Forçat chains from traditional Creole jewelry. Mauli threads, crafted from used saris by artisans in Dhaka, India, which are said to protect the wearer. Hand-made Ghanaian beads, sourced from Krobo and Ashanti Ghana, which were once a form of national currency, now stemming from a know-how passed on from generation to generation. Golden chains handcrafted in Italy. French flair and emotionality.

Surely this is the very definition of “from all over the world”.  

In her designs, Maria Lichtenberg has gathered colorful, meaningful and deep-rooted concepts, traditions and materials from many different countries and cultures, and transformed them into exquisite, fun and charming lockets.  

Representing our purest and deepest feelings and desires, they come in a kaleidoscope of colors, emotions, materials and techniques. The uplifting mottos – Amour, Bonheur, Believe, Will Protect You Forever – are branded on the side of most of the jewels.  

A traditional chain with a locket clasp that symbolizes emancipation and freedom in Creole culture was given to a teenage Marie by her mother – an artistic director at an advertising agency with Martiniquan roots, who also ran a small vintage jewelry boutique as a side business. “This style of Forçat necklace was crafted by slaves when they were freed,” explains Marie in her interview to Net-a-Porter (source: https://www.net-a-porter.com/en-us/porter/article-532ca0474f87e52a/jewelry-watches/fine-jewelry/marie-lichtenberg).   

Later, after years of working as a fashion editor for the ELLE France magazine, this spiritual connection with jewelry evoked the ideas behind what has now become the Marie Lichtenberg brand.  

To make her designs come to life, Marie cooperates with jewelry experts, and sources materials and components from across the globe.   

Amongst others, the techniques used in her creations include sophisticated hand-enameling; guilloche – a decorative technique where intricate and repetitive patterns are mechanically engraved into metal with a rose engine lathe machine; repoussé and chasing – metalworking techniques where the metal is shaped by hammering it to create a low relief design.

Déja vu: my mother gives me a long-desired candy. Hidden in a bright, golden wrapper, it promises the most delicious, sweet and phantasmagoric tastes available in our world.  

This is what Marie Lichtenberg’s brand stands for: heritage, good vibes, personal connections, unforgettable memories and new, wonderful stories to be shared with the special people in our lives.  

The only drawback of these irresistible, bohemian and talismanic charmers is that one is never enough. 

They will leave you wanting more!

In these dark times how can we go to work and go about our daily routines when somewhere – not so far away – people just like you and me are losing everything they have: lives, health, homes, parents, children, friends, hopes, youth, love, freedom?

How can we, in our sophisticated, modern society, live with this?!

I remember, a decade ago, when I was just starting my career and trying to make sense of the fashion world, I admired Franca Sozzani (then editor-in-chief of Vogue Italia), who had a smart way of covering events happening around the globe: without polemic, but rather through incredible, expressive photoshoots.

I’ve promised myself that my art curation articles will never be subject to geopolitical context and opinions. However, today I’m finding it extremely difficult to stay neutral.

I continue working with a huge hole in my heart, praying for children who have lost their parents, for desperate mothers losing their young sons.

Time and time again I ask myself: isn’t it superficial to continue writing about material things such as art and jewelry when there is so much urgent pain? Today I had a tiny breakthrough:

There are no limits to ugliness, nor to beauty. There are no limits to pain, nor to happiness. There are no limits to how much people can destroy, nor to the beauty that they can create.

And there is also hope in the realization that there are still people around us who are able to create rather than to destroy.

Here is a piece of Nomis jewelry, born in Kyiv, Ukraine. A little piece from the fragile world of beauty, to represent the immense creativity and the beautiful people of Ukraine…

If a Maharajah opened the doors of Boucheron’s studio today, what would he say?

The Maharajahs of India did not mind dressing up in the most expensive, sumptuous and rarе gems from tip to toe. The extravagant Maharajah Sir Bhupinder Singh, ruler of the princely state of Patiala from 1900 to 1938, was no exception – rather, an exemplary connoisseur of opulent and magnificent jewels.

According to Alain Boucheron, in 1927, the pompous arrival of the Maharajah to Place Vendôme was accompanied by caskets filled with a prodigious amount of precious stones -emeralds, sapphires, rubies and pearls (Master Jewelers by A. Kenneth Snowman).

A tribute to prosperity, high mastership and extreme beauty, Boucheron’s New Maharajah collection stands at the junction of two eras, two distinctive cultures and mindsets: those grandiose jewels created by Boucheron for the Maharajah of the past, and twenty-first century Europe.

Boucheron is building a bridge across centuries and continents. The Maison’s Creative Director, Claire Choisne, revisited one of the most desirable orders ever placed at Place Vendôme and figured out what they could offer to a modern Maharajah.

An epitome of jewelry tradition and history, this French luxury jewelry house, dating back to the 19th century, brings together advanced technology, cutting-edge craftsmanship, the highest industry standards and impressive heritage jewels.

In this new collection, curious and innovative Claire made a radical decision to use, with just a few exceptions, mainly transparent and white gems and metals: diamonds, pearls, rock crystal and white gold. She modernized the archive designs by resizing them and making them multifunctional, to fit the purposes and lifestyle of the contemporary international elite.

The New Maharani parure comprises three dramatic and delicate necklaces: the Majestic Lotus Necklace, the Crystal Necklace, and the Nacre Necklace, which were designed to be worn together. However, each of these masterpieces also shines on its own. Besides, the necklaces may be disassembled, rearranged and transformed into multiple wearable versions.

In the monochrome Majestic Lotus Choker Necklace, resembling, according to Claire Choisne, a diamond lace, diamonds intersperse with the pure drops of rock crystal to make the magnificent, transformable piece look featherlight.

The New Maharani Crystal Necklace, with several strands of carved stone crystal, interspersed with diamond details and white pearls, is closed at the back with cords and adorned with pearl tassels.

Meanwhile, the New Maharani Nacre Necklace has a large, flat tassel, crowned with a diamond and mother-of-pearl lotus flower, and can be transformed into as many as seven different forms, including a short necklace and two pearl bracelets.

Rock crystal symbolizes purity of thought, innocence and fidelity. The ten subtle New Churiyans Bracelets were inspired by the bangles of Indian brides. Their coquettish, tinkling sound is a subtle reminder of the wearer’s presence at any occasion and in any location. When not adorning the wrist, they can be stored on a mother-of-pearl bobbin, designed specifically for them. 

The product of innovation and the inquisitive mind of the creators, this retrospect with its modern outlook is anything but old-fashioned. The advanced technology and design, the sublime, monochrome and tastefully transparent palette, intelligent and masterful use of beaming diamonds, opalescent pearls and water-clear crystal make for an astonishing result, bound to remain in the history of jewelry.