By Diana S. Zimmerman

Creativity lies deep within the soul of Mathon Paris. It is an unstoppable force—drawing inspiration from a myriad of sources—a driving force that takes on a life of its own when translated into the world of fine jewellery.

The spirit of Mathon can be characterized by a genuine commitment to creative design. Beginning in 1931, founder Roger Mathon was a total artist who saw inspiration as fundamental to his work, and even to his life, and this carries on today with the third and fourth generations, with Frédéric, his daughter Aude, and Pascal Mathon, who combines creative computer design with traditional techniques. Perhaps this is why the Paris brand is one of the rare jewellers today to maintain a full design studio.

Inspiration for the brand’s exquisite creations comes from many sources, with Nature one of the most important. Season after season, year after year, the handcrafted jewels that leave the Mathon ateliers reflect a discerning observation of the natural world in its glorious forms, colour, and poetry.

This year, in homage to the French impressionist Claude Monet—himself greatly inspired by Nature—Mathon is revisiting its Nymphéas collection, first presented in 2005. With new colours and a more contemporary design, Nymphéas 2011 emphasizes the volumes and softens the forms to become more organic, more feminine.

The Lumière ring, the newest member of Nymphéas offers a purity of form and play of colours centring around orange and yellow. Its spessartite garnets, yellow sapphires, and diamonds evoke a field of poppies in one of Monet’s paintings. The white diamond version of Lumière evokes a sparkle reflected off a pool of water.

Another relaunch this year is the brand’s celebrated Quesaco ring, with its precious colourful gemstones. New for 2011 is the Arôme ring, with its purity of white gold and diamonds. It evokes the flowers in a bride’s bouquet and their beautiful fragrance.

Another new creation for 2011 is the stylized Battement d’Ailes collection. Available in rings, pendants, and earrings, it embodies the rare Central American “Glasswing” butterfly with transparent wings. As part of the creative process, a sketch of the pendant is shown here.

A very special collection—to be launched at BaselWorld 2011—remains under wraps for now. But we can say that these exclusive high jewellery pieces, entitled Fleur de Tiaré, will be a lovely surprise for all those who appreciate luxurious jewels. Mathon’s subtle alliance of contemporary, classic, and original styling combined with high quality materials has earned it the esteemed “Joaillerie de France” hallmark, certifying that the jewellery has been designed and produced in France in compliance with legal, social, ethical, and environmental standards.

The brand is also a member of the Responsible Jewellery Council. With the new 2011 collections, Mathon Paris again demonstrates that it is the essence of creativity.

www.mathon-paris.com