Dauphin is a French fine jewellery house celebrating its fifth anniversary with an exclusive book made in collaboration with the iconic fashion photographer
Dauphin- Who is it? Dauphin is a French jewellery house founded by Charlotte Dauphin de La Rochefoucauld
- Why do I want it? Fine craftsmanship meets modern design principles for the contemporary, multifaceted woman, celebrated in a new Paolo Roversi-shot tome
- Where can I find it? Online at Dauphin’s e-store and in-store at Dover Street Market
Who is it? “I founded Dauphin when I was 24. At the time I was working on sculptural projects and I wanted to create a space where I could combine my artistic approach with something more tangible,” explains Charlotte Dauphin de La Rochefoucauld. Indeed, since its conception, the French fine jewellery house has gone from strength to strength, marrying traditional craft with modern design sensibilities that speak to the contemporary woman. Its collections – defined by their intricate, geometric metalwork delicately studded with diamonds, in black, blue, rose and white gold – push at the boundaries of how rings, cuffs, necklaces and earrings can sit on a body, with an almost architectural approach.
This month, the brand celebrates its fifth anniversary with an exclusive book produced in collaboration with De La Rochefoucauld’s longtime friend and collaborator Paolo Roversi, simply titled Dauphin: A Book by Paolo Roversi. “My work for Dauphin has now reached a certain complexity and diversity,” the creative director continues. “The aesthetics are precise and consistent. A book seemed natural, almost essential from an archival and historical point of view. This publication is a poetic way to look at the archives and to my work to this date. The last five years have been crucial in defining the house’s aesthetics and in creating an alternative vision, a new proposal. I see this publication as an infinite conversation with Paolo Roversi, and with anyone who wants to be a part of it.”
Why do I want it? With contributions from hairstylist Julien d’Ys, stylist Hannes Hetta and set designer Jean-Hugues de Chatillon, and featuring models Saskia De Brauw, Guinevere Van Seenus and Roversi’s daughter Stella Roversi, the photographs contained within the book give a precise idea of the woman that Dauphin caters to. Each wears designs that speak of the house’s defining elements, such as the unique blue gold pieces from Collection II, asymmetric rings, and the delicate, fluid waves of earrings that almost seem to grow up and around Van Seenus’ cartilage. It is clear that this is jewellery made by a woman, for women, who know exactly what they want.
“The direction of the book enhances the versatile nature of a woman,” says De La Rochefoucauld. “Each photograph has been approached differently so that the ensemble displays various sides of a person. Saskia and Guinevere are both feminine and masculine at the same time, they are resolutely contemporary and free, they are women, they are artists, they know themselves. They perfectly embody the women I create for, someone who is looking for something that extends her personality. Someone essentially free.”
Where can I find it? Dauphin: A Book by Paolo Roversi will be sold on Dauphin’s e-store and exclusively at Dover Street Market, where you can also find Dauphin’s collections.