Jewellery 2.0: Meeting with Pièce Maîtresse

We met Olivier Giraud, newcomer to the jewellery scene 2.0, founder of Pièce Maîtresse, lover of the arts and eager to preserve French know-how. He explains his concept.

Olivier Giraud, hello, what is your background? How did you get into jewellery?

With 15 years experience in management and organisation consulting for large groups, I have however long been passionate about art, design and gemmology. For several years, I had the wish to start an entrepreneurial adventure in connection with crafts and French know-how. Jewellery has enabled me to reconcile interests, innovative ideas and entrepreneurship.

You are the founder of Pièce Maîtresse, can you tell us about its creation?

The company was created in August 2015 and the website was launched in January 2016. The idea was to create a brand that could represent French elegance and excellence while offering innovative jewellery design, modern inspiration and customisable pieces. I set up a network of partners, all experts in their field, with the will to integrate the latest technologies.

What about the name Pièce Maîtresse?

Pièce Maîtresse is first of all the evocation of an essential element of a whole. In our case, it will be the main piece of jewellery of your jewellery box. It is also a reference to the game of chess and it’s main piece, the queen. This is for the playful approach. You can choose the aspect of your jewel among different possibilities, according to your tastes and desires, according to the moment.

Can you explain the concept? What makes it innovative?

The jewels we choose to wear are intimate objects, they express our tastes, our personality and our desires. Nevertheless, today the jewellery offer is mainly based on expensive custom made jewellery, or standard mass produced pieces. Hence the concept of Pièce Maîtresse: to offer, through a community of designers and craftsmen, different jewellery styles, to which everyone can bring a personal touch by playing on colours, finishes and overlays.

With Pièce Maîtresse, we have fun, we superpose, we have three jewels in one! With three rings you have the possibility to be a different woman every day or to adapt your ring to your events and your outfits. Getting your hands on a Pièce Maîtresse piece of jewellery is having three types of rings to combine at will.

You even have the possibility to imagine your own ring and proceed to a virtual test try on your hand with our application available on our website.

We have more classic collections with a series of solitaires which can be one of the rings of « Triple Jeu ». We also have a full diamond range: pure and simple earrings and pendants, ideal for small gifts. And we have the Eros line, for declarations of love before the actual engagement ring.

We guarantee the aesthetic quality of the jewel and its manufacturing quality.

Who is Pièce Maîtresse for?

For all women who love beautiful objects crafted with care, following the artisanal and artistic French know-how. Also to those, refined and modern, who like to take risks, stand out and be a forerunner. Adventurers 2.0 girls who just want to have fun!

How do your designers work? Do you use traditional jewellery fabrication techniques?

We work with the designers on the concepts of custom jewellery with different creative themes all in connection with this spirit of elegance à la française. The jewels are made in French jewellery workshops according to traditional techniques. The use of 3D (CAD and printing) saves time in production and makes it possible to customise jewellery on our website. From the stage of casting, everything is done by the expert hands of craftsmen, polishers, jewellers, gem setters… We really wish to preserve and enhance the French know-how.

Tell us about jewellery 2.0, what services and guarantees do you offer to your customers?

2.0 is all about creating an offer that results from interactions between customers, designers and manufacturers. This interaction aims to stimulate the creativity of the designers, the expectations of the customers, the know-how of the manufacturers. The technologies allow the customisation of the jewellery directly online and to manufacture it in a short time at competitive costs.

We offer to accompany the customer in his choice of the jewel and its personalisation, fitting and purchase. We provide several guarantees: made in France in jewellery workshops that already work for the most important brands of the Place Vendôme, free sizing, satisfied or your money back, secure delivery and payment devices.

You only offer rings for the moment, are you planning to expand your collections soon?

Pièce Maîtresse offers mainly rings but we have some models of earrings and pendants. Our current collections will soon have pendants, earrings and bracelets.

What are the ambitions of the brand in the long term?

Pièce Maîtresse is a new brand, we wish to make our activity durable and to acquire a solid base for our future developments by perpetuating the offer and then starting developing world wide.