Reviving a Heritage Jewelry House—This Time With Lab-Grown Diamonds

In the 1800s, Oscar Massin was a groundbreaking jewelry designer who created tiaras for the Queen of the Netherlands and developed a technique that made metal look like lace. In other words, he was an innovator, and his work was prominently presented at the Universal Expositions in Paris throughout the latter half of the 19th century. His love of nature comes through in his designs–elaborate diamond brooches in the shape of a rose, or a diadem adorned with carved shells and pearls, belonging to the Spanish royal family. He retired in 1892, but his work still resonates today. Vogue editor in chief Anna Wintour wore a rose-cut diamond necklace of his to the 2019 Met Gala, for instance. With his values in mind, Frédéric de Narp, Coralie de Fontenay, and Sandrine de Laage are reviving Oscar Massin as a luxury jewelry house next month. 

Co-CEOs De Narp and de Fontenay, and creative director de Laage have collectively worked for storied jewelry brands such as Cartier, Harry Winston, and De Beers, but relaunching Oscar Massin presents an opportunity to put sustainability and traceability at the forefront of a luxury house. (The trio are partners in the Paris-based Luximpact, a company that relaunches storied French labels). “[We want to] honor Oscar Massin and what he represented,” De Narp says. “He was a real diamond reformer. He was a pioneer. We want to represent the leader he was 180 years ago to the world with new codes, and embrace lab-grown diamonds with the highest quality.”  

The filigree and lace flower collections

The beaded collection

 The new Oscar Massin will follow its namesake’s lead when it comes to modernizing and revamping the jewelry making process. They will only use fully traceable, untreated, and climate-neutral lab-grown diamonds, from the company Latitude, in settings of 100% recycled gold and platinum. De Narp calls lab-grown diamonds a “incredible fruit of human genius,” and adds that it has only been possible in the last six or seven years to create a brand that only uses high quality lab-grown diamonds. Since all the diamonds are grown in Latitude’s Washington DC facility, the buyer will know the provenance of each stone.  

As for the designs, de Laage paid homage to many of Massin’s key motifs in her first three collections, launching mid-February. The lace flower collection, for instance, reproduces the guipure technique he developed on rings, earrings, pendants, among other designs. The intricate results feel precious, but not too delicate. The second is the filigree collection. De Laage describes the threaded motif as, “remain[ing] true to a very couture spirit. The filigree setting is a bezel set, which represents a thread of gold which gives the impression that the threads of gold are pierced inside the diamonds.” The threads of gold give the jewelry an interesting, layered texture that warrants a closer look. 

The final collection features a beaded theme. “I got inspiration looking at all these elements of beads and paillettes on very high end couture robes,” de Laage says. When stacked together, the rings and bangles in the beaded collection fit together almost like gears. With diamond and gold options, why not buy a whole set? 

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