Text: Dariga Masenova FRENCH VALERIA MESSICA CHANGES THE generally accepted notion of diamonds. “THEY SHOULD NOT BE HIDDEN, AND BE CARRIED,” SHE STATES.
Trendy jewelery designer Messika Paris works exclusively with diamonds. "Thanks to my father, I switched to you very early with them. He allowed me to play with diamonds, like with toys when I was little, and quietly taught me to see my self-expression in them."
Valeria is lucky: she has unlimited access to the rarest stones in the world. Her father, Andre Messika, owns Andre Messika Diamonds, a company that has been importing high-quality diamonds for over 40 years.
Valeria released her first collection in 2005. Her taste, fresh vision and "carefree" attitude to stones provided her with the status of a fashion designer, and jewelry quickly turned into a must have.
Just look at the elegant thin bracelets from the first collection of Move. The real highlight is the freely moving diamonds that are placed in the golden bar in the middle of the bracelet. They seem to live their own lives, easily rolling up and down with the movement of their hands. "I love to play with the semantic load of objects. The idea of combining the hardest mineral on the planet with fluid technology, when diamonds soar lightly in the air while remaining on the hand, seemed to me incredibly attractive."
Valeria’s work is primarily attracted by technically “smartly” arranged stones that refract light with maximum power.
Due to this, fashionable, almost "hipster" accessories are still captivating from afar. There is no pomposity and heaviness in them - only an elusive charm, style and a feeling of weightlessness. “Diamonds have been lying in the bowels of the Earth for thousands of years. But I want them to be associated in a new form with modernity, with style, but at the same time do not look pretentious.”
Valeria, of course, is a creative person. She follows the original interior design, is inspired by unusual architecture and loves to surround herself with beautiful things. Her flagship boutique in the heart of Paris, on 259 Rue Saint Honore, is an open space with high antique ceilings and walls in soft powdery tones of pink and gray.
The Angel collection illustrates her unconventional approach to material selection: she used marquise-cut diamonds to create perfect “angel wings”. Their pointed form has become part of the design - the decoration is as if saturated with the spirit of rock-roll. The designer herself recommends wearing a wing earring on one ear. Two other collections, Kate and Liz, are made in the tradition of minimalism, where diamonds adorn the elegant, strict graphics of earrings, rings and bracelets in white gold. "Less is more" - this is the slogan of Valeria's laconic jewelry works.
The latest creation of Messika is the Queen V. collection. The designer has guessed the tendency towards graphic, slightly aggressive decorations. At the same time, she presented the trend at a different level, creating expertly executed jewelry that reflected the symbol of royal dignity - the tiara. They were appreciated by trendsetters Beyoncé, Rihanna and Cara Delevingne.
