We tapped Parisian jewelry designer Pascale Monvoisin to share some words of wisdom when it comes to being creative in a hectic world. In our latest installment of Small Talk, discover what sparks her creative process and what is exciting her most about designing jewelry today.
What is your favorite thing about designing jewelry?What excites me most about designing jewelry is the endless potential for self-expression. Jewelry is an emotional object and what I love is trying to convey an emotion through my designs.
How do you find ways to stay inspired?Precisely by not always trying to be inspired: the ideas often start flowing again as soon as I clear my head, go for a walk, or open up a book. For me personally, it’s also to do with my lifestyle. If I feel good in myself, I’m receptive; but it’s work first and foremost and sometimes it takes a long time. The fact that it takes so long is also part of the charm of my work!
Can you give us some insight into your creative process?I can be inspired by anything: an exhibition, a film, a detail from a conversation, for example. I always carry a notebook with me so I can write down and compile my ideas.
Then I create a mood board of images to refine my ideas, go deeper and follow my train of thought before I start drawing. I return to my drawings over the course of several weeks and when I’m satisfied that I know what I want, I share them with my development associate who works out the technical specifications with our jewelers.
Then comes the most exciting part: the first prototypes. This is also the point at which we start a dialogue with our workshop to find the right balance of volumes, ratio of materials and shades of stones.
What is on your design mood board these days?A lot of colors. I’ve just finished a Spring/Summer collection where I brought together a lot of different colors. I had a lot of fun trying to work out which color combinations would make the jewelry look best. I’m very happy with the results and can’t wait to show them off soon.
