Valérie Messika — Luxury is an Emotion

This year marks the 20th anniversary of Maison Messika, a brand built upon over 55 years of expertise inherited from Messika Diamonds, founded by your father. Has this duality been key to your success?
I often say that although Messika is turning 20, I actually have 50 years of experience behind me. My strength lies in having launched this brand with youthful daring and fresh perspectives, combined with extensive, pre-existing expertise. This legacy allows us to maintain a rare verticality in our industry: we oversee the entire journey of each diamond, from selecting the rough stone to crafting the final jewel.

How would you define this new vision of luxury?
For me, luxury is fundamentally an emotion — a spark that elevates us above everyday life and our capacity to savor that feeling. Through my designs, crafted to hug the skin closely, I strive to empower women, making them feel strong. That's why luxury also lies in the experience.

Creating certain high-jewelry pieces at Messika can take more than a year of conceptualization and up to 500 hours of craftsmanship. In today's fast-paced world, could taking time itself be considered a luxury?
Absolutely! I'll go even further: we often forget diamonds existed long before us. In their rough form, they were born deep within the earth, then surfaced, were discovered, cut... and they will outlive us. There's something timeless, something bigger than ourselves. It's profoundly moving.

Speaking of timelessness: the Move collection, continuously successful since its launch in 2007.
Yes, it's remarkable. The more I explored variations of this design, the clearer its strength became. It hasn't aged a day! True luxury must be timeless, transcending eras. At home, I have a Pierre Jeanneret chair that appears quite simple, yet I never tire of it. It embodies Leonardo da Vinci's idea: "Simplicity is the ultimate sophistication."