Suzanne Syz: pop art jewelry

Dynamic, radiant and captivating… you never get bored listening to fabulous contemporary jewelry designer Suzanne Syz. A close supporter of the 1980s Pop Art movement, Suzanne rejuvenates traditional jewelry by seeking out innovation, fantasy, humor and creativity with novel materials and techniques. A true pop artist of the jewelry world, she subverts traditional concepts to reveal original and unconventional jewelry.

Born in Switzerland, she studied in Paris before settling in crazy 1980s New York City, where she rubbed shoulders with artists such as Andy Warhol, Julian Schnabel, Francesco Clemente, Jeff Koons or Jean-Michel Basquiat, one of her close friends. This creative environment had a critical role in shaping her work. Suzanne uses colors and reinterprets stones and materials to make them more playful, more joyful and more vivid. A refreshing and completely revolutionary, one-of-a-kind designer who doesn’t take herself too seriously – we love her!

We had the chance to chat with Suzanne over a drink in an elegant lounge of the Ritz Paris and we’re sharing her anecdotes with you today.

Suzanne Syz, a vibrant and colorful pop artist

How did you start creating jewelry? You didn’t study goldsmithing?

No, I didn’t. I’ve always loved jewelry and stones. When I was a child, I used to play with my grandmother’s jewelry and ask her if I could take out the stones, she would say no [laugh]. Whenever my grandfather took me to the mountains, I would always be fascinated by the small crystals I found there.

When I was living in New York City in the 1980s, I was completely immersed in the art world. The city was in its heyday – not the safest time, but definitely the funniest! I got to develop a sense of color. I thought jewelry wasn’t fun at all, the style was very Harry Winston, with really big stones. I told myself jewelry should be funnier and less serious, with colors! So I started to create little things for myself. I was hanging out in workshops to learn skills and as soon as I had a little money, I started to build a stone collection.

Then I went to Geneva. The workshops in New York don’t really show any interest in new materials, however those in Geneva are quite curious. At first, they usually don’t appreciate me pushing their limits and challenging them, but once they succeed they’re very happy and proud. It takes a bit of time to get there…

We started working with aluminum because it allowed me to get colors I couldn’t get with titanium. Everyone was trying to discourage me, saying that the colors wouldn’t hold, but I said “Come on, let’s go!”. It is true that we didn’t manage to get the colors we wanted at first, but now I can do red and orange and the color holds really well. It’s great because it’s a very light material!

So you developed your own techniques for working with these materials?

Yes, it’s very original. We go to Airbus in France with our creations and they do the colors for us! They enjoy it a lot. You never really know how the color will turn out and sometimes it takes a lot of trial and error. For example, it took us 8 to 9 months to fix the color we wanted on the Ça cartonne bracelet. It was a nightmare because the color was never uniform… but perseverance is key! I never take no for an answer, I say we’ll get there eventually. Staying positive is very important. And if you want to achieve new things you need to take risks, that’s the way it is. And I actually enjoy it, I love a challenge!

An atypical and whimsical designer

How would you define your style?

I’d say fun and whimsical. The stones are certified and seriously sourced, but the creations don’t seem serious – there’s a fairy-tale quality to them.

I am very fond of colors. Life isn’t always happy so we need to add a little sunshine, a little color to it. I like making women happy and adding humor to my designs. Being able to create things that make people happy is the greatest luxury.

Where do you draw inspiration from? How do you work?

My inspiration comes from many things, really, because I’m very eclectic. It can be nature… it often comes from art because I’m deeply attached to contemporary art. I don’t have a single source of inspiration, just like I never make themed collections because that bores me to death.

I usually design the piece first and seek out the stones afterwards, but sometimes a stone will catch my eye first. I make jewelry all year round. I don’t think there’s a right time to design a collection because it takes a long time and I want my clients to constantly have new things to discover. For example, it took me a year and a half to make the Dragon of the Year bracelet and get the result I wanted.

Suzanne Syz Art Jewels will close its doors by the end of February 2021, there’s still some time left to check out the last pieces available on the website! If you’re on a tight budget: instead of jewelry, you can treat yourself to the stunning book Suzanne Syz: Arts Jewels, which will definitely become a collector’s item…