Just how is a high jewellery piece created? It is of course about craftsmanship and precious gemstones, but let’s rewind and focus on the very first step: imagination. Every jewel starts in the mind and heart of an artist whose skill is to bring their dream to life, starting with a sketch and followed by a gouache painting.
While listening to the latest song of the rock band Placebo, the French artist Estelle Lagarde is drawing, mixing pigments, creating shadows and bringing life to her painting. Precision and care are essential: one drop of water can ruin the entire piece. Used to switching from pencils to paintbrushes since a young age, Estelle has always had an artist’s sensitivity for creation and design. As a teenager, Estelle made jewels using Swarovski crystals to sell at the village market in her hometown in Haute Savoie, France a region close to the Swiss border. Her passion for jewellery bloomed at the age of 15 during a short stint working in a jewellery shop where she fell in love with precious gemstones and was in awe of the extraordinary craftsmanship and techniques used to make the jewels.