Mazarin debuts in Galeries Lafayette, explains brand strategy

Mazarin, the environmentally advanced French jewelry marque, has opened its first physical store, a pop-up inside Galeries Lafayette. FashionNetwork.com discussed strategy with founders Louise de Rothschild and Keagan Ramsamy.

Located on the department store’s second floor in an ideal spot – between Louis Vuitton and Van Cleef & Arpels – the pop-up debuted Thursday night. A suitable place to highlight the brand’s nature-inspired pieces.

From its stylish, elephant-shaped recycled gold bracelets whose trunks clasped a clutch of diamonds priced at €30,000, to a clever new series of earrings named Venus and Mars, since opposite attract that retail at €7,800. The latter made from sliced quartz eggs-trimmed French lab grown diamonds  

Founded by Louise de Rothschild and Keagan Ramsamy, the opening marked an important new step for Mazarin. Aside from by appointment RDVs in its own Paris showroom on the Faubourg St Honoré and e-shop, the brand is only distributed at Whitebird and Moda Operandi.
 
The duo met while working for auction house Pierre Bergé & Associés, where Mauritius-born Ramsamy was in charge of jewelry for a decade.

As friends, editors and influencers gathered to celebrate the sustainable marque’s Galeries Lafayette debut, Louise de Rothschild and Keagan explained their brand strategy.
 
Why have you chosen Galeries Lafayette for your first independent boutique?
We have chosen the Galeries Lafayette because of our common ethos. They have been building a solid policy towards sustainability which is a big part of our DNA. Also, they are an iconic French company with an international aura which, we feel, is the perfect image of our maison’s ambition. 
 
What design did you choose to best express the Mazarin aesthetic?
Today, the most recognizable Mazarin piece is the Elephant cuff bracelet, the elephant being the totem animal of our maison. However, our bestsellers are rather from the Eboris collection (meaning ‘ivory’ in Latin and inspired from elephant tusk) which displays minimal, organic and sensual curves, decked with pear-shaped diamonds. It is a balance of masculine and feminine with a satin gold texture.
  

You concentrate on lab diamonds, and on recycled gold. Why?
We wanted to work with resources of our times that are as precious but take into consideration contemporary issues linked to the jewelry sector, like the mining issue. We chose to work only with reclaimed materials (our gold and other materials like quartz) or create new ones (like our diamonds), that take no more from the earth. As gemologists, we didn’t see any reason not to work with a lab-grown diamond which is everything but an imitation and offers unique creative possibilities, such as special cuts and colors (like our Nautilus Ring) that would’ve been unimaginable with mined diamonds.
 
Which items do you expect to be your best-sellers?
Our best-sellers are today the Eboris Link Pavée ring, the Eboris rings, Eboris Ear clip.
 
How has the international market for luxury lab diamond jewelry been growing?  
We have noticed a fall in prices (but so it is for mined diamonds) as demand has been going up, especially for colored diamonds. The trend which was already very present in the U.S. is spreading in Europe. Our suppliers have informed us of a higher demand from Scandinavian countries, Germany but also Switzerland.
 
Define the DNA of Mazarin?
The DNA of our maison rests on three main pillars:

1. Our assimilation of the great jewelry history gained throughout our many years working in auctions.
2. Our daring creativity as we believe a piece of jewelry is there to convey an emotion.
3. Our strong ethics, adaptability to our times and desire to craft a brighter and eternal future for jewelry.