Héloïse & Abélard

WE ARE DELIGHTED TO HAVE HÉLOÏSE SCHAPIRO AMONG OUR DESIGNERS. FOUNDER OF HÉLOÏSE & ABÉLARD, HÉLOÏSE CREATES ALL HER JEWELLERY OUT OF CYCLED DIAMONDS AND RECYCLED 18-CARAT GOLD. IN THIS INTERVIEW, WE ASKED HÉLOÏSE SOME QUESTIONS TO KNOW MORE ABOUT HER BACKGROUND AND HER INSPIRATIONS.

1. What is your earliest memory of jewellery? 
My first memories of jewellery are associated with my mother and grandmother, so my Parisian ethical jewellery house Héloïse & Abélard is intimately linked to my childhood memories. I remember my grandmother very well and her bony, jewelled hands that she would sometimes slap my hand with when I did something silly... her jewellery would jangle, I loved the sound of them and I remember the fear that they would get in the way and be painful! I also have vivid memories of my mother's fancy rings and sets, their huge volumes and shimmering colours. I remember fiddling with them when she wore them, loving it when they made a noise. I remember being fascinated by the way she so naturally assumed them. My mother was always finding extremely original jewellery, ‘beautiful pieces’. She thought like a ‘collector’ and considered her jewellery as works of art. The jewellery that surrounded me as a child always aroused curiosity, it was atypical. Their selection was always sharp, extremely far from classic jewellery and recognisable branded pieces. 

2. What was the first piece you designed? 
I accompanied my grandmother and my mother for the creation of a completely crazy piece of jewellery at a Parisian jeweller's. They had collected some very beautiful diamonds, which were then used to make the jewellery. They put together some beautiful family diamonds and a huge pearl. We all participated in the creation of this messy piece, with its generous volume and obvious asymmetry. I own this piece of jewellery with great pride today, I don't wear it much because it is closer to a piece of high jewellery than to a piece of jewellery that is easy to wear on a daily basis. 

I then created my first piece on my own in 2014, for my engagement. It is a bouquet-style diamond ring made of diamonds that belonged to my mother, and old cut diamonds recycled from old jewellery bought during an auction. This ring is rich, its construction is asymmetrical, its diamonds are all different sizes, the whole is disorganised but with an apparent simplicity. Without knowing it, I was gradually giving birth to the H&A style.

3. Can you tell us the story behind the name Héloïse & Abélard?
The name is a tribute to a legendary couple from the Middle Ages, Héloîse and Abélard. Héloïse and Abélard were two lovers who transgressed the established order of the 12th century to fulfil their desire. Pierre Abélard, a brilliant 39-year-old intellectual, taught philosophy at Notre-Dame Cathedral in Paris. He was entrusted with the education of 18-year-old Heloise of Argenteuil. Héloïse and Abélard were to experience a carnal passion in the shelter of a private mansion on the Île de la Cité. Discovered by Héloïse's uncle, their punishment would be terrible: separated for life, Abélard was emasculated and Heloïse sent to a convent in Champagne. When Abélard died, Heloïse demanded that her lover be buried with her in her convent. Twenty-two years later, she was buried beside him. Legend has it that Abélard stretched out his arms to receive her, thus holding her in his arms forever. In 1817, at the request of the City of Paris, the rebellious couple from the Middle Ages were transferred to Père Lachaise cemetery, thus becoming the oldest lovers in this mythical place.

The story of this couple is intimately linked to the history of Paris, their epistolary relationship is a monument of French literature. A medieval intellectual, a western woman of letters and the first writer to define the specificity of female desire, Heloïse became a mythical figure of passionate love. My mother, from whom I inherited my passion for jewellery, named me Héloïse in reference to this passion for love and to the personality of Héloïse d'Argenteuil. I thought it would be interesting to link our recycled jewellery to this timeless romantic story, in order to tell it and make it known. Created in 2019, our house infuses its jewellery with the ideal of freedom of this legendary couple.

4. Héloïse & Abélard offers ethical and feminine jewellery. Can you tell us more about the creation of your brand and the values you defend?
Héloïse & Abélard is the first Parisian house of recycled jewellery. I created Héloïse & Abélard in 2019, after 10 years of experience with the great jewellery houses of Place Vendôme, with the aim of restoring the eternal character of gold and diamonds, and proposing a desirable and responsible circular jewellery. More transparent jewellery, which says what it does and does what it says, and which puts the notion of transmission, not accumulation, back at the centre. My vision is simple: diamonds are eternal and gold is infinitely recyclable, nothing is lost, everything is passed on.

Accompanied by a team of diamond dealers, I find excellent-quality diamonds to recycle in France, mounted on second-hand jewellery, or abandoned by private individuals or antique dealers. I design all our jewellery and we make it to order for our clients, in Paris, in a renowned jewellery workshop located in the Marais district. So we recycle, without compromising on quality, and without restocking. Héloïse & Abélard jewellery is ultra-feminine, airy and delicate. I imagine random compositions of diamonds of apparent simplicity. Little metal, asymmetry, creative combinations of shapes, a floral and romantic dimension. I like the idea of creating order in disorder, of considering disorder as a positive notion, reflecting the image of the life of today’s women. H&A is for all women who are concerned about their looks, but conscious of their impact. Women who want to treat themselves to healthier, more human, more sustainable jewellery.

5. Why do you think it is important to work with recycled materials today?
Today, there are different ways to offer more responsible jewellery: synthetic diamonds, RJC-labelled suppliers, Kimberley-certified raw materials, etc. However, in my opinion, beyond questioning the conditions of extraction and supply, it seems much more efficient and reliable to stop extraction by reusing only the rare and eternal natural materials that have already been extracted and which are largely sufficient to manufacture all the jewellery in the world. Admittedly, this is a much more complex and time-consuming approach as it requires identifying, analysing, sorting and dismantling jewellery and therefore costs a lot more in manufacturing costs, but it seems to me to be the only real solution to offer more ethical jewellery. By reusing diamonds, H&A has not invented anything: we have only gone back to basics, the notion of transmission and transformation have always been at the heart of jewellery. The discovery of African mines in the 20th century flooded the diamond market, but in the past it was customary to pass on and transform one's jewellery, without constantly procuring 'new' jewellery, even within the great royal families.