Clémentine Despocq

Jewellery maker

©Marion Saupin

©Pierre Montagnon

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

©Marion Saupin

©Marion Saupin

What inspired you to work with pearls as your main element?: 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.
How do you approach this material in your work?: 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.
What kind of pieces does your work focus on?: 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.
How would you define what you do?: 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.

Clémentine Despocq is a rising star she began her career in 2017