Pop-up : The Jewellers’ Gang does its hostage-taking

The Jewellers’ Gang : six committed jewellery designers

1. Karine Chedid Joaillerie

Passionate about jewellery since she was a little girl, Karine Chedid started by designing engagement rings for her friends and friends of her friends about 15 years ago. In 2016, she decided to leave her career in luxury automobiles to throw herself wholeheartedly into her passion, jewellery. While continuing to develop her collections, she trains at the ING (National Institute of Gemology) in Paris and then takes jewelry design classes at the Ecole Boulle where she learns gouache, technical drawing or wax modeling. Nothing stops her anymore! A graduate of the famous Gem-A of London (Gemological Association of Great Britain), she specializes in colored diamonds.

She likes to surprise by proposing ethical gems and high quality stones, a little atypical like the "Salt & pepper" diamonds. Her jewellery, simple and elegant but so Parisian, is in her image. Her creations are designed to be worn on a daily basis by a demanding clientele that loves classic and elegant jewellery with a twist of fantasy.

At the same time, she offers vintage pieces that she hunts for in auction rooms or with clients, with a predilection for the Victorian era, Art Deco and Art Nouveau.

For a few years, she has been developing an activity, that of upcycling, by recomposing jewellery from old pieces, forgotten at the bottom of chests and drawers. Totally in the air of time, she illustrates the values of the time as the circular economy and recycling. With always a concern of extreme quality throughout the manufacturing cycle, carried out within the most demanding Parisian workshops. From the family jewel to be transformed to the engagement ring to be imagined from a stone, from her modern or vintage collections, Karine makes it a point of honor to fulfill her customers' desires, bringing her expertise until the piece is finished. Its suppliers are part of the RJC Council which guarantees the origin of the precious and fine stones. All diamonds meet the requirements of the Kimberley Process, the aim of which is to reduce the existence of conflict diamonds anywhere in the world.

Karine's suppliers are members of the RJC Council, which guarantees the origin of the precious and fine stones. All diamonds meet the requirements of the Kimberley Process, which aims to reduce the existence of conflict diamonds around the world.

2. Maison Veyret

It is quite natural that Anouk Veyret turned to jewellery. Her mother's family, watchmakers in the Lyon region, passed on to her the passion for beautiful pieces from a very young age. Indeed, she grew up in the family store, which was the result of a watchmaking workshop founded by her great-great-grandfather in Nouméa. In 1912, the Veyret family ordered the clock for the Nouméa cathedral in the Jura region, then installed it and took care of its maintenance. Over the generations, the store expanded its offer to specialize in wedding lists and the resale of brand name jewelry. Four generations of watchmakers succeeded one another, and Anouk learned the trade from her grandparents, her aunt and her uncle.

In love with stones, she decided to sublimate them by creating jewellery. Very quickly, she succeeded in a crazy bet, imagining ready-to-wear jewellery featuring colored stones of great purity. The Melting Pop collection is not only her first but also the most beautiful interpretation of her vision of jewellery, between French know-how, precious stones and mastery of the gesture. If her jewellery is imbued with this double culture, like a journey between Paris and Noumea, Anouck Veyret also offers custom-made creations.

The jewelry collections are aimed at women like Anouk. Free, committed, accomplished and full of desire, the customer easily takes hold of the light but present, subtle and refined, transformable or matching jewellery. Right on trend!

3. Maison Beigbeder

Her life is made of travels and landscapes. The glitter on the lake of Geneva. Then Paris where she met stones and pearls while taking gemology courses. Finally, the countries of the mines. The colors, the light and the materials... The influences are multiple for Muriel Beigbeder.

Her philosophy? "I love this profession of passion and transmission, of colors, materials and shapes, of light and emotions. We are a chain, they are the origin”. It is with this humanistic approach that she imagines unique pieces that will make the hearts of those who wear them capsize. Jewellery that is both bright and delicate, powerful and feminine, that seduces those who like to stand out.

The Jewellers’ Gang : upcycling, ethical and circular jewellery

4. Soligems

Born in Madagascar, Véronique Lagache Ragagnon, founder of Soligems, has always been fascinated by gems. After studying business and a first career in banking, she took on a new challenge by turning to gemmology.

Graduated from the ING (National Gemmological Institute) in Paris, she discovered the magical world of exceptional stones through her encounters and an internship with one of the best gem dealers in Paris. Back from a trip to the mining areas of Madagascar, she chose to create solidarity jewellery. It was also on her native island that she spotted associations working to improve living conditions and schooling in these difficult areas. Among them, the NGO Bel Avenir. With a fierce desire to share her taste for colored stones and their infinite variety but also to participate in a better world, she created in 2009 the Soligems company.

Soligems philosophy ? To help the miners whose living conditions are very difficult and whose wages are too low, Véronique Lagache Ragagnon donates a part of the price of each piece of jewellery sold to one of the associations established in the gem-producing countries selected by the brand. The results? Since 2009, 9500 euros have been donated.

What is Soligems concept? To make accessible the wonderful world of precious stones, often reserved for high jewelry. To do this, the company creates unique pieces and very limited series (3 pieces maximum) at affordable prices. A reduced production allows the use of gems that can be difficult to replenish and with more unusual colors. Colored sapphires, tsavorite or spessartite garnets, tourmalines... A shimmering universe that makes you feel good!

5. Serengeti Jewels

We are in the 1960’s. Three brothers from a Greek family in Alexandria, Yasson, Gorge and Orestis Papaelipoulos, set up the first mechanized mining operations in the Umba Valley in Tanzania. Specializing in sapphire mining in Umba and emerald mining in Manyara, they eventually split up after 10 years. However, they remained in the business, Orestis creating Facets Australia, a trading company in Australia, whose son George, graduated from the GIA (Gemological Institute of America), took over. Yasson, who remained in East Africa and was associate general manager of the John Saul mine, worked to ensure that the profits from mining operations went back to the local populations. His daughter Angelique studied in England before moving to France as a flight attendant. With one idea in mind: to bring back from her travels the materials to create her own jewellery. Thus was born her brand Serengeti.

She opened a jewellery store in Versailles and then in Paris to sell her creations. In 2014, she decided to close her store to regain her freedom to travel and to follow in her father's footsteps. Graduated from the GEM-A (Gemmological association of Great Britain), she develops her company. 40 years later, the family story continues under the impulse of Serengeti Gems and Facets Australia who continue to travel together to the 4 corners of the world, in search of the most beautiful gems.

But what is the common thread of Serengetis Jewels? In addition to creating ethical jewellery in her Parisian workshop, Angélique makes it a point of honor to offer her clients custom-made jewelry that is as close as possible to their desires and personality. She also offers appraisal, recutting, gold recycling and repolishing services to give new life to old jewelry.

Born from a family passion for colored stones, more a globe-trotter than a trader, Serengeti has developed close ties over time with the actors of the industry. As a result, Serengeti can offer consistent quality at competitive prices.

6. In Orbem

A graduate of the IFM (Institut Français de la Mode) in 1987, Laurie Avril was Legal Director of the Balmain Group for 7 years and then a lawyer at the Paris Bar for 20 years. Director of SA le Marché Biron at the Saint-Ouen Flea Market, she now devotes herself to her passion. Indeed, she founded in 2017 her company with a mission, In Orbem - Circular Jewellery. For while she has an exemplary career, this woman has always been fascinated by jewelry.

She wears them, collects them, transforms them, sometimes several times according to the moments of life and makes one of a kind pieces. When she became a grandmother and the last of her three children left the nest, she decided to release her creative energy. With one idea in mind: to apply the virtuous circle of recycling to jewellery.

Her desire? "To make the next jewel better together by working with what already exists. Her motto? "The past illuminates the future".

To go further, she trained in gemmology at the National Institute of Gemmology.

Since the creation of her brand, she has gathered around her a whole community of InOrbemeuses.

The brand also offers a permanent collection, in perpetual renewal, composed of about fifty pieces created from old, outdated or unfashionable jewelry. These raw materials are found in auction rooms or given away by customers. Want to offer a luxury gift at an affordable price? Go for it!

The Jewellers’ Gang accomplice : a photographer who captures the light

But who is the photographer Cécile Molinié who surrounds this pop-up with her exhilarating shots?

In love with the countryside, this Parisian by adoption, former parliamentary assistant to the French Senate for French people living abroad, has created a poetic universe through her various activities. Indeed, Cécile Molinié is known as a photographer but also as a stylist, art director and visual storyteller.

Her sources of inspiration? Details of everyday life and especially of her life as a mother. She captures moments of life with grace. When she's not photographing her loved ones or her children, she lets herself be amazed by nature. On her Instagram account where she happily shares her work, flowers, vegetables, landscapes but also elegant interiors and beautifully crafted objects are revealed, under her impulse, more elegant than ever. For, if she has been able to sharpen her photographic eye over time, Cécile Molinié is above all an aesthete.