The Soul of an Artist - Camille Demoustier
YD: We continue our series «The Soul of an Artist » with you, Camille!Can you tell us about the profession of a jeweler and how you interact with the world through your spirit, your artist’s soul?
"“I work in a traditional artisanal manner. I need to go through the materials and the gestures to imagine the jewelry I make.
I make jewelry that I aspire to be timeless for inspiring women and as different from one another as are these women. I nourish my creative soul by observing the world around me. It can start with a flower, the botanical world, a fabric motif, a shape, an exhibition… In short, contemplation is an endless field of inspiration.”
YD: When we met for the shoot, you were talking about wanting to keep authenticity in your work. Can you tell us more about this desire and what it means for you?
"Authenticity comes from craftsmanship. I shape each piece by hand, I don’t know how to delegate or very poorly … I take to heart to use my jewelers' files, my tools and live the workshop life by working the material.
All these years spent working «à la cheville » (an expression denoting a wooden tool at jeweler’s table) sharpened my hand. I attach great importance to every curve, each detail or proportional adjustment that gives the final balance of the jewel."
YD: You mentioned that you are nourished by close relationships with women of various styles; and then also in the quest for irremediably seductive jewelry. Can you explain how these elements influence your unique art ?
When we embark upon a bespoke project for a client, there is an intimate relationship that settles between us. I try to decipher the woman I have in front of me, I listen to her, I guide her, I make sketches on my notebook. I am able in this way to propose draft sketches that would resonate with the client from our dialogue, and together. we move forward step by step.
After this first meeting, I work on more elaborate sketches and come back with maximum 3 proposals that we consider together and thus progress in the creation process. Then there will be the final models, the choice of jewels and the completion of the project.”
YD : In our field of textiles, we often talk about gestures to evoke weaving, drawing or brushstrokes in watercolor; we talk about the “hand” of a fabric to describe its touch… Can you tell us about your experience of gesture in the practice of your art?
“I always return to the notion of gesture. It manifests itself in all the creation of jewelery. Whether it originates from a pencil to draw, from a file or a torch in the workshop. The hand shapes, accentuates a curve, corrects a line, adjusts an angle. I willingly associate it with a continuous movement that is released once the design is well defined. It is often said that a good jeweler must spend 7 years in their workshop to master their gestures. Of this, I am convinced.”
YD : You’re also a client at Yves Delorme! We both evoke the imagination in our design process. Can you share your impressions of the resonance that seems to exist between our two Houses?
“Yves Delorme has everything of a great house: The mastery of a savoir-faire, the offer of quality fabrics, the quest for excellence, the taste for beauty, the preservation of a traditional craft. Products that remain, last and transport… I find myself totally in tune with this brand !
To taste the pleasure of sleeping in Yves Delorme bed linens remains, for me, a moment of pure delight… I dare to hope that my jewels offer the same delight ! In that, we offer a bit of a dream and imagination in our chosen fields!”
