New Parisian Jewelry House Emilien Proves Less Is More
With a unique design language, limited distribution, Charlotte Rampling, and of course, diamonds, Emilien is quietly establishing itself among French Haute Joaillerie.
Charlotte Rampling and Emilien Vivier. (Courtesy of Emilien)
Haute Couture refers to highly elevated handmade garments crafted from the finest materials, made-to-order for the person wearing it. In the world of jewelry, the equivalent refers to a custom or bespoke style. For Emilien Vivier, the French jeweler leading his namesake brand Emilien, Haute Couture now applies to jewelry made to fit its wearer.
To wit, in his debut collection, the lawyer-turned-jeweler worked on a custom ear cuff for icon and muse Charlotte Rampling. Only Natural Diamonds paid a visit to Vivier on a recent New York trip to discover his architecturally infused designs featuring natural diamonds and the unique collaboration with the legendary actress.
Meet the Expert
- Emilien Vivier is a French jeweler and serves as one of the founders and Creative Director of Emilien.
- He began his professional career as a business lawyer after completing his studies at the Sorbonne University.
- He joined the Haute Ecole de Joaillerie in Paris, where he could nurture his unflinching desire for excellence, working on High Jewellery creative projects with the Houses of Christian Dior and Hermès.
Jewelry Born of Clean Architecture and Heritage
In the lobby of Mark Hotel, Vivier—accompanied by his brand advisor Mathilde Stone—displayed his “Duality” collection, described as equally strong and delicate, masculine and feminine, with a focus on mixed metals and shapes to create sublime jewelry. Vivier’s collection began with a piece inspired by a family heirloom. The launch style features a perfectly chiseled 2 carat Princess cut diamond set atop a square-shaped raised cage setting, emphasizing its geometry.
“This ring belonged to my grandfather and was passed on to me,” he explained. It features an aquamarine stone that reveals the finger underneath. “It’s a link between modernity and heritage, tradition. I connect to French savoir-faire, but make it more contemporary,” he said.
Why Emilien Is Embracing Exclusivity
Vivier’s approach to brand building is quality, not quantity. Thus, a core signature of the brand is styles numbered in lieu of names and limited to either a 10 or 100-piece series, depending on the model. Emilien is not seeking to be a mass-market brand. “We’re building a brand that attracts people who connect to our values, aesthetic, and limited editions. We’re not chasing volume,” he assured.
“Our clients are seeking unique pieces; they don’t want to see it blasted all over Instagram,” offers Stone, who added, “It’s a unique selling point; Emilien’s designs are so creative but are limited in distribution. Not everyone can do that.” Thus, the website and the brand’s Instagram are purposely sparse. “The idea is to offer a glance at the collection but not reveal every piece. This approach garners interest and can start a conversation,” explained Vivier.
Vivier isn’t going it alone. He teamed up with a good friend, André Rodrigues, whom he calls a ‘luxury world builder,’ to launch his high jewelry brand.
The Charlotte Rampling Collaboration
In one of those magical Parisian moments, Vivier met Charlotte Rampling at a dinner party hosted by a mutual friend while he was forming the collection. The two connected instantly. The actress inspired a design. “We kept in touch, and I proposed this creation made especially for her, but said that I would only do it if she accepted,” Vivier recalled. She did.
The result is a twelve-rung cuff that encases the ear. Each rung is distinct and draws on Vivier’s design language, ranging from signature hexagonal sections to smooth round pieces, often morphing within a single section of the cuff. Placed sporadically along the 18K white gold ear cuff are three diamonds, totaling about 1 carat, in signature cuts: Emerald, Asscher, and Princess. He noted that originally, he saw it with more diamonds, and she preferred fewer. “That is fascinating when everybody wants more and more, she wanted it to be more subtle,” he said.
The process speaks to the relationship that Vivier is trying to build with his client base, whether it’s a fitted style or not. The cuff required making a mold of Rampling’s ear, multiple measurements and fittings, and a silver trial version was made to ensure it fit perfectly, thus the Haute Couture comparison. It’s so specific to Rampling’s ear that attempts to wear it by others have mostly fallen flat. “We met a few times to make sure it was precisely shaped to her ear, and once it was finished, we shot a beautiful campaign,” Vivier said of the process.
Rampling debuted it on the red carpet at the Venice Film Festival for her latest film, “Father, Mother, Sister, Brother,” directed by Jim Jarmusch, which won a Golden Lion award. While the original style will cap out at 10 pieces, Vivier will expand the design with various metal colors and precious stones, including rubies, sapphires, and emeralds.
The Making of Emilien’s Diamond Signatures
Vivier took a U-turn from his corporate job to study Gouache painting and then jewelry design, first at Paris’ École des Beaux-Arts and then in a three-year program at the Haute École de Joaillerie. The program included high-level “stagiaires,” aka internships, at Dior under Victoire de Castellane and in Hermès’s fine jewelry studio. “Jewelry making combined creativity with a detailed and disciplined effort, similar to practicing law,” he said.
Through this training, Vivier developed his distinct design language, which he describes as ‘geometric with angles, clean lines and shapes for a modernist, minimalist elegance and structure.’ He incorporates diamonds with sharp angles set to allow maximum light, enhancing shine. A special brand touch is a diamond set inside a bracelet, so the wearer’s skin is touched by a diamond. “This stone passes energy and emotion through our skin and mind. The love of diamonds comes from this.”
