Interviewed: Irina Ivanova Pascal Bourdarya, the chief of the Chaumet studio, who worked with the Jar house for a long time, perfectly mastered science and mastered the art of Haute Joaillerie. He associates his creations with the creation of a musical work, and the motto "Do it your own way, do not copy anyone" has chosen the motto of life.
We met with Pascal in Dubai and tried to rediscover the DNA of Chaumet House and learn about all the nuances of the process of creating royal luxury jewelry.
Pascal, you say that Russian stone cutting is a reference. Have you had any experience studying in Russia?
Yes, I really visited Russia, I met many wonderful girls there. It was a good time to study, to learn. As a teenager, I explored Europe: I was in Latvia, Russia, Greece, Poland. You know, Norwegian, Russian girls ... It was wonderful.
That is, Russia and Russian women have influenced your work?
Yes of course. When you create jewelry, you always draw the image of a future customer.
Jewelry itself is very feminine, but to create it, you need to use male power. Sometimes I work on jewelry watches, framing them with jewelry, so they become more feminine. I like to think about women in the creative process, all the time. This is part of my passion.
You have been an independent jeweler for 38 years. And how did you become the head of the Chaumet studio?
I am the 12th studio atelier. In fact, the traditions at Chaumet House began to be laid in 1917. The head of the studio was the owner of the brand. As they say, up to 10 knees were all chefs. By the way, from the 10th everything was not so smooth, a sad story. And my predecessor decided to revive the brand, found me and made an offer. It was a restaurant, and I even thought he was drunk. I replied: "Great, Jacques. I will take your place." I liked the brand image, and the situation was favorable.
After that, President Thierry called me and said: "Many people liked this place, but we chose you as the 12th chief." I signed a contract without reading. I have been engaged in jewelry business since I was 16 years old, and for me it was a good opportunity to prove myself from a new perspective - to lead an atelier and build a brand to a new top. Believe me, this is better than money, although in your eyes I see doubts ...
I think that all talented, enthusiastic people are a little crazy.
Yes, there is one. Because we are obsessed with passion. We like to overcome difficulties, we are real ascetics. Of course, we cannot be crazy in the full sense of the word - gems are in our hands, and we are responsible for our work. But we must be inventors and have a good imagination. I have no right to go crazy as much as I would like. But I can create things of a quality that no one has done before. And I understand the full extent of my responsibility.
Are there any difficulties in your profession that we do not know about?
When we talk about piece goods, and not about an industrial scale, we are dealing with unusually small parts that have to be combined. Work is slow and requires a high degree of concentration. Imagine 500 to 1000 elements in one product! Every day you advance no more than 5 mm. Some do not understand the wisdom behind our work. They want to receive their order as quickly as possible. In addition, you need to know gemology: to understand that a diamond is durable, and topaz is fragile. You need to keep in mind a lot of ideas, build them into a system, and work delicately and accurately.
And the product at the output is exactly the same as in the sketch?
I am making a change. Designers do not delve into technology. When I had my own workshop, I did everything myself - both design and products. We have a museum where the whole history of the Jewelry House is collected. We respect our brand and company rules. Naturally, we cannot allow ourselves to copy someone, we must be different from others and have space for creativity.
When I see the design, I can immediately tell whether this work is on my shoulder. It is often quite difficult to get as close to the sketch as possible, sometimes it is impossible to translate the given “picture” into the product, and you have to create the illusion of the desired, using the available capabilities.
That is, you focus on the sketch, choosing stones for the product ...
When you experiment, you can first find a stone, and then come up with a design for it. But this is not about me. Yes, I draw first, and then try to find the right stones.
And how many people are working on creating masterpieces?
Our studio employs 12 people. My team works excellently, some of them have been with the company for about 20 years. There are also youth. I teach them, and they have already become part of a single whole. I have to bring to them all the technical information, to train so that someday they would be ready to change us. But, by the way, between our generations there is a big difference: I worked a lot to achieve something, and young people at the present time expect that they will succeed by themselves. In jewelry, you need to be bold, because this is a kind of music. Every day it is necessary to improve. I give them the strength to seek, find and work better and better.
Do you have the notorious “deadlines”?
Yes, time is never enough. Women are so fast, everyone wants to get it instantly. When a decision is made, you have to hurry - they always try to tighten the deadlines. We work at night and on weekends to maintain quality. I know everything looks a lot easier from the outside.
Not true. Obviously, the work is very complicated, especially looking at these unique transformer jewelry.
Yes, working with transformers, products that change their essence easily is a pleasure. This is for those spoiled capricious beauties, with a changeable mood - today she wants a necklace, and tomorrow - to make earrings from it. That's what is really interesting!
After all, so long ago in jewelry art, do you think it is possible to create something else fundamentally new?
Thank you for reminding me (laughs). Yes, decades, and I like it. Jewelery is like music, in which there are only 7 notes, and they are repeated one after another.
We can change little, but we can improvise. At the concert you can feel the degree of inspiration of the musician. The same with jewelers. We operate with medieval techniques.
And how do you manage to find something new all the time?
So women change all the time. You give us inspiration, new ideas. But we don’t sit all day in the workshop, bending over work, we are interested in life, listen to women. Why do you think I came here? I want to listen to what women in the Middle East say. Maybe they are waiting for something else, not what, for example, Russians or Chinese. It is interesting for me to get acquainted with oriental traditions. You women can’t even imagine what a huge contribution you are making to the jewelry industry!
Do Russian women inspire you?
Russian women are beautiful. But you live in the present, do not know how to wait, to search. Buy what advertising offers without thinking that you can find something special. Sometimes I want to say: wait, have patience!
And how long does it take to get something amazing?
From six months to a year, if a thing is by special order. I think it’s really a privilege when a jeweler creates something specifically for you. Finally, I want to note that not only the product is important, but also how the woman wears it. After all, decorating yourself, you also have to create ... Try on a diadem.
