_An empire named Messika
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In the jewelry world, "Messika” is a household name. From father André, shining star of the Paris diamond market, to daughter Valérie, who ended up stealing the show despite herself by creating her own brand, jewelry is indeed a family affair at Maison Messika.
At the head of a planetary label whose flagbearers include such illustrious names as Beyoncé, Kendall Jenner and Kate Moss, the creator has successfully risen to the bold challenge of working with a single stone, the diamond. An ambitious philosophy that has succeeded in meeting the demands of an insatiable market. Meet Valérie Messika, the inspiration behind the business. -
Valérie, in 2005 you launched your very own house, named after yourself, which very soon scored a resounding success. What was your initial inspiration at the time, when you were only just 20 years old?
I think that above all I wanted to please my father. I’ve always admired him greatly: in the past, the diamond merchant profession was always passed on from generation to generation, but my father started from scratch and carved out a reputation through sheer passion and hard work. As his first child, I decided to join his adventure, rather hesitantly as I loved communications and marketing and didn't feel at all at home in this environment. However, I soon changed my mind, infected by his love for his profession. Thanks to him, I learned to read all the facets of a stone, I watched how stones were cut, and I went straight to the source, visiting mines from Israel to India. I followed him as he developed the business, until the day he decided to leave. The diamond market was undergoing a sea change and traders were losing value competing against the big names of the jewelry industry. My father never stopped telling me it was time to stop hiding in the wings and strike out on my own, but I wasn’t comfortable with the heavy, over-conventional image conveyed by the diamond. I was young, I wanted to be free! I wanted to create, innovate and dream up something artistic and accessible that spoke to the women of my generation. And so I started to create jewelry, spontaneously, following two valuable pieces of advice my father gave me: find your own style and work only with diamond.
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![Messika Paris - Néoporté By Messika]()
Messika Paris - Néoporté By Messika
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Having graduated from communications school, you never trained as a designer and yet you have achieved technical prowess still unmatched in the market, such as the Skinny range with its diamond lines and the Move collection with its moving diamonds. Where did you get the idea for these unique processes that are changing the codes of traditional jewelry?
Since founding Messika I’ve only had one purpose in mind: to pay tribute to the diamond. When I was a child, I used to play with stones and put them on my body to give them more lustre. My goal is to make diamonds shine like a tattoo on women’s skin using pure, modern lines where the technical challenge of achieving this light effect is more complex and important than the design itself. I have devised groundbreaking processes that do away with the setting, place the diamonds at the centre of the piece and endow them with movement to make them removable, comfortable and wearable every day. It is this obsession that prompted me to innovate and rethink techniques. I’m convinced that if I’d pursued standard training in gemmology I’d never have dared to do that!In 2015 you opened your first high jewelry workshop in Paris, where your technicians are designing jewels similar to works of art. How did this transition marked a turning point in the history of Messika?
Having my own team to develop my prototypes, training them to push techniques further and knowing they were on my side, ready to breathe life into my ideas.... that was a real challenge! As soon as I get an inspiration, the next day I can see the model, try on the waxes and discuss how to develop my projects with them. This is a daily process in which we share our thoughts, knowledge and skills. It’s extremely enriching! -
![Messika Paris - Néoporté By Messika]()
Messika Paris - Néoporté By Messika
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Since inception, Messika jewels have elegantly adorned numerous celebrities and muses, each one different from all the others. How do all these women symbolise the “Messika woman” in their own way?
What I like about them is that each one has her own world, personality, age and skin colour. Some are classical, others more fashion-oriented, rock’n’roll or wild... This is our strength: we don’t require any particular logo or style. On the contrary, it’s the woman who assimilates the jewel in her own way and its lustre increases her self-confidence. Messika’s success lies in this ability to reach all generations, from 18-year-old girls to 60-year-old grandmothers. Sure, this is achieved thanks to the breadth of our product ranges and this timeless aspect, but above all it is due to a common denominator: the diamond.
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You have also launched a collection for men. What made you want to create jewelry for this clientèle? Do you think that Messika will target men more over the coming decades?
There are many men in my family, including my brothers, my father and my husband. In ancient times, diamonds were reserved for men and it’s only through time that they have acquired a certain feminine connotation. I took up the challenge of restoring diamonds to the male sex, choosing titanium for its raw look in contrast to the brilliance of diamonds. Today, society has evolved and we are moving inexorably towards unisex jewelry, following the no-gender philosophy already well ensconced in Asia, as well as the trend among men to pay more attention to their appearance.We can see that the new Messika collections are clad in leather, sporting bright, punchy colours...What are the prevailing trends in jewelry this year?
After Covid, I think we all want to cling to things that make sense, that give us energy and make us feel better. I had also created a collection based on seven colours, each one representing a mantra of women’s power: be authentic, be free, be passionate, etc. Nowadays, jewelry has become a kind of talisman, a lucky charm that is appropriated by the wearer. For my latest collection with Kendall Jenner in the colours of southern turquoise waters, I have chosen to highlight green for its complementarity with blue. And without knowing it, it turns out to be a colour that brings good luck to many people, particularly in the Middle East where our creations are in very high demand.Over 15 years have gone by since the creation of Messika. How do you see things panning out over the next 15 years?
Quite honestly, I didn’t think about the first fifteen years at all and I don’t intend to start now. I sort of treat every day as it comes. The driving force that gets me up in the morning is my passion and my desire to pass it on. When I think that, today, I stand at the helm of a company employing 300 people and that I am the captain of this great ship, it’s a real source of satisfaction and a great privilege. Every day, I try to go one step further, I challenge myself and, even if I’m afraid, I take the plunge. My only aim is to continue to live from my passion and pass on this value to my daughters.MESSIKA
Read more at messika.com
@messikajewelry -
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An empire named Messika
In the jewelry world, "Messika” is a household name.
