008.
A selection of her jewellery is presented permanently
in the Rei Kawabuko’s famous concept store Dover Street
and the artist Damien Hirst’s new venture Other Criteria,
both in London. In Los Angeles she is represented by Roseark.
Her jewellery has been featured in many publications including
US and UK Vogue, Harpers Bazaar, Wallpaper, The New York Times
and the Times.
ALEXANDRA JEFFORD
Alexandra Jefford’s approach to jewellery is inspired by her
passion for modern art and design. This gives her creations
a unique edge, making her jewellery pieces not only beautiful
and seductive ornaments but also objects with a conceptual and
formal interest for collectors in the Art and Design world.
38 rue du Mont Thabor 75001 Paris — FRANCE / [email protected]
Arielle de Pinto was born in Toronto.
She works between Montreal and New York.
While studying print and fabric work at Concordia University
she found some spools of chain and couldn’t put them down.
She eventually discovered a way to turn the chain into fabric,
and realized the technique could be endlessly manipulated, without
compromising the weighted, nearly liquid quality of the work.
In 2007, she launched her namesake line, establishing her timeless
shapes and signature aesthetic, each distinctive silhouette
an interpretation of iconic jewellery. She has since been
presenting seasonal themed collections, complex garments,
accessories, masks, and tapestries. The unique crochet technique
gave de Pinto no option to draw from the pre-fabricated offerings
of the existing jewellery industry, so she spent years hand
developing all her hardware, and consulting experienced artisans
to create a seamless body of work. The collections are clearly
yet subtly branded, assuring quality of hand work and materials.
She personally trained a small team of crocheters that work out
of her montreal studio.
Arielle de Pinto
De Pinto’s work is regularly featured in publications such as Dazed
and Confused, Vogue, Harper’s Bazaar, Elle, i-D, Self Service,
and many others. She has been featured in industry publications
and contemporary jewelry books and exhibited by international
museums and galleries.
38 rue du Mont Thabor 75001 Paris — FRANCE / [email protected]
Brooke was born and raised in Los Angeles, but currently resides in
London and works both from her studio in Notting Hill and in LA.
Brooke’s love of jewellery was inspired by her father’s vast
collection of fine jewellery and her passion and fascination
with fine metals and precious stones. Through Brooke’s study
of jewellery design, textile design, geology and astrology
her collection began to emerge.
The Astrology and Planetary collections are what Brooke is
best known for. She recreated the constellations with diamonds
onto a gold uneven texture that mimics the surface of the moon.
Every necklace is cast by hand and unique.
Gregson’s admiration for artists such as Alexander Calder and the
quilters of Gee’s Bend, a rural community in Alabama, inspired both
her Calder and Silk Collections. The Calder influence is evident in
mobile-inspired necklaces, and the colors of the Gee’s Bend quilts
evoked in her silk-wrapped bracelets and necklaces with diamonds.
Brooke’s original creations are highly respected in the world of
fine, contemporary jewellery in both the United States and Europe.
BROOKE GREGSON
As a consummate artist, Brooke is continually creating new pieces,
experimenting with different organic material combinations,
as well as working on her one-of-a-kind pieces.
38 rue du Mont Thabor 75001 Paris — FRANCE / [email protected]
A native Californian and mother of three, Cathy Waterman designs
and crafts magnificent artisanal jewellery in her Los Angeles
studio. Her passion for stones and jewellery dates to the early
1990s, following a rich career as a lawyer in movie production.
Cathy’s meticulously crafted, intricate pieces draw inspiration
from nature and fairytales. She makes rings with natural and
romantic motifs such as branches, and oak leaves. Each season
she also creates fantastical earrings and necklaces.
With a penchant for its warm tone, Cathy Waterman works primarily
in 22 carat gold and enhances her pieces with platinum, diamonds,
and other precious stones and materials chosen for their singularity
and originality. Lauded in the American press and distributed
by sophisticated department stores including Barney’s,
Cathy’s designs are seducing collectors worldwide.
Her following includes celebrities and movie stars and in 2012
Charlize Theron wore her jewelry in Ruppert Sander’s film “Snow
White and the Huntsman”.
WHITE bIRD is proud to be her first stockist in Europe.
CATHY WATERMAN
38 rue du Mont Thabor 75001 Paris — FRANCE / [email protected]
Sara Beltran started her fashion career in New York as a stylist.
After twelve years of living in New York, the artist now calls
Jaïpur home.
Her childhood romance with beach life and seashells always
lingered in the back of her mind, and literally, on the shell
necklace she handmade for fun.
The line called Dezso, Latin for «Desire» and her love for
the ocean continues to emerge in her latest pieces. She travels
to different beaches around the world for constant inspiration.
A lot of her pieces are shells that she picks from the ocean
and then makes a mold and then casts in 18 carats gold, mostly
pink gold. She loves using raw material as polki diamonds, kyanites
stones, fossilized shark teeth and fossilized shells.
Now being in Jaipur, she has discovered a whole new world in
stones, as she is doing her own carved stones in shape of shells.
Colors are always inspired by the ocean and by special moments
in her life. Its known that surfers use shark tooth for protection
when going in the water.
Dezso
38 rue du Mont Thabor 75001 Paris — FRANCE / [email protected]
Catherine Lévy, who created Dorette, was born in Paris where she
has lived and worked ever since. At a very young age, she would
make jewellery from what was close at hand: chick peas from the
kitchen, pebbles extracted from the gravel, rabbit poo she’d
collect from the mountains, or snail shells (that also came from
the kitchen). These tendencies naturally directed her to Les
Ateliers (l’Ecole nationale supérieure de la creation industrielle),
where she studied design. She then joined forces with Sigolène
Prébois to create objects for homes, signed Tsé & Tsé associées.
Their vases, garlands, plates and bowls have been successful
all over the world for twenty years.
Catherine has always travelled extensively, especially to India.
Dazzled by the profusion and the beauty of jewellery worn in the
streets of the cities and villages, she dreamed of models mixing
Indian techniques and traditional forms from French provinces, and
imagined large hoop earrings, ancient wedding rings, seven-band
bracelets, grigris and nose rings. She searched for, and found,
precious and semi-precious stones, coarsely cut, that she chose
for their colours and forms rather than for their value. The first
pieces made in Indian workshops delighted her so much that the
pleasure she felt wearing them must have been contagious, because
they aroused other people’s admiration and desire.
Dorette
Dorette jewellery never weighs heavily on fingers, never scratches
necks or pulls on ears… The multi-coloured stones, both modest and
precious, brut diamonds and glass set in gold and silver, diffuse
a singular murmur and are always cheerful company. Each one is
different, neither ancient nor modern, they are light objects
that inspire pleasure, wit and affection.
38 rue du Mont Thabor 75001 Paris — FRANCE / [email protected]
It was when finding a forgotten treasure, a ring that had once
belonged to her grandmother, that Mayumi Hirooka’s wish to give
new life to the turn of the century jewellery emerged.
The gold and diamond ring that used to be worn by her grandmother
is the very starting-point for Mayumi’s brand Hirondelle, which
looks into the past with curiosity and delight. Its universe
is further enriched by her taste for antique objects,
old flacons and vintage perfume flasks.
Its delicate hammered rings, necklaces, bracelets and earrings
in casted gold are fitted with diamonds. As with a dear object
that passes on from generation to generation, a piece of Hirondelle
jewellery is meant to be worn, kept and transmitted.
Mayumi works in her atelier in Osaka where she maintains
a family atmosphere.
Hirondelle
38 rue du Mont Thabor 75001 Paris — FRANCE / [email protected]
Honorine Jewels was founded by Fanny Boucher, a French designer
based in India.
A plan to study literature initially brought her to India in 2005,
however, a few months after arriving, Fanny moved to Jaïpur,
abandoning her pursuit of literature to work at the legendary Gem
Palace. After acquiring several years of experience and studying
stones at the Gemological Institute of America, Fanny launched
her own jewellery line in 2000.
Made entirely by hand and featuring stones personally selected
by Fanny and recut to her specifications, Honorine Jewels draws
inspiration from art, history, and architecture.
Each piece tells a story, perhaps that of the book that inspired
its creation or a narrative about the woman Fanny imagines wearing
it. “Precious jewellery is something magical. It is the only object
that appreciates with time,” she asserts. Fanny recently settled
in Bombay and currently resides between there and Paris.
HONORINE JEWELS
38, rue du Mont Thabor - 75001 Paris / [email protected]
Ileana Makri was born and lives in Greece. A globetrotter at heart,
she travels extensively for inspiration and spends a lot of time in
London, Paris and New York, cities she has previously lived in.
Originally obtaining a degree in Business Administration
Ileana then went on to follow her true passion and studied
jewellery design at the G.I.A. (Gemological Institute of America).
In 1987 she ventured into retail with “Mageia” later to become
her flagship store and always a reflection of her diverse world
of interests, anything from clothing and accessories to artwork
and of course jewellery.
In 1996 the “Ileana Makri” signature jewellery line was introduced
in the store and was instantly being picked up by Barneys in New York.
In just over a decade Ileana Makri has built a solid international
reputation and business as well as capturing the attention of high
profile clients such as Uma Thurman, Jennifer Lopez, Heidi Klum,
Lenny Kravitz etc.
ILEANA MAKRI
Ileana is fascinated by multicultural symbols and their meaning.
Her jewellery features a range of mystical and figurative symbols
in gold and gemstones.
The underlying “rock chic” approach to the design makes
her jewellery uncompromisingly contemporary and simultaneously
timeless. In her own words Ileana Makri creates “jewellery
for no special occasion”.
38, rue du Mont Thabor - 75001 Paris / [email protected]
Drawing on the philosophy to create jewellery that
“arouses emotions and gracefully reflects the essence
of ones inner beauty”, Jacqueline Rabun’s designs
are rich in symbolism and organic purity.
She began her exploration in jewellery design in 1989 having
arrived in London from her native United States of America.
Her debut collection was well received commercially
and critically for its poetic approach and fluid, conceptual
shapes that evoke organic forms – themes which have evolved
into her signature with her ongoing collections.
Her characteristic jewellery is given greater dimension,
combining wearability with precious with the use
of diamonds and gold.
In 1997, Jacqueline started her long-term collaboration
with Georg Jensen creating fine jewellery collections for
the brand. The most renowned, the Cave collection, encouraged
its wearer to seek tranquility and to retreat to one’s inner
space for stillness and contemplation.
JACQUELINE RABUN
In 2007, she then opened her own store in Grosvenor Crescent
Mews, a charming residential area in London’s Belgravia
and until now continues to expand her collections
combining wearability with precious.
38 rue du Mont Thabor 75001 Paris — FRANCE / [email protected]
Born in Algeria Jean Grisoni is a self-educated man.
In his early years he begins a professional career as a graphic
designer, and next as an artistic director in various renowned
parisian agencies. By then he opens his first consulting agency
in visual communication. His clients are mostly cultural
institutions and a choice of glamourous brands.
It is while collaborating with la Monnaie de Paris
(Paris Mint) on a line of precious items that Jean Grisoni
discovers jewellery design, and is thrilled by this new field,
which will not keep him from developing his other interests.
From his native Mediterranean sea, Jean Grisoni has kept
an eye for ornament, a relish for powerful jewellery and
the lust for chains… When walking on the shore he harvests
lost and found items to make good use of them in his studies.
Thus he makes opposites meet with each other: the rough
and the refined, the coarse and the polished, the ordinary
and the precious, the incidental and the conceptual,
the antique and the contemporary. His own artist’s
statement often stems from a dissimilarity a contrast.
JEAN GRISONI
As much a designer as an image professional, his personal
approach leads him both towards the jewellery world along
with the design of graphic pieces.
Being eclectic is his only permanent feature….
38 rue du Mont Thabor 75001 Paris — FRANCE / [email protected]
Karen Liberman’s jewellery collection celebrates the rich details
and decorative elements found in various cultural and artistic
traditions throughout history.
Raised in Australia and deriving inspiration from her MoroccanMiddle Eastern heritage, references to ancient techniques as well
as a preservation of these old-world crafts for the modern day
forms the foundation of this collection.
Karen hand-picks ancient coins, precious and semi-precious
gemstones from some of the world’s best lapidaries: Burmese
rubies, sapphire cabochons, and carved tourmalines. The stones
and coins are chosen for their individual character and beauty.
These are then combined with silver and gold creatively
detailed and finished by hand.
Karen works closely with talented international artisans
to create pieces that are beautifully crafted. Each piece
is unique with its own personality yet forms part of a story.
The jewellery can be worn as individual pieces or collected
and layered over time.
KAREN LIBERMAN
A creative spirit, she is also an amateur photographer
and gardener whose travels have greatly influenced
her classic gypsy style.
Located in Melbourne Australia, all pieces are sold
to exclusive boutiques and through Karen Liberman Studio
by appointment only. The Aman resorts collection of luxury
hotels also carries a selection of her jewellery range.
38 rue du Mont Thabor 75001 Paris — FRANCE / [email protected]
With a decade of 3-D design experience in New York, Asia, Europe
and South America (and a background in philosophy & painting),
Lena Skadegard has traveled in search of the unexpected,
identifying new notions of beauty and preciousness. Dividing
her time between three continents, her collections reflect and
synthesize place, history, faith and landscape while emphasizing
the preciousness of organic, raw materials.
Raised visiting the Kashmiri Himalayas and the Danish north coast
at holidays, a combined background, appreciation of the wild
landscape and the aesthetics of diverse cultures inform her
sensibility, while continued travel sustains her curiosity and
keeps materials, textures & palettes intriguing.
No two pieces are identical - every gem, stone, fossil and shell
leads to a different exploration according to inherent qualities,
encouraging unexpected friendships. Simple settings emphasize the
natural elegance of a polished North Sea fossil while delicate gems
are paired with robust nylon cord tied according to Pacific Island
tying traditions.
Pieces combine or stand alone: layered strands of tumbled Afghani
tourmalines evoke royal opulence while a humble wooden pendant
from Vermont’s forests draws the eye and imagination to its
evocative, unpresuming charm.
Lena Skadegard
Most gems are set to kiss the skin - according to many traditions
this activates protective properties of the stones. Each finished
group is blessed & immersed in rose & marigold petals, pomegranates,
fruit, incense and holy water, intended to bring joyful energy to
the wearer.
38 rue du Mont Thabor 75001 Paris — FRANCE / [email protected]
Lia di Gregorio has lived in Milan since 1990
where she designs and produces her jewellery collection.
She loves pearls yet conceals them; she plays with simple,
clean geometries enriching them with unexpected details.
She applies the technique of embroidery onto precious
materials and uses gold thread as if it were silk
to sew small diamonds, rubies and pearls.
From her sketches to her models in paper, wax and wire,
manual skills and creative concepts grow intertwined.
Her studio is a meeting place for creative minds.
LIA DI GREGORIO
38 rue du Mont Thabor 75001 Paris — FRANCE / [email protected]
Lito Karakostanoglou opened her “Open Studio” in Athens in 1999
showcasing primarily one-off pieces with a variety of materials
and styles. Lito was originally trained at Boston in marketing
management and advertising.
Being self-taught in jewellery and despite her success in Athens,
she wanted to further enhance her craftsmanship, so she moved
to Paris in 2004. For two years Lito studied sculpture and life
drawings at École des Beaux Arts and technical drawing for jewellery at École de la rue du Louvre. During that time, she created
pieces for Kenzo and Jean Paul Gaultier. She also designed charms
for handbags of Zadig et Voltaire.
Lito returned to Athens in 2007 much to the joy of her loyal
clientele, to re-open her shop inspired this time by the concept
of the “Cabinets of Curiosities”. She is currently focusing on
introducing her work abroad.
Each piece by Lito takes its root from a particular story
in her scouting of gems around the world and creating something
exclusive and personal for her clients.
Lito
Design emanates from the properties of her materials themselves
rather than following some abstract notion. Gold embraces
semi-precious stones and natural materials like corals and
shells. Each piece retains its own energy and purpose.
38 rue du Mont Thabor 75001 Paris — FRANCE / [email protected]
LoquetLondon is a new British luxury jewellery concept created
by Sheherazade Goldsmith with Laura Bailey that launched in June
2013. The gold framed crystal ‘Loquet’ is designed to open and
be personalized with collectable charms and birthstones. From
a lucky horseshoe, a gold initial, a September sapphire or a
diamond studded shooting star, each ‘Loquet’ is a unique
and bespoke gift, a love letter coded in charms.
A true labour of love, Sheherazade and Laura have developed
LoquetLondon alongside a wealth of young creative talent and
worked closely with established London jeweller Michael Ventura.
“Every ‘Loquet’ tells a story. Each charm represents an emotion,
a special memory – What’s in your world? What’s in your heart?”
says Sheherazade Goldsmith
“Fill your virtual ‘Loquet’ with a treasure trove of luck and love,
a glint of diamond, a sapphire glow. For a one-of-a kind necklace
to cherish, for yourself or a loved one”, says Laura, who wears
hers doubled up, day and night.
Classic from a distance, original and curious close-up, a ‘Loquet’
is an eye-catching talking-point. A flash of colour, a spark
of gold, a desert-island memory, a child’s birthstone.
LOQUETLONDON
We carry our stories close to our hearts.
38 rue du Mont Thabor 75001 Paris — FRANCE / [email protected]
Natasha began her path to success at The Slade, one of the most
prestigious art schools in Europe where she studied Fine Art
Painting and gained a First. During this time, Natasha’s unique
sense of form and colour harmonies was the early precursor
of the designs for her future jewellery collections.
Following her degree, Natasha was awarded the acclaimed
Traveller Award and chose to study in New York where she was
given the opportunity to work alongside the internationally
renowned jeweller Jessica Rose and was given the space within
her studio on West Broadway to further her studies and skills.
Much of Natasha’s inspiration comes from the beautiful Island
of Ibiza, renowned for its stunning natural landscapes, artisan
earthiness and its kaleidoscope of natural sunlight. After
relocating with her family to Ibiza, Natasha opened her shop
and studio in 2009, in St Miguel, the North of the Island.
Natasha uses her instinctive eye for details and her trained
eye for colour to perfectly balance unusual precious stones
with hand-melted gold nuggets. Each design possesses an original
beauty and character that cannot be recreated in another.
“My designs are subtle yet strong as with the random beauty
found in nature”
natasha collis
38, rue du Mont Thabor - 75001 Paris / [email protected]
Having graduated from Bunka Fashion College, the Tokyo native
Naohiko Noguchi, born in the late 1960s, began his career as a
freelance fashion and accessories designer in Italy and France.
In 2004 he launched Noguchi Bijoux, characterized by refinement,
delicacy, and a sense of poetry, which mirrors his own discreet
and mysterious nature. The 14-karat yellow or white gold, his metal
of choice owing to its soft color, envelopes small diamonds, white,
brown or smokey gray, with a rare delicacy.
A subtle sheen, an air of patination, and Noguchi’s aversion
to fashion trends renders the jewellery timeless, without
compromising its contemporary allure.
Hand-crafted like a miniature sculpture in his Tokyo workshop,
each piece is full of charm and magnetism and seems tailor-made
to the individual who wears it.
The collection is sold exclusively at his Tokyo boutique
and at a few carefully selected shops around the world.
At his discretion, it is not available online.
NOGUCHI
38 rue du Mont Thabor 75001 Paris — FRANCE / [email protected]
Noor Fares is a young London-based jewellery designer who draws
her inspiration from her time spent travelling and exploring the
different cultures of countries all over the world. Noor grew up
in a creative family, playing in her designer aunt’s atelier and
making things out of whatever came to hand. Her fascination for
the beautiful pieces found in her mother’s jewellery box soon
progressed to many hours spent amongst the souks and flea
markets she encountered on her travels.
On leaving school, Noor took a degree in History of Art where
she expanded her knowledge and appreciation of Fine Art, enriching
her taste and informing her inspiration. At this time, Noor’s love
for fine jewellery grew and she began to design and commission her
own pieces. This led to her taking a course at the GIA where she
expanded her knowledge on the craftsmanship of jewellery-making
and the properties of precious stones. In turn, Noor’s personal
creations drew admiration from friends and family, naturally leading
to the launch of her own brand N.oor in 2009. Over the past three
years, Noor has grown as an international designer and thus her
brand has developed to be titled as her namesake today: Noor Fares.
NOOR FARES
In reference to the talismans’s and charms from the many cultures
which have touched her, Noor’s collections combine new and interesting materials - bronze, exotic woods from ebony to jet, diamonds
and gemstones of every shade – and always with hidden protection
in the form of lucky motifs. The protective eye which is so much
a part of her Lebanese heritage is always engraved on the inside
of most pieces.
Noor is currently enrolled as a post-graduate at the internationally
renowned Central Saint Martin’s School of Art and Design in London.
38 rue du Mont Thabor 75001 Paris — FRANCE / [email protected]
Philippa started designing in 2003 after studying
‘The History of Jewellery’ at Sotheby’s.
Her work is inspired by the natural world, ancient England
and our folklore. Philippa uses organic objects such as seed
pods, leaves, insects and skeletons that she collects largely
from the Savernake Forest, but also during her extensive
worldwide travels, to inspire her jewellery pieces.
Philippa produces all her jewellery in England,
using highly skilled craftsmen in small workshops.
She uses a variety of techniques and works mainly in gold,
but also some silver, with precious and semi-precious
stones sourced in Jaïpur, India.
PHILIPPA HOLLAND
38 rue du Mont Thabor 75001 Paris — FRANCE / [email protected]
Born in Canada in a family of wanderers, Pippa Small grew up
in England, and soon she too would often travel around the world.
Thereby she became fascinated by the people she met along
her journeys and their way of life, this strong interest leading
her to anthropology studies, more specifically tribe’s behaviour
towards their ornamental customs.
It is in India, while visiting the Precious Stones Market
of Jaïpur, that she will discover stones from all over the world
and meet local craftsmen with whom she will develop long-term
friendly relationships.
About ten years ago, she presented her first collection in Paris,
which immediatly drew the eyes of the Fashion community,
leading to collaborations with Gucci, Chloé and Bamford.
Pippa’s jewellery draws inspiration from the inner natural power
and beauty of the precious material she uses: stones moulded by
centuries in the very core of the earth, shells carved by the
tides, gold hidden in rocks and rivers. Her jewellery pieces
are bearers of their own secret tale and life energy.
PIPPA SMALL
Concerned by keeping indigenous craftsmanship and traditional
talents alive and growing, she is part of various charity projects
worldwide which aim at giving back to people in trouble their
independance and self-sufficiency by producing a regular income.
38, rue du Mont Thabor - 75001 Paris / [email protected]
Polly Wales studied Fine Art Sculpture before following her passion
for jewellery and retraining at the Royal College of Art graduating
in 2006. She has brought together her skills as a sculptor, her
love of traditional casting and carving techniques and her craftsmanship to create one of a kind pieces of jewellery.
Her current collections use a serendipitous approach to lost wax
casting techniques married with the rich colours and beautiful cuts
of fine gem stones.
Polly uses sapphires and rubies directly cast into gold, creating
pieces that resemble natural gem encrusted forms, like sparkling
geodes split open, or discoveries from the deep.
This unorthodox process is unique to Polly and has become her
signature style, gaining her international recognition at major
exhibitions and in craft and jewellery galleries. She is also
selling in numerous stores in the UK, Europe and USA.
Polly Wales
38 rue du Mont Thabor 75001 Paris — FRANCE / [email protected]
British designer Sia Taylor evokes the lyrical beauty of nature
through her fine jewellery. While a sculpture student at London’s
Royal College of Art, Sia spent her last term at a research camp
in the bush in Botswana. It was a creatively inspirational time,
where Sia became deeply interested in the subtle lives
and forms of nature around her.
Her fine jewellery collections, years after years
are a continuation process, which takes forms inspired by seeds,
grasses, clusters of insect eggs, and the internal structures
of plants. Taylor’s emphasizes minimalist refinement and restraint
to evoke a sense of lyricism and rhythm through the delicate
details of her work. Yellow and white 18-karat gold are used
to create small seed like forms, which are hooked
into lengths of fine box link chain.
The seed forms appear both in clusters – as with a pair
of yellow gold earrings - in uniform procession along
the front of a necklace, or in rhythmic variables
that draw from natural compositions.
SIA TAYLOR
She makes every piece by hand in her studio. It is a meditation
and a labour of love, which shows through in the final product.
Each piece becomes like a work of art something precious
to hold on to and cherish.
38 rue du Mont Thabor 75001 Paris — FRANCE / [email protected]
Sophie Bille Brahe started her namesake company almost without
noticing it. After finishing a masters in design at the Royal College
of Art in London, Sophie began to create one-off pieces for designers
and celebrities, among them a triple gold and diamond ring for
Madonna’s fiftieth birthday. Encouraged by fashion insiders – buyers
and international editors – she launched her collection in 2011.
Growing up in Copenhagen, even as a child Sophie knew she wanted to
be a goldsmith. “I went to an old hippie school where they believed
everybody has a talent. So they made me a workshop where I could do
jewellery,” she marvels. “What a really nice way of helping me.” Her
love of storytelling is inherited, passed down through generations
of Brahes, beginning with her great-great-great grandfather,
the world-renowned astrologer Tycho Brahe.
A perfectionist, it took 18 months to assemble the Sophie Bille Brahe
team. “I wanted the right people around me,” Sophie explains. Today,
the business is run like a family company. We call it the SBB family.”
Within months of launching, the collection acquired a cult following
in the fashion industry underpinning Sophie’s ability to resonate
with what women want to wear.
“I want my jewellery to tell stories. I don’t want it to be status
symbols.” Sophie Bille Brahe brings emotion back to jewellery.
Empowering, cool, understated, she makes beautiful jewellery
that means something, to last.
Sophie Bille Brahe
“My clients are independent women, very secure in their own style.”
At the workshop in Copenhagen, everything is made by hand, using
centuries-old goldsmith techniques. The language of the brand
lies in proportion and shape, simplicity and pared downness.
Sophie’s clientele of inspiring women includes Lykke Li,
Rihanna and Emma Watson.
38 rue du Mont Thabor 75001 Paris — FRANCE / [email protected]
Ron Anderson, a Michigan native, taught himself to make jewellery
while working in the fashionable boutiques of Birmingham MI and moved
to NYC to work in high fashion retail. He began to sell his handmade
jewellery on the streets of Soho in the late 80’s. David Rees,
an Ohio native, earned an art history degree, moved to NYC and
worked for high end fashion retailers Charivari and Linda Dresner.
They met in 1991 and formed the jewellery company TENTHOUSANDTHINGS.
The name is taken from a line of the ancient Chinese philosophy, the
I-Ching that is translated ‘from one thing begets the ten thousand
things’. The inherent concept of infinite creativity and constant
evolution appealed to the designers who adopted that philosophy
as their guiding principal.
The primary focus of TENTHOUSANDTHINGS has always been to work with
the finest natural gems and pearls and develop original techniques
to create unique jewellery. As self taught artisans, the designers
have developed a reputation for original and unique work that has
the integrity of antique jewelry but is distinctly modern. Initial
collections were labeled “personal jewelry“ by the fashion press
and helped to solidify a new direction in fashion jewelry.
TENTHOUSANDTHINGS
In 1997 they opened their first flagship retail store and production
studio on 19th street in Manhattan. They designed and created the
interior which was a unique combination of organic materials, hand
blown glass, rough hewn wood and wool felt that complemented the
design esthetic of the jewellery and was a further illumination
of their focus on refined handmade objects and natural materials.
They recently relocated their flagship store and production facility
to 423 West 14th street as the meatpacking district was being
developed and again designed and created its interior.
TENTHOUSANDTHINGS has been represented in the finest stores
in the world including Barney’s New York, Bergdorf Goodman, Linda
Dresner, Maxfield’s. In addition, the jewelry has been editorialized
in all major fashion press and featured in numerous movies and
television shows.
38 rue du Mont Thabor 75001 Paris — FRANCE / [email protected]