Our latest #BossBabe interview is with jewellery designer Clémence Devaux of the brand NYF Jewellery, she says, “Jewellery should be fun, easy to wear, beautiful and personal”. And, we at #TeamCoco fully agree.

Luxury online demi-fine jewellery retailer NYF Jewellery is an easy-to-wear urban chic minimalistic brand, with a stunning selection of delicate rings, bracelets, pendants and earrings made with love and care.

Let’s find out more…

Q. Does your working career stem from within the jewellery industry, or did you come from a different business sector?

A. Not born in a family of jewellers, I started out on my own in the jewellery industry a little over 10 years ago. I started at Christie’s Auction House in Paris, in the Jewellery department. Since Christie’s, I worked as the Head of Jewellery for William&Son, a british luxury brand. And I have recently launched 2 companies, NYF Jewellery and Clémence Devaux Consulting. As well as being the Creative Director of NYF, I offer to help Jewellery brands with gemology services and product development. NYF is a passion project and something I have been wanting to do for ages, arguably something I was always meant to be doing.

Q. We aware that you are a family run business, how many of your family are currently part of NYF Jewellery?

A. Three members of my family are part of NYF. But as with every big family, everyone is part of it. Even if its only to give an opinion over sunday lunch. My mother, Caroline, is our COO and handles all the day to day. My brother, Edouard, is our CFO and is in charge of the website and IT matters. He designed our website. And as the Creative Director, I develop everything to do with the products (design and manufacturing) and marketing. These roles were attributed completely organically as it best suits each of our skills.

Q. You are a gemologist that specialises in real diamonds set in gold, can you tell us why you decided to only work with diamonds and not with any other gem, such as a ruby or emerald?

A. We haven’t yet said “no” to the rest of the coloured stone world. We have a (long-term) plan to include them. But for now, we want to stick with diamonds and pearls as they are the most wearable gems and can be worn with anything. I like to say that diamonds are like punctuation and complete a look as punctuation would a sentence.

Q. Did you have to undertake any specialist courses to become a gemologist, and can you tell us what a gemologist is and does?

A. I have studied gemology at the GIA, the international authority when it comes to grading diamonds and gems. I am a Graduate Gemologist, which means that I am an expert in Diamonds and Gemstones and I am able to assist in the grading and purchasing of both. I am also able to identify the fake from the real, which is key considering lab-made “diamonds” are a hot topic right now.

Q. Your jewellery designs are all reasonably priced, starting at around £125 and rise to under £1,000 – do you have a current favourite piece from your collection at a mid-range price of around £500?

A. Being a demi-fine jewellery brand, our aim is to make natural diamond jewellery accessible. We try really hard to keep our prices as low as we can, all the while making sure the quality is of the high jewellery level. My absolute favourite piece in our collection is our Logo Ring, inspired by the 1920’s plaque rings. I wear it all the time. The demi-pave version comes at £470.

Visit here to buy this beautiful ring.

Q. Do you wear your own NYF Jewellery designs along with any other designer jewellery brands, or do you only wear NYF?

A. I absolutely do mix NYF with other pieces. Our jewels are meant to blend in with your everyday look. I stack our rings with my engagement ring. I wear family heirlooms with them. Times have changed in terms of jewellery wearing. We don’t wear it so formally anymore, and I love that. You can find some inspiration on how I style my different pieces on my own Instagram account @clemencelovesdiamonds. It is a sort of behind the scenes of my job.

Q. HOC. Do you find that social media helps to promote your brand, if so which social media channels are you using, and does a specific platform work better for your business?

A. Social medias are essential for an e-commerce brand and it has helped us greatly. We are on Facebook and Instagram. Instagram particularly helps as it is a visual platform and suits perfectly the ambiance we want to share. However, it has become really hard to stand out in such busy platforms. And I am not an expert at it either, but we all work hard at trying to share our passion on our @nyfjewellery profile.

Q. Did anyone offer you any useful business advice before you and your family launched NYF Jewellery?

A. “Trust your instincts” is the best advice I was given while studying gemology and I have actually been doing this all my life.

Q. Did anyone offer you any bad business advice that you followed, and later wished you hadn’t?

A. “Trust your instincts” ? indeed, sometimes you win, sometimes you learn.

Q. If you were to offer one piece of advice to someone thinking of getting into the industry of jewellery design, what would it be?

A. I would advise anyone who wants to enter the jewellery industry to be patient and to work hard. I didn’t come from a Jewellery background and have worked my way in. The Jewellery industry is a very small world and reputation is key. We exchange diamonds on hand shakes and know we can trust each other as our reputation precedes us. It’s a small family and I have loved being part of it so far. If you are passionate about it, you will feel right at home.

Thank you for taking the time to answer all our #BossBabe questions for House of Coco Magazine.

Visit NYF Jewellery for more information.

#GirlBoss #BossBabe #WomenWorldwide

Author

A veteran in global travel, Rachel also loves to explore hidden gems on home turf. She’s a writing connoisseur of Britain’s best hotels, luxury beauty products, and UK food and drink launches.

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