A Guide to Paris’ Most Unique Natural Diamond Jewelry Spots to Visit During The Olympics

Are you heading to Paris for the Olympics this summer? The city of lights has a treasure trove of jewelry stores off the beaten path. Discover these trendy new spots and their sublime natural diamond creations to truly live the Parisian lifestyle.

Seijna

Location: On the legendary Place Vendôme, near Boucheron and Cartier, designer Déborah Lombroso shares her collections of natural diamond jewelry by appointment at her boutique Seijna (Showroom at 10 place Vendôme). She specializes in giving a second life to family heirlooms, resetting traditional jewels into modern masterpieces.

Brand DNA: Deborah Lombroso’s jewelry is very feminine and colorful, with natural diamonds that can be passed on from generation to generation. Her timeless yet contemporary jewels are easy to wear every day. Déborah inherited her passion from her grandmother, Seijna, whose rings and specifically her gold watch set with diamonds, put sparkles in Déborah’s eyes.

Fun Facts: Déborah organizes private piercing parties at her showroom or at a private home with a professional piercer. She considers a new ear piercing a permission to indulge yourself and matching piercings can even be a special moment to share with friends, sisters, or between a mother and daughter.

The Must-See Piece: The Talisman Serenity necklace with its ultra-sunny turquoise eye and radiating 0.48-carat diamonds is perfect to layer with other colorful necklaces. Also remarkable is the Peacock  Feather necklace set with diamonds that can fit any outfit.

Where to dine nearby: For lunch, check out Chez Mar’co (4 rue de la Sourdière, 75 001 Paris) a new vegan spot is a haven for designers and creators of Place Vendôme, created by the founder of Colette’s former Water Bar. In the evening, head out for dinner and dancing at the Hollywood Savoy, close to the Palais Brongniart, in the Bourse district (metro line 2). The 80s club atmosphere offers a refined cuisine and elegant décor, the perfect place for a fun night on the town. 

Incarnem, Sinople Gallery

Location: Enter a warm, intimate gallery in the heart of the Arts et Métiers district, home to all the gemstone dealers in Paris.  It’s no wonder Incarnem’s (9 rue Charlot, 75 003) Marine Billet, an architect-turned jeweler and caster, loves to exhibit her work at here.

Brand DNA: Incarnem gets its name in honor of jewelry that embodies all that is carnal and revolves around natural diamonds and casting. The idea: to freeze your natural features forever in metal. For Marine, the choice of natural diamonds is obvious as it enables her to embody the passing of time. Marine loves the idea of pure light worn on the body and people’s magical fascination of diamonds.

The Must-See Piece: The Diamond Mouth Ring comes from a casting of a sculpture on the door of the Musée d’Art Moderne in Paris and features a beautiful white diamond. One of her emblematic pieces is the Finger Armor, a highly original piece of jewelry that covers the entire finger and can be customized with added white diamonds.

Fun Fact: Incarnem will be celebrating its anniversary from October 4 to 15 with an exhibition at the Galerie trois Mètres carrés in the gardens of the Palais Royal.

Where to dine nearby: La brasserie Dubillot (222 rue Saint-Denis, 75 002)., a French institution that feels like Sunday lunch at your French grandmother’s table, with typical local dishes like œufs mayo, saucisse-purée, and paupiettes de veau. The decor is cheerful and tasteful and if you ask for a table upstairs you can admire the cocktail bar and enjoy some peace and quiet. The restrooms in the basement are worth the photo for Instagram

Statement

The Location: 5 years ago, Amélie Huynh, a natural diamond and art deco enthusiast, opened Statement (1 rue du 29 juillet, 75 001), a beautiful boutique, located between the Tuileries Gardens, almost opposite the metro station, and the very chic Rue Saint-Honoré, known for its fashionable addresses.

Brand DNA: Statement believes a woman should celebrate and reward herself for the work she’s done, the life she’s led, and for her victories with a timeless piece of jewelry that never goes out of style. Amélie has always been fascinated by this magical stone that came from the Earth’s core and studied business in school. She particularly loves art-deco jewelry and always incorporates pave details in her designs. Passionate about haute-joaillerie, she loves pink and index finger rings, like this piece, the Meaningful Beauties 1, in silver and set with 100 princess-cut and baguette-cut diamonds, weighing 2.56 carats.

The Must-See Piece: The ring Mini My Way is the brand’s best-seller and can be customized with different enamel colors. The ring is set with 48 brilliant-cut diamonds, with a total of 0.23 carats. Also worth a look are the Wishbox Pendants, designed as Tibetan prayer boxes and set with 34 brilliant-cut white diamonds totaling 0.48 carats.

Fun Fact: Amélie dreams of designing transformable jewelry in the style of Van Cleef, or Chaumet, where a necklace can become a bracelet, or a detached part of a piece could be transformed into a brooch.

Where to Dine Nearby: Have a drink on the terrace of Madame Rêve (48 rue du Louvres, 75001 Paris), a 5 star hotel with the largest rooftop bar in Paris with a breathtaking panoramic view of the capital.

Vanrycke

The Location: Vanrycke’s Lise Vanrycke, who has been creating refined, timeless jewelry for 25 years, doesn’t have her own boutique yet, but her work can be found in plenty of stores including the one at the corner at Le Bon Marché (24 rue de Sèvres 75 006), one of the most historic and emblematic department stores in Paris.

Brand DNA: Vanrycke offers easy-to-wear and dainty gold jewelry featuring plenty of natural diamonds. Lise has an unconditional love for natural diamonds and inspire her designs more than any other stone. For Lise, “diamonds, especially white ones, are the most inspiring, the most extraordinary, indestructible,” but she loves to work with colored diamonds as well.

The Must-See Piece: The Abécédaire Necklace, will be worn by the titular Emily (Lily Collins) of Emily in Paris in season 4 of the show, out this August on Netflix.  At the boutique, you can choose your initial in rose or white gold. The diamond version of the necklace features a 0.04-carat  natural diamond added as a charm on the letter.

Fun Fact: Lise designed the Styloid, a bracelet that highlights the wrist bone (giving its name to the piece). This technical feat, for which she holds three patents, fits perfectly without clasps. She is the only designer to have done so, and her creation has entered  the Musée des Arts Décoratifs. There is a semi-paved version and another entirely paved with 2.3-carat diamonds.

Where to Dine Nearby: Have dinner at La Petite Chaise (36 rue de Grenelle, 75 007), the oldest restaurant in Paris, an old inn that has just been restored. Enjoy traditional cuisine (onion soup, sole meunière, tarte tatin) in a warm setting with a beautiful library and numerous mirrors.

Galerie Lydia Rupp

The Location: After 17 years at the Louvre des Antiquaires in Paris, Lydia and her son Jean-Baptiste opened Gallerie Lydia Rupp in 2015 at Marché Biron (85 rue des Rosiers, 95 400 Saint-Ouen), the antique dealers market, right in the heart of the famous Puces de Saint-Ouen.

Brand DNA: They offer a wide variety of natural diamond and other gemstone jewelry pieces, many of them signed by famous designers from the 19th century, the Belle Epoque, the Art Deco, vintage pieces from the ‘50s, ‘60s and ‘70s, as well as original, contemporary pieces. Lydia started her career studying gemology and has been passionate about natural diamonds ever. She has been an antique dealer in jewelry and precious objects for thirty years now, and her son joined her ten years ago. Their motto: quality, authenticity and beauty.

The Must-See Piece: Their selection of beautiful, elegant jewelry from the 1900s-1930s, featuring natural diamonds such as this platinum and 18-carat diamond ribbon bracelet attributed to Chaumet circa 1910-20 and also some more recent pieces as this gold and 4-carat diamond floches brooch from the 1970s.

Fun Fact: Lydia is always on the hunt for a pretty 19th-century diamond daisy ring, an art deco diamond ribbon bracelet or a bird brooch from the 1960s, signed or unsigned.

Where to Dine Nearby: Breakfast, lunch, tapas, snacks, and dinner are all possible at La Recyclerie (83 Boulevard Ornano 75018), a cafe-canteen that offers a wide variety of vegetarian homemade dishes prepared with local and seasonal products. The cafe-canteen is located at the heart of a site dedicated to eco-responsibility, waste sorting and sharing, and with workshops on how to be a better consumer.