Caroline Gaspard, founder of jewellers Akillis, talks about AK47s, dirty girls and fast cars
The French designer explains why never going to jewellery school was a good thing, and how a Russian shooting range inspired a collection
I started making jewellery when I was 10 years old. A friend of my father’s sold diamonds and emeralds. He would visit and bring little stones with him such as amethysts and morganite. The process and how he turned the stones into bracelets and rings fascinated me.
This was the starting point of jewellery for me. When I was 17 my relatives, friends and family asked me to create special pieces for them. I started with men’s bracelets because it’s difficult to find beautiful jewellery for men. One of the first was a bracelet I called the King George that I made for my father.
I went to business school. It’s useful, because you become aware of other sides of business you wouldn’t normally think about. Running a jewellery brand, there are so many fun things to do – design the collection, create images with the product, find the right models, go to parties. But you also have to deal with the financial part and hiring and firing people.
When I finished business school, I did a survey on why people buy jewellery and luxury watches. I discovered that it’s because they want to give people a message. There is always a message behind the jewellery or behind the luxury goods people buy.
I started my jewellery line when I was 25. Our pieces are not like your mother’s or your grandmother’s jewels that you keep in a safe. They are jewels you wear every day.
My first line was called Puzzle. It seems logical to have pieces of the puzzle, because life is like a puzzle. And when you meet your boyfriend or girlfriend, it’s like you have found the missing piece in your life. It’s different, and it’s very symbolic of life.
