Whimsical, vibrant and lilting, Marie Cabirou’s jewellery is nothing
short of magic. In a conversation with Vijetha Rangabashyam
she talks about finding inspiration in movement and how she literally
dives deep down into the sea to find spark for her creations.
If you believe in unicorns, fairy
godmothers, mermaids and that sort
of thing, then you will fall in love
with Marie Cabirou’s jewellery. There’s
a little bit of magic in the way in which
the gemstones dance and there’s a little
bit of mystery in the way in which every
gemstone is married to the other to create
perfect harmony. After working under the
direction of Raf Simons in Dior for three
years, Marie decided to take the plunge
and launch her own brand Marie Mas
poignantly named after her grandmother
Henriette Mas. ‘I studied accessory
design (bags, shoes, glasses) and every object I designed always ended up being
a kind of jewel, so I guess it just came
to me from within. Designing jewellery
is amazing, what I love about it is that
each piece is like a small sculpture
interacting with your body,’ she says.
equivalent degree in accessory design
from the High School of Arts and Crafts
Duperré and a Master in Design from
the IFM (Institut Français de la Mode).
‘I have learned a lot in Dior, but I have
always wanted to launch my own brand,
so I set out on the journey of Marie Mas
2 years ago.’
Her pieces are moving, literally.
London and Swiss blue topaz, African
amethyst, pink quartz, blue moon quartz,
pink amethyst and semiprecious stones
in other pastel colours effervesce and
come alive in her pieces. Wearing them
would sure be an experience in itself
because the pieces simply sing, swirl,
sway, dance and what not! To perfect the
technique of movement that Marie was
looking for in her debut collection, she
resorted to none other than craftsmen in
India.
Tell us about your prize
possession when it
comes jewellery.
My favourite jewel is a ring that I
have from my grandmother. It was an
earring that she got from her aunt and
she mounted it onto a ring. It is very
beautiful and I wear it when I have an
important meeting - I feel like she is
there holding my hand when I have it.
That’s the magic of jewellery, when it is
passed from one generation to another -
every new generation cherishes it even
more.
How would you define
your label’s spirit?
My label is about creating jewellery
which is alive. I want to go further than
just an object, I want to give you an
experience, I want to give you magic.
For me a design is good only if it is
surprising, if it creates an emotion. I
want a woman to be mesmerised when
they wear Marie Mas jewels.