Nikki
BEHIND THE IDEA, A FACE
For once, we're going to leave the "we" for the "I" for the time of these few lines. Indeed, it seems more natural to me to talk about myself in the first person rather than in the third. Before introducing myself, I'll first answer the first question that comes to your mind: "... but then why the "we" in the other articles? Simply because Ôkami is not the story of one person or a solitary project.
Ôkami is a story that came to life over time, through discussions and encouragement. It is a story of people who create, imagine solutions, analyze, bring a benevolent look on an idea which wants above all to be a link, a thread connecting actors of the world of the jewelry and elsewhere, all passionate about their trade.
"GREAT THINGS ARE NEVER DONE BY ONE PERSON,
THEY ARE DONE BY A WHOLE TEAM"
A little
HISTORY
I started my career by studying architecture, academic art, I made a detour through fashion design and one day I arrived in the world of watchmaking and jewellery. I am extraordinarily lucky to have met so many people who are milestones on my professional path. Each of them has been an encouragement for me, a life experience, that little something that makes you grow and evolve.
In 2005, I arrived in the watchmaking and jewellery world without any experience 🙂 . But very quickly, I found my bearings and I discovered an extraordinary magical environment. A world where we speak in tenths of a millimetre. An art of precision, complexity and passionate people to give life to an object where obsolescence does not exist. Watchmaking creations, the subtle interplay of the cogs of a mechanism whose life seems to be eternal. In this exclusive environment, I discovered and learned about exceptional pieces, the art of jewellery, the world of precious stones and how to stage them.
THE SKETCH
For me the sketch is the first vector of communication with reality. It is the sign that the project is already matured in my mind. I use it to trace the contours of the object. It is the materialization by hand of the idea that has taken shape in my head.
THE FAITHFUL ASSISTANT
Basile, here's a helper for all situations. Main support for breaks... cuddles 🙂. Not a great help during the breakdowns of ideas... sometimes it happens or when there are too many! But I can count on him to entertain me, break my concentration and sometimes he participates, willy-nilly, testing the jewellery 😉.
THE FAITHFUL ASSISTANT
Basile, here's a helper for all situations. Main support for the breaks... cuddles 🙂. Not a great help during the breakdowns of ideas.... sometimes it happens or when there are too many. But I can count on him to entertain me, break my concentration and sometimes he participates, willy-nilly, testing the jewellery 😉.
... THE MAGIC OF
STONES AND THE OTHER SIDE OF THE COIN
...
Jewellery synthesizes several important elements in my professional research. It brings together handmade work, age-old know-how, precision, the nobility of materials and precious and coloured stones. I am a great fan of the work of the lapidary or diamond cutter who sublimates and reveals the full potential of a "pebble"; a small treasure formed in the bowels of our good old earth. The gemmology that I studied allowed me to apprehend the different aspects, to understand its formation, how to take care of it and especially to learn the methods of exploitation. This explains the choices and values made for Ôkami. Stones have fascinated mankind for thousands of years and when you see the magic that takes place when light dances through the stone, you can only feel, for a moment, the emotion that results from this ballet.
Made-to-measure creation
IN CONCLUSION
Ôkami was created because I want as many people as possible to be able to wear, feel and discover the wonderful world and the skills I use every day. I have often noticed that the creations I have imagined were inaccessible to most of my entourage.
It is with these remarks and the encouragement received that I hope today to discover the know-how of Swiss craftsmen, to discover the world of gemmology by offering lesser known stones. To make accessible a jewellery which is not usually accessible and even if it requires to review and rethink an economic model or to earn a little less to offer a little more.
Ôkami is a project, a link between people. From the design to the wear, each creation that we conceive brings with it ethical and sustainable values and a realization made in the respect of the work of each one.