France Thiérard, jewelry designer : inserting words in a parure

France Thiérard you are a jewelry designer. Since when and what led you down that path ?

That was three years ago and it is a nice story for me. The city of Venice has been instrumental. I was going frequently in the City of Doges to seek an inspiration and materials from the perspective of writing a guide on the city. I had previously published a book on the Comédie Française "Dear Comédie Française" which I thourougly enjoyed and I wanted to stay in the vein of writing ...

Curiously and unexpectedly during this Venetian quest , I was fascinated by ancient Murano beads which generally do not ever interest me. Little girl, I could never commit myself to the game of stringing beads and making necklaces. My interest in the jewelry came much later, linked to my travels. Every time, a bit like the explorers, I was bringing back local jewlery which were treasures to me.

I remember very well, it was the day of my birthday, walking in the streets of Venice, I intended to explore unusual sites for the readers of the my future guide. And by chance, next to the church dei Greci, I discovered an antique. There was an urn filled with old Murano beads. I stayed at least four hours in the shop under the gaze of the incredulous owner. As a birthday gift, I treated myself with a lot of pearls. Once returned to Paris, I was wondering what to do with it. I decided to create a necklace with an over bought at Bon Marché. Playing with the pearls to make a composition has given me such an intense pleasure. I was very proud of this necklace and it was always around my neck. A friend, Maryline Chadé, owner of a fine jewelry shop, rue des Saints-Pères, asked me who was the designer of the necklace as she was keen to sell it.  I told her it was me and it was the trigger.

The incredible thing is that as I was engaging myself in this new creative process, I suddenly remembered that parallel to my studies at the Ecole du Louvre, I had been graduated from the National Institute of Gems. I had completely forgoten this past this experience. The moment I recall it, I was eager to look at new jewerly combinations associating gems with Venice pearls. My first collection litterally began with the deep desire to rediscover those gems that I studied twenty years earlier.

The first necklace got a great publicity in ELLE, the leading women fashion and beauty weekly. It helped me to knock at the doors of prestigious shop in which I wanted my collections to be sold in. Meanwhile, I began the first private sales which happened to be very successful. In a snowball effect, I got new publications in the press and as a resukt I was able to sell  my collections in the well-known "Franck et Fils" retail network.

At the same time, I became acquainted with Frédérique Picard, Director of Annick Goutal, a brand which represents to me the extreme sophistication in the field of highend perfumery. She asked me to consider a collection of jewelry that can embody the style of the brand.

My connection with the writing was still very strong; I was inspired by the beautifful names of Goutal's fragrances and wanted to create a collection using those names. The client chose another creative option but it inspired my own collection. I liked the concept of inserting words in a parure. Thus came the idea of engraving phrases on silver or gold plates, combined with semi-precious stones. Each new sentence would be like a "jewel incipit".

Therefore, I started to look at meaningful sentences in classical texts. I really liked a play  called "Monsieur de Pourceaugnac" by Moliere. One phrase particularly touched me "love is a sweet thing". No doubt I was very very romantic at the time!

So you see I had different muses : Venice and then words and gems embedded in my memory. In fact, when I started to change my collections using other materials, like a good-luck, I kept on each parure at least one pearl of Venice as a tribute to the kind Serenissima.

You are now running two annual collections, summer and winter . What were your sources of inspiration for the last two collections ?

The words are still my leitmotif. But I am also eager to work on the theme of circles and rings. I came across a phrase from the French writter Giraudoux "the earth is round for those who love each other" and it became the title of the collection. The spheres in all shapes are very present: earing's rings, pendants, engraved plaques.

What do you enjoy the most in designing your collections ?

First, the search for new gems is a great motivation. I am fascinated by the "gem's size" and I am looking for all sorts of sizes and shapes. I also like to discover artisans that are offering innovative materials. Their creativity is for me a great booster. At the moment, for example, I work on leather cuffs with forty carats stones, the artisan with whom I cooperate is an outstanding man. His passion for his work litteraly drives my energy and my creativity.

Do you have a customer profile in mind when designing your collections ?

I created both for women than for men. My "special" engraved plaques are highly valued by male customers who buy them for their own sake. Speaking of women, I can not say there is one woman in particular, they are all there in my mind. I like the difference and I love the uniqueness It pleases me as much to work for a little girl of 9 years as for a more mature woman.

As for men, it was Christopher Robin, a very gifted colorist, who inspired me to create for them. Do I have a profile of a man in mind ? Men of character, outspoken, feeling self-confident enough to "not hesitate to declare as well as to declare themselves" when they are wearing my engraved plaques.

I think of this phrase in Cyrano de Bergerac "I can finally be myself and I". This would be the sorte of phrase which I imagine, a man as well as a woman, can wear around his neck, don't you think ?

In which retail shops are your collections being currently distributed ?

I am chosen to develop the brand in a very selective manner .Beyond the retail network of Franck & Fils , I tend to have my collections sold in independant shops with a style fiting my own style. I also continue my exclusive direct sales which are,according to me, a very useful way to get a sense of my clients aspirations.

What is the next step?

Over the past year, I have already taken a big step moving to high end fantasy jewlry with gold. The next step, I hope will be the diamond…