Louise de Rothschild and Keagan Ramsamy, founders of Mazarin

WHITEbIRD aims to put the light on creative, ethical and independent jewellery brands. For the first time since its creation, the Maison welcomes a designer brand that exclusively uses lab-grown diamonds.

After working for the auction house Pierre Bergé, Louise de Rothschild and Keagan Ramsamy founded Mazarin in 2022. Determined to shake up the codes of jewellery, the two founders have all the arguments to seduce. To welcome them, we asked them a few questions:

1. Tell us about your background, what led you to jewelry? What was your childhood dream?

Louise: I was lucky enough to grow up with a beautiful step grandmother who had an incredible collection of jewellery and who taught me a lot about stones and the history of jewellery. After joining the GIA gemology school in London in 2013, I immediately knew I wanted to make my career in jewellery. I then worked for 4 years in the jewellery department at Christie’s in London and met Keagan in 2019 at Pierre Bergé. Our friendship and complementarity led us to create Mazarin.

Keagan: Gems have always been a passion since childhood when my mother, who was in the field, taught me how to identify them. I also always drew a lot, often inspired by the wild world, and my dream was to one day be able to live from this passion. I studied art history and archaeology at the Sorbonne before passing the gemology diploma to then head the jewellery department at Pierre Bergé for almost ten years. In 2019, I met Louise and 3 years later, we created Mazarin.

2. How did your duo come about? What motivated you to create Mazarin?

We met at the Pierre Bergé & Associates auction house where we worked together in the jewellery department. After a long time appraising stones and antique jewellery, we wanted to do something with our shared passion and friendship, but resolutely oriented towards the future. Thus, with Louise’s entrepreneurial desire and Keagan’s creative drive, Mazarin was born.

3. Why did you choose the name Mazarin for such a modern brand?

Mazarin is certainly a historic name, but the character was very visionary in his political decisions for France. What particularly attracted us was Mazarin the collector because, in addition to his art collections, the Cardinal had a unique collection of 18 important diamonds which he bequeathed to the Crown of France upon his death. Today, only 3 remain, housed in the Louvre. The idea of a historical figure close to the arts and oriented towards the future resonated greatly with us, given our past in auctions and our vision for our house.

4. What are your respective roles in the creative process?

The process varies depending on the designs, which can have a more artistic scope or a more commercial purpose. For the most inventive pieces (like those in the Mazarin collection or emblematic pieces), Keagan imagines the themes and/or is inspired by stones presented to him with the greatest freedom. For more "commercial" pieces, a set of specifications must be followed. In both cases, the drawings are presented to Louise who gives her final opinion.

5. Why the elephant?

We chose the elephant as a totem because of its great memory, which echoes our attachment to history and heritage. It also reflects our association as it is appreciated in both the East and the West. Depending on the culture, it represents luck, wisdom, longevity, but always remains a highly positive symbol. The elephant also represents strength and fragility, prompting us to open our eyes to environmental issues.

6. Can you tell us more about your partnerships with the Big Life Foundation and the Mike Charlie unit?

We decided to give back to nature by working for the protection of our favourite animal, the elephant. We chose the Big Life Foundation because it not only protects elephant populations in Africa but also deploys many resources to educate the local population to be autonomous in preserving their resources. We sponsor a ranger unit named Mike Charlie that covers a critical area home to elephants and endangered black rhinos. This unit includes female rangers who dare to challenge the patriarchal system of their cultures to defend local precious resources.

7. Why did you choose lab-grown diamonds? In the future, would you like to work with coloured stones?

As jewellery historians, we know that each era comes with a new technical resource or trend. We believe that lab-grown diamonds are the resource of our time. As gemologists, we can affirm that it is a diamond with strictly the same chemical and optical properties as a mined diamond, unlike imitations, but which addresses many issues related to the mining industry today.

We exclusively practice "no-mining," which involves reusing already extracted resources such as recycled gold or second-hand stones or creating new ones like our diamonds. Moreover, one advantage of lab-grown diamonds is that it is possible to have them in very beautiful colours at more affordable prices, a path we certainly intend to explore!

For more information : the Mazarin lab-grown diamonds

8. Where do your lab-grown diamonds come from? Are they graded (4C) like mined diamonds?
We source our diamonds from suppliers who only use renewable energy or work through energy compensation. Our diamonds come from France and India, where diamond culture is ancestral.Our diamonds are graded exactly like mined diamonds according to the 4C criteria and by the same recognized laboratories that issue a certificate accompanying the stones.

 9. What is the difference between a natural diamond and a lab-grown diamond?
There is absolutely no difference between a diamond mined from the ground and a lab-grown diamond except for their origin and age. Both are made of pure carbon that has crystallized under high pressure and high temperature conditions. Since it is the same material, both possess the same chemical and optical characteristics, unlike many diamond imitations. It is impossible to distinguish them with a gemologist’s loupe; only a laboratory microscope can identify the difference, which is at the molecular level.

10. Where and how do you make your jewellery?

All our jewellery is made in France. The great French jewellery tradition is precious to us, and our most elaborate pieces are sculpted by the best jewelers of Place Vendôme. We provide the drawing and work hand in hand with the workshop until the piece is finished.

11. Would you one day like to create a high jewellery line using lab-grown diamonds?
Of course! The challenge we have undertaken by choosing this resource is to make it as legitimate as any other precious stone.

12. Finally, if you had to describe Mazarin jewelry in 3 words, what would they be?
Inventive, symbolic, eternal.

Thank you for answering all our questions and welcome to WHITEbIRD!