Alix Dumas

Jewellery maker | Auray, France

Recommended by

L’ÉCOLE, School of Jewelry Arts

Objets d'art jewellery

Alix approaches her jewellery making as though it were sculpture
Her pieces are made of ethically sourced materials
She was awarded at the prestigious Salon Couture in the USA

Through the lens of a sculptor, Alix Dumas crafts contemporary fine jewellery. Her creations suggest sculptural movement, where metal and colourful gemstones are combined to form true art pieces. “Nature, light, the sea... I try to translate in each piece what I felt in a moment of wonder,” she explains. For as long as she can remember, Alix has created jewellery using whatever materials she could find. She trained in contemporary jewellery at the Parisian school AFEDAP, and then with a high jewellery atelier. In 2020, she opened Maison Alix Dumas with the aim of honouring the excellence of French craftsmanship while being on a constant quest for new techniques.

Interview

©Maison Alix Dumas

©Maison Alix Dumas

Where does your passion for art and craftsmanship come from?: My childhood and adolescence were marked by life experiences in several countries: Turkey, Romania, Spain. I have always had a passion for art history and museums, a passion passed on by my mother, an art historian and painter, who taught me from an early age to appreciate art in its many forms.
Why did you choose to pursue a career in jewellery making?: Beyond jewellery being my profession, it is my great passion. It gives me joy and makes me want to go to my workshop every day. For me, designing and making are processes that are born from an inner desire, and give rise to satisfaction and dynamism. It is a nourishing circle.
What was the first piece of jewellery you made?: The first piece I made, which for me embodies the essence of my work, was the eternity night ring. It is a Möbius strip covered with sapphires and diamonds. I used the 'mise à jour' technique: what is usually hidden on the back of the stones is here an integral part of the aesthetic of the piece.
Is there anything about your work that tends to surprise people?: I think I can say that I am the first woman to make artistic high jewellery myself, by hand, integrating every stage of the making process from creation to the final polish.

Alix Dumas is an expert artisan: she began her career in 2012