Ivarene

WE ARE DELIGHTED TO WELCOME THE IVARENE COLLECTION AT WHITEBIRD. FOUNDER AND CREATIVE DIRECTOR ELISA BATTISTINI TELLS STORIES THROUGHT JEWELS, AND EACH OF HER NARRATIVE PIECE IS HANDCRAFTED TO SUPPORT AND REFLECT THE VALUES OF THOSE WHO WEAR THEM. FOR THIS LAUNCH, WE ASKED ELISA SOME QUESTIONS TO KNOW MORE ABOUT HER LIFE, INSPIRATIONS AND CREATIVE PROCESS.

1. Whitebird is delighted to be showcasing your creations. Could you introduce yourself to those customers who don’t yet know your work?
My name is Elisa Battistini, I am the Head Designer at Ivarene, a fine jewellery brand based in Paris. Ivarene essentially highlights precious and fine stones by suspending them on a silky cord. The assembly of jewels is generous, the cord disappears against the skin, the stones appear to be floating. Ivarene creations are entirely handmade in our Parisian workshop.

2. What is your first jewellery memory?
My jeweller father founded the Poiray and Verney houses, so I grew up in the world of fine jewellery. 
I spent my childhood on the Place Vendôme learning about all the stages of jewellery making: from precious stone merchants brandishing suitcases filled with treasures, to magnificent freehand drawings, to dark and fascinating manufacturing workshops and finally to sales…

3. Your father is a jeweller, has this universe influenced your “conversion"?
Of course. I was always part of my father’s working life, he wanted me to understand every aspect of his job. He gave me the taste for beautiful things and a creative impulse. This universe is part of what made me and has never left me.

4. You are an entrepreneur at heart and you previously worked in the restaurant industry. What do you think are the qualities needed to start a business?
First and foremost, you have to have a project that you believe in and that you love. You have to be organized, versatile, persevering... and know how to surround yourself with the right people!

5. Your creations put stones in the spotlight. Can you tell us about your sourcing and your manufacturing process?​
All our creations are handmade in France in our Parisian workshop. It is in India that we meticulously select the stones that make up our necklaces and bracelets. We adopt them as they have organically formed in the depths of the earth. We allow ourselves to be guided quite simply by the emotion they provide in their raw and natural state, cherishing all their irregularities. The stones are polished, cut, faceted and do not receive any treatment. The colours and nuances remain natural, which makes it possible to create soft and harmonious gradients. We work with several stone cutters, all of whom work with respect for human rights. The two main companies we work with are run by women. We have a special connection with them that facilitates our relationship.

6. What are your sources of inspiration?​
Nature. I am always fascinated by the beauty and magic of everything that surrounds us, a flower, a leaf, a pebble… The street. I love observing people, mentally photographing a style ora jewel, then mentally digesting it and transforming into something new.

7. In your opinion, what do jewels say?
They are symbol of sensuality and pleasure that allow people to beautify themselves and express their personalities… They tell as many stories as there are people.

8. Chinese mini-portrait - If you were…
A jewel: I would be an Ivarene necklace
A stone: the sapphire in all its formations
A flower: a peony
A dish: a salad made with good market vegetables and slices of bread toasted with salted butter!
A work of art: a painting by Bonnard
An author or a book: a good saga, The Taste of Happinessby Marie Laberge
A country: France