The language of pearls
- Clémentine only works with noble materials
- She views jewels as a precious medium to conveys stories
- She honed her experience at a major luxury house
Behind Clémentine Despocq's poetic jewellery pieces lies her passionate vision of the craft: “Jewellery is an incredible thing, it is a marker of time and history, an object of transmission.” Fascinated by everything that jewellery represents, from a cultural, historical or sentimental point of view, Clémentine has made it her means of expression. Drawing on a dual training in traditional and contemporary jewellery techniques at AFEDAP, followed by industrial product design at HEAD – Geneva, she creates unique pieces, exploring the dialogue between metalwork and pearls. With a sense of challenge and humour, her work particularly questions the fragility of this latter material and its codes, thus breaking away from the traditional, bourgeois image of pearls.
INTERVIEW
When I started working with pearls, I realised that there are many facets to pearls. They are not as 'delicate' as people say. It is an organic, living material, the quality of the mother-of-pearl, the colour and the nuances differ. The problem is not the material itself, but the way in which we worked with it. When you change the angle, you can perceive things completely differently.
I have chosen to work with metal and pearls in their entirety, so that both materials can express themselves (and the metal is not just a support). Each has its own place, which allows a new vocabulary to be created. By exploring the fragility of the pearl, I give it strength, and it takes on a more rebellious character.
I create sculptural pieces, in which the jewel becomes an object in its own right. I also make bespoke pieces: customers come with their pearls, often acquired from an inheritance, and want to modify them. There is a real demand for it. The aim is to give a twist to these pearls, which often have great intimate value, so that they can be worn again, rather than sit in a jewellery box.
Hybrid jewellery. I use a material like pearls, which is extremely codified, and I completely break away from it to propose another vision, using a fusion of several techniques. At the same time, I am looking for a balance of materials and colours – a harmony. Over time, my vocabulary and language as a jeweller asserts itself.
