For Valérie Messika, diamonds are in her blood. Her father, who began working in the diamond trade in 1972, quickly became illustrious, and brought Valérie up to be as passionate about the diamond industry as he was. “The most important lesson he taught me was ‘never copy’ and ‘stay focused on diamonds’,” she says. It’s proved to be sage advice – Valérie’s dazzling creations have quickly won a loyal following. “A huge highlight was 2013, with the opening of my first boutique in Paris,” she says. “It was a big achievement for the brand and the beginning of a new era for us. Then, in 2015, I was proud to mark our 10th anniversary with some very special events, including opening my new High Jewellery Parisian atelier just moments from our flagship store on 259 Rue Saint Honoré. This allowed me, my creative director and the team to work under one roof, with the brand’s master craftspeople working side by side with the designers, and placing their savoir faire at my fingertips.”
Sienna Miller & Beyoncé spotted wearing Messika Jewellery
“In a fitting celebration of this very special anniversary, I presented 10 unique High Jewellery sets, each utilising the brand’s unrivalled diamond-setting savoir faire and showcasing my talent of designing jewellery that lets diamonds speak for themselves.” Her Paris base is a thoughtfully-designed, creative space. “I wanted to create some large spaces that were lively yet clean and refined. Obviously, I have remained faithful to my colour codes: white brings all the purity and elegance I wished for, while the grey reflects all the strength and boldness of the House. As for the materials, both the reworked wood and the concrete dominate. I wanted to have a stone wall with photos of various stars wearing our pieces – it is one of my favourite things to see when I come in to the atelier each day.”
Margot Robbie is also a fan of Messika
The visionary nature of the space also reflects the jewels themselves. “My pieces are not created to stay in a safe. If I can give a piece of advice to all women in the world, it’s to wear their jewels in everyday life. I create elegant diamond pieces to be worn on an everyday basis. A modern mix between timeless and contemporary pieces, but always with a little twist to it. I like my creations to be very comfortable; a woman should be able to live her life without being annoyed by excessively heavy jewellery.” It’s a long, careful process from idea to conception: “All start with the drawing of the pieces; it provides a concrete view of the final design. Then a jeweller takes care of CAD (computer-aided design) to make a 3D model of the pieces. As soon as everything fits together well, we start the mounting, the assembly, the soldering, the setting and the polishing. We have a number of hugely talented artisans in the fine jewellery atelier. This is where unique pieces are created by a draughtsman, a specialist in CAD, three model makers, six jewellers, a setter and two polishers.” What does she find the hardest part of the process? “The biggest everyday challenge is to translate my ideas into a drawing. I always have a lot of ideas, but sometimes it’s quite difficult to get the result I have imagined. But at the end, and thankfully, we always make it possible.”
Messika My Twin Bracelet (£4,760): Typically for Messika, the My Twin bracelet twists traditional fine jewellery concepts for a playful take on a diamond bracelet, by unexpectedly pairing two cuts of diamond.
Messika Move Romane Ring (£2,740): An everyday piece with ebullient design quirks: here, moving brilliant cut diamonds and clean, essential lines will bring joy to the everyday.
Messika My Twin Earrings (£4,300): Earrings which can be worn two ways are a good way to get the most out of a statement piece. Whichever you choose, pear and emerald cuts surrounded by sparkling brilliant cut diamonds is always going to look good.
The result is glorious – jewels appear to be in motion, living and breathing with the person wearing them. “Since I was a little girl my father, being one of the world’s top diamond dealers, brought home some incredible diamonds, and always let me play with them. He used to let the diamond slide between his fingers. The three moving diamonds of my iconic Move collection were created from this memory. This year I will celebrate the Move Collection’s 10th anniversary.” It’s an ethos loved by women everywhere, including celebrities. “When Beyoncé was in Paris with her family, she fell in love with the Messika Glam’Azone collection. She Instagrammed her Glam’Azone double ring in front of the Mona Lisa at The Louvre. Other icons like Kristen Stewart, Rihanna, Charlize Theron, Sienna Miller, Selena Gomez and Margot Robbie have also worn my creations, which is so exciting for us.”
Cara Delevingne & Kristian Stewart
Valérie finds inspiration everywhere. “I am always looking for inspirations on my travels, through architecture, interior design (which I am crazy about), by walking in the streets and looking at people’s attitude and style. The names of collections are chosen after the jewels are created. The jewel itself is always the starting point.”
