Marie Lichtenberg’s career in the jewelry world began with a toothache on Christmas Eve. “I went to an emergency dentist and immediately fell in love with him,” Lichtenberg says. It was a cute encounter, worthy of a romantic comedy, even though Lichtenberg was already married and had a daughter.
“I left my ex-husband, took my little wife and ran away to the dentist,” she says with cheerful Parisian aplomb. “And I thought, ‘If you could leave everything like that: your partner, your apartment, your life; It might be a good idea to quit your homework too and do what you’ve wanted to do. ‘”That’s what he did.
From left to right: Eye Will medallion in teeth and sapphire; mini scapular in yellow gold set with diamonds and a bow and a toothed heart; a piece from Lichtenberg’s cheapest line, the proceeds of which are donated to charity; Eye Protect scapular in gold set with diamonds and purple teeth.
Lichtenberg’s namesake jewellery line was introduced in early 2020 and is now available in Australia, at Filly’s Stable retail outlets in Melbourne. The bohemian-inspired, handmade diversity is influenced by Lichtenberg’s Creole heritage and is injected with his own rock’n’roll style. In gold, teeth and precious stones such as sapphires and diamonds with guilloché details, the collection looks like dress jewelry but also fine jewelry. It balances the boundary between emotion and eternity.
Before creating jewelry, Lichtenberg, fashion editor of ELLE in France. “It’s very intense,” he says as he smokes a cigarette (it’s 8:30 a. m. in Paris, where he’s calling). “I didn’t have time to think about doing anything else outside of work. ” After 12 years, he was bored. You’re a fashion editor. At the end of the day, don’t believe anything. You use other people’s creations to create something.
The jewels were calling. Lichtenberg’s mother, originally from Martinique, was the artistic director of an advertising company and “crazy about jewelry. “He even had a shop full of antiques that was open on weekends. “I don’t know how he did it,” Lichtenberg says. It was just for fun, not to make money. But his love for jewelry, he didn’t forget it so well. That’s where mine comes from.
Marie Lichtenberg in her studio.
Once indifferent to his old life, Lichtenberg turned to his mother’s Creole jewelry, adding the convict necklace made and worn by freed slaves. “The first [necklace] was for my daughter, and I engraved on the brooch ‘I love you to the moon. ‘and back’ and put it in Indian leather,” he says. It was a practical aspect, but since then it has had a signature.
Today, thanks to Lichtenberg’s online “Dream Necklace Designer”, consumers can choose between links and chains made of gold, strands of pearls, cotton and pearls. They can add pendants to it. ” At ELLE, I was never drawn to couture or haute couture. haute couture,” he says. And that’s just the way I am with jewelry. I like very expensive things, don’t get me wrong. But I use them casually. To be beautiful. . . I don’t like it.
When he put the collection online, it sold out within 48 hours. “I thought, ‘Oh fuck,'” he says. She flew to India to convince her artisans to speed up the process. “I think something a little magical happened,” he says of the sale. “There is no explanation. Everything was done in a very original way. Somehow, he talked to people. If I wanted to do it all over again today, I couldn’t. I had 2000 subscribers, it was nothing, I can’t.
Lichtenberg rushed to place orders, but then COVID-19 hit and everything (except online sales) came to a halt. “I had to inform myself very, very quickly,” he says. You’re talking about someone who didn’t know how to write an invoice. “
Lichtenberg would possibly be relaxed, but making her medallions, in particular, is laborious. Each one can be opened and is about the length of a Fantale. Possibly they would have engravings and guilloché, as well as teeth and stones. “It’s annoying,” he says. That’s a lot of luxury in a very, very small space. “
During the lockdown, Lichtenberg and his family (his daughter and the dentist) moved to the countryside.
“I scrolled through social media in an area with terrible Wi-Fi,” he says. “Orders were coming in and I walked to the post office every day to send packages. When India shut down, production came to a halt until he discovered a new workshop in Italy. At that point, “it’s like a game. ” We were new and didn’t know any better. We knew we had a chance, so we tried.
Three years later, Lichtenberg has a team of 10 other people and works through Net-A-Porter and Matches Fashion. There is a masculine diversity and a complete diversity of jewelry. And while imitation is said to be the sincerest form of flattery, for Lichtenberg, imitators are “nuisance. “
In 2021, the company acquired his creations. I cried a lot,” she says. “But then I thought, ‘Let’s make this an opportunity. ‘ So we faked ourselves. Raiz’in is a collection based on Lichtenberg’s finest jewelry creations, but made of resin. All proceeds are donated to charity. ” And guess what?”He asks, exhaling his cigarette. We sell. “
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