François Daubinet x Valérie Messika: a pastry chef, a jeweller, a collab

As unexpected as it is successful, pastry chef François Daubinet and jeweller Valérie Messika have imagined an extraordinary collaboration to set the diamond in majesty, while infusing it with the rock'n'roll touch of the House. The sweet creation may be stunning, but it's no less fragile!

How did the meeting come about?

Valérie Messika: I'd spotted François' work on Instagram, so we got talking and were quickly drawn to each other's worlds. When we met, François was immediately enthusiastic about our idea, and I appreciated his liveliness.

François Daubinet: We met a few years ago at a party. When Maison Messika decided to share a trompe l'oeil sweet creation on its social networks, Valérie thought of me .

How did you go about imagining this collaboration?

VM: Our message is one of disruption, we want to change the lines. Diamonds are always sublimely beautiful, but we've made them less intimidating, freer, more accessible, more affordable. For Christmas, we wanted to create an object that could be destroyed in the unexpected rock'n'roll spirit of the House. So I wanted to take our iconic Move motif but make it breakable. We had thought of chocolate, but François steered us towards sugar, to which he gave a Gold color. We took advantage of digital creation, and the result is surprisingly bright, almost crunchy and sparkling!

FD: It all started with an idea, a desire. Little by little, the project took shape. We imagined together what this creation could be. I tried out a number of different materials, and in the end we opted for cast sugar to represent as closely as possible the details of haute joaillerie and the fragility of diamonds. This cast sugar mimics the suppleness and elegance of the bracelet, allowing me to immerse myself in the details of this jewel with its assertive, sculptural curves, whose volumes I reproduce.

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Collaboration: freedom or constraint?

VM: Freedom comes from constraint. Even when I'm working for myself, I like my teams to set me a framework of technical constraints. This constraint often allows me to come up with an idea I wouldn't have thought of.

FD: I'd say both. For creative work, there's a real need for freedom of expression, and the constraint can come from very precise specifications. But as far as I'm concerned, the main constraint remains the deadline, even if it also serves as a driving force. Freedom and constraint are intimately linked and are the foundations of creativity!

What do these collaborations bring you?

VM: Our collaborations are limited because they take time, but I love getting into other worlds. The encounter is often visual, but above all it's human, sincere and friendly, because for a 4-handed collaboration, the two skills have to meet to become one. I also love giving an artist carte blanche, whatever his or her universe, but when we collaborate, we inevitably leave our mark on the other's universe.

FD: I'm passionate about art, craftsmanship and creation in general. For several years now, this passion has led me to make incredible encounters and imagine extraordinary projects. In my book "Inspirations", I talk about this deep desire to create, to surprise and to undertake through artistic direction.