PARIS: I meet Sylvia Toledano, the jewelry designer who makes the jewels I want to wear this summer. You put on a piece by Sylvia or carry one of her beautiful pieces from her minaudière collection you don’t need much more to add. Today you also have a chance to win her signature EROS bracelet or order it in your favorite colour directly at www.monnierfreres.com. Read the interview and find out how she does it.
You say that your accessories carry a spiritual meaning. Can you explain in which way?
When I began my minaudière collection in 2008, I wanted to make designs “décalés” edgy styles because the minaudières were at this time always very classic, very red carpet style and I wanted women of every age to be able to wear my bags with a white shirt and jeans. So I designed skulls, hemp leaves, evil eyes, peace and love signs… It was a big success and all the magazines began to cover my creations. I wanted my minaudières to be not only an object but a message for the women who will wear them, a message of joy, peace, freedom, fun, happiness…
Tell me about your collaboration with Guerlain? What inspired you for your work to put a jewel on a perfume flacon?
Maison Guerlain came to see me as they loved my jewels and proposed me to “enjewel” their bottles of perfume. It was a huge honour for me as I had just begun my jewelry collection a few months ago! I made a special edition for the Bon Marché in Paris with a jewel bottle in Lapislazuli, then I made five jewel bottles for Bergdorf Goodmann in New York, with amethyst, cornalines, malachite, pink quartz, turquoise. Then I designed the “parfum d’exeption,” a huge, very luxury bottle of extract of Shalimar for only 50 collectors in the world. All were special editions and I am very happy that they chose me to do it! It was like a consecration because it is such a wonderful and historical house in France and proof that I had to do much more in jewelry.
Your evening bags are little jewels. What do you wear when you carry a bag like that?
It depends on what a woman decides, if she wants to wear it for an elegant lunch with a white shirt or t-shirt and white jeans in the summer it can be wonderful! If she wants to wear it for a party, a wedding or a big occasion it’s ok too. I prefer that my kind of client chooses what she likes and be confident and she will be beautiful! They just need to be funny and happy and have their own personality!
How does your fine art inspires you for your jewelry design?
My inspirations for my jewelry come from my travels, art exhibitions, architecture, vintage fashion, colours, and also when I find beautiful gemstones. Every day is a new source of inspiration and also every woman I see!
What are the favorite pieces from your current collection? How do you mix your jewelry with other designs, and if you could only invest in one piece, which one is a must-have?
My favorite new piece of jewelry are the tassel earrings. The fringes move with your face and are very sexy. They exist in different gemstones, black quartz, pink quartz, malachite… Pearls also and in pink gold, black gold (ruthenium) and yellow gold.
The must-have piece is definitely the Byzance cuff wich comes in different gold colours and gemstones. I had more than a hundred featuring in the most amazing magazines in the world on this piece! I am preparing a special piece for Monnier frères with multicolored gemstones a hand cuff named “Sheerazade” only for sale on their beautiful website.
