How did your passion for reptiles segue into a career in gemology and did you have an ‘aha!’ moment which made you want to enter the world of precious stones?
The link between my two passions is colour. When I was herpetologist I was running after the most colourful snakes in the world, the same colour attraction in gemstones drive me today.
You have travelled the world to source stones. What is your most memorable gem-hunting experience?
Without doubt when I spent two years looking for a unique stone who had disappeared from the market for decades and finally found it by luck talking with a guy in a restaurant - the stone was property of his family.
Is there a gemstone you feel is under-appreciated or overlooked?
Very fine colour-change sapphires are, in my point of view, under-appreciated because they are really scarce by nature and unknown by a majority of customers.
If you could purchase your dream gemstone, what would it be?
A 30ct gem square-cushion cashmere sapphire with an intense blue cornflower colour!
What is the Maison’s criteria when sourcing and certifying stones?
Only the best quality and what fits the group directives, of course. But also what fits the Piaget style - we are typically not a Maison that would go for, say, a giant emerald and white diamond necklace. Our style is less classic and bolder, so we would pick four different emeralds and add tourmalines with shades of blue and yellow, for instance. All our gems are externally double certified and also checked in our internal Piaget gemlab.
Which was the first Piaget piece that featured gemstones you sourced?
It was the treasure ring, which had a 5.82ct oval gem ruby from Mozambique.
When discovering a stone, you must believe that you can transform it into a stone worthy of a high-jewellery Maison. Do you get a gut feeling when you see a stone for the first time that you can realise its full potential?
Always. Either because it already looks special and perfect to me, or I can sense the full potential if we were just to recut this differently.
What do you envision when curating gemstones for a new piece and how do you ensure the composition is complementary and harmonious? Do stones come before the design?
It depends actually. When going to a gem fair, we already know what we must buy. Then, of course, on top of this, there is the occasional crush. It happens a lot when we are together with Stephanie Sivriere, our artistic director. In Tucson for instance, we had found a fossilised wood dial so magnetic that it inspired her to create the Andy Warhol Watch High Jewellery that was featured in the Metaphoria collection. Sometimes, we also have to change the design or the stone to match her ideas or depending on what we can source. It’s really a discussion.
Piaget travelled to Abu Dhabi in collaboration with Abu Dhabi Retail to showcase its 150th anniversary Essence of Extraleganza collection. How did this partnership come to life and why do you feel Abu Dhabi was the ideal location for this celebration?
When this great opportunity appeared, we decided to rework the exhibition that had already been to Paris and Shanghai to match the location and the country. The gazebo was a no-brainer and it dictated the new path to the exhibition and we decided to go bold and have an open-air exhibition with no windows. Some stones were facing the morning sun, so we carefully matched the zoning to make sure nothing was at risk, but it was worth the risk. It was a brilliant exhibition to really deepen the precious bonds that already existed between Piaget and the region.
Clients are becoming increasingly educated about gemstones and the gem-sourcing process. Does this affect the gemstones you select, and have you noticed an evolution of clients’ tastes since you joined the Maison in 2016?
It doesn’t affect our process per se, as we have always and will always go hunt for the best quality. However, some things that were possible a few decades back are no longer possible, for example, a big garden in an emerald. It was thought to be poetic back then, now clients are really more aware and educated and only want the purest.
Essence of Extraleganza features an abundance of rare stones, from Columbian emeralds to Madagascan sapphires. What is the most exquisite creation that was showcased in Abu Dhabi, in terms of both the research behind it and the final piece?
It’s hard to pick as every creation has a story. I’ve always been fond of the cornelian and spessartite necklace, which for me truly embodies the Piaget DNA and know-how. But technically, seeing the rainbow earrings and bracelet come to life felt special as it was a nightmare to source all of these different stones and set them - we were paying homage to this vintage scarf necklace from 1984. Every piece is special to us, we will maybe see them again one day or will reproduce the style differently. The story keeps on going. Always.
