No visit to Paris is complete without a little shopping. Luckily, the city is known for its craftsmen, and in the Marais district there are several boutiques with handmade products. Here, we have selected three of our favorite jewelers who make exquisite jewelry on the premises of their ateliers, which also serve as their retail outlets.
Jocelyne Aubrée
Jocelyne Aubrée has been designing and making jewelry by hand since 1987. She originally sold her jewelry to various boutiques in Paris, but in 2016, she took over a boutique in the Marais, in which she now exclusively sells her full line of jewelry and other accessories including scarves.
Raised in Brittany, France, Aubrée is inspired by the beautiful nature she grew up around. Her jewelry is fun and whimsical, and she uses colored glass beads and stones in various shapes, plus fabrics, wood and cabochons. Browsing in the boutique, you will discover a beautifully curated display of necklaces, earrings, rings, pendants and bracelets.
Good to know: Aubrée can also custom design pieces and can ship worldwide. Prices are quite reasonable, with rings and earrings starting at €20 and some of her intricate and multi-stone necklaces selling for up to €120.
Tip: When you visit the boutique, make sure you take time to say hello to and pet Aubrée’s adorable dachshund, Queenie.
Visit www.jocelyne-aubree.paris.
Thierry Vendome
Jean Vendome, who was born in Lyon, France, in 1930, became a pioneer in modern jewelry-making in the 1950s, creating a bold, new look, unseen before. He designed over 30,000 pieces of jewelry, which were sold in his boutique and displayed in galleries and museums, until his death in 2017.
His son Thierry has followed in his footsteps, creating stunning jewelry, using yellow and white gold with precious gemstones such as diamonds, rubies, sapphires, pearls, opals and jades. On any given day, you will find Thierry behind a glass partition in his Marais atelier, with his goggles on and using a torch and other tools to create his masterpieces.
One of his signature pieces is a square-shaped ring in either white or yellow gold adorned with small diamonds. He also creates a slimmer version of the square ring that could be stacked with other rings. Pretty cool: Thierry also creates one-of-a-kind jewelry and can customize pieces for clients.
Visit www.thierryvendome.com.
Marais Vous
Although Odile Louis-Pays had a degree in urban planning and taught history and geography, she eventually turned to her true passion: jewelry-making. In 2010, she quit her job to devote herself full-time to jewelry-making and studied at two prestigious schools. In 2020, she set up her own atelier, and earlier this year, Louis-Pays opened a shop in the Marais, and moved her atelier there, where she makes all the jewelry by hand.
Louis-Pays’ Marais Vous Collection is divided into three categories: Boho Chic, which has a bohemian flair using silver and small gemstones; Geometry, using strong geometrical shapes in solid silver; and Neo-Romantique, a throwback to the romantic jewelry of another era.
Marais Vous also sells its products online.
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