Animal jewellery : when beasts are beautiful

Wildlife has been a firm favourite among French jewellers for centuries, with the Cartier panther, the Chaumet bee, the Van Cleef & Arpels butterfly, and so on. But these beasts have a territory that stretches beyond the Place Vendôme. Wherever they roam, animal forms embody power and delicacy, wild beauty and French refinement. Alongside Nach’s porcelain animals and Mathon’s dreamlike creatures, a stroll through the Eden of Maison Les Néréides and Lydia Courteille’s cabinet of curiosities unveils all the wonders of these bestiary collections.

Porcelain animals by Nach

Nature lovers Nadia and Nancy Koch are the queen bees of animal-inspired objects. Through the art of porcelain, they design unique and colourful pieces on which creatures take on the appearance of spiritual emblems. Their Leopard Addict collection summarises their position perfectly. In it, the two sisters explore the curves and brown-orange nuances of the big cat’s coat, which they use on pendants, rings, earrings and even bracelets, such as their best-seller “Cheetah kiss – Premier amour”. A beautiful expression of your wild side.

Dreamlike creatures by Mathon Paris

When it first began, Mathon Paris created an entire collection of small animal talismans. Echoing its poetic universe, its long-standing range, known as Bestioles, is inspired by the insects and tiny creatures that live in and around the family home on the banks of the Loiret. Dragonflies, frogs, ladybirds and butterflies land on the end of a chain or fingertips. The Grenouille (frog) ring is adorned with diamonds, demantoid and tsavorite garnets, yellow sapphires and a peridot. Fifty shades of green recall the lush palette of a countryside scene.

Eden by Maison Les Néréides

Occupying a building at 12 Rue du Paradis, Maison Les Néréides gracefully and imaginatively crafts “jewelled poems” in honour of the fifty nymphs from which it takes its name. Its collections are designed as an ode to nature and the simple joy of contemplating all the marvellous life forms that surround us. The blue scarab beetle has been a symbol of luck and rebirth since Ancient Egypt, and inspires the brand’s animal collection, as illustrated by the sacred Egyptian blue scarab pendant, which is composed of a bright blue stone and two blue enamelled elements enhanced with gilded brass details.

A cabinet of curiosities by Lydia Courteille

During the Enlightenment, the European aristocracy would set a room aside for collecting curious objects, calling it a “room of wonders”. Lydia Courteille has reproduced the practice with her cabinet of curiosities, an exceptional space that she fills with all her finds. Exotic birds, cold-blooded animals, symbolic insects and desert companions; the jeweller finds inspiration in her travels and the mysterious world of storytelling. Through her Maracaibo collection, she depicts crocodiles in their natural form, illustrating their strength and power of domination. An unsettling contrast with their vulnerable endangered status.

From colourful porcelain to dreamlike talismans, from intricate jewelled poems to cabinets of curiosities, the animal creations of these jewellery houses embody outstanding know-how and a passion for symbolism. The animal kingdom brings elegance and exoticism together, inspiring the most beautiful designs. This bestiary is an ode to nature in which each creature, fierce or fragile, subtly embodies a facet of its owner’s character.