In the spotlight: Atelier Marie-Rose

Marie-Rose has been working with her hands for 22 years. First as a goldsmith in Antwerp, then as head of the atelier for a Brussels fashion house, and for the past six years on her own, under the simple name Atelier Marie-Rose.

Those who pass her stall first notice the play of light: delicate silver chains hang over a weathered wooden panel, with a couple of large mirrors behind them catching the morning sun. It looks as though the jewels simply emerged from the wood, not as if someone placed them there.

Stones with a past

"Every stone I use has a story," she says. "Some come from old family heirlooms, others I buy at flea markets in Brittany, still others I trade with fellow designers." She picks up a ring from her case, an oval blue moonstone set in a hand-forged silver band. "This was once a pendant belonging to a woman from Saint-Malo. Now a girl from The Hague wears it."

Working at the market's pace

Those who want to see her work can: between customers, behind a small wooden workbench with a flame and a couple of tweezers, she solders new pieces together. "I believe people should see how something is made. A piece of jewelry is not a factory product, it is an hour of my life."

"A piece of jewelry is not a factory product. It is an hour of my life."

Marie-Rose is present at every edition of Le Marie Marché. You'll usually find her stall in the west corner, among the flower stalls and the book vendor lady.

Coming soon

For the summer collection she is working on a series of pendants with pressed lavender under resin, a tribute to her grandmother who lived in the Drôme. We hope to show them for the first time in June.