When Laure Heriard Dubreuil opened the Houston outpost of her chic fashion boutique The Webster, she promised to bring some of her fashion friends to the Bayou City. Dubreuil recently did just that when her close pal, French jewelry designer Aurélie Bidermann, arrived at the "jewel box" space to to show off her adventurously ornate pieces.
Dubreuil and Bidermann have many past collaborations, including the chic Webster x Ritz Paris pop-up shop. Dubreuil curates her store with the utmost attention to standout detail, so it's the perfect place to house the line of eye-catching and playful designs. Each piece, from the smallest detail is the perfect juxtaposition of classical chic with exceptionalism and quirk.
Bidermann cultivated her love of jewelry from an early age, closely observing her mother and grandmother as they commissioned custom jewelry from top Parisian designers. “My grandmother inspired me to do a line of scarab pieces. She used to collect them. Most people wouldn’t at first think an insect would make for a piece of jewelry, but it adds a playful, organically beautiful touch,” Bidermann explaiend.
The scarabs are offered in gold and jeweled charms as well as carved stone charms.
Before Bidermann started her jewelry line 15 years ago, she worked at Sotheby’s splitting her time between New York and France. Her jewelry is inspired by her favorite artists, both their works and techniques. “I have too many favorite artists, I am inspired by all of them," she said.
Her love of nature is evident in all of her pieces, from 18-karat gold elephant charms adorned with untreated gemstones on handmade chains to tiny apple core charms sparkling with red gems. “I love to bring elements of nature in these designs,” she said.
Her costume jewelry collection offers a lighter yet still playful set of earrings and chains with wheat pods and leaves. Sets of braided silk bracelets offer a youthfully fun twist.
Boasting true Parisian artisanship, the line includes handmade, intricate pieces. Among the offerings are bracelets and rings made of woven and braided gold, a dying technique in jewelry making, as to appear almost like a chainmail belt. They are spontaneous and fun but still luxe and classic. All of her fine jewelry is one of a kind and can even be customized with engraving or special stones.
Bidermann lives by her motto of wearing jewelry as a part of your being and to represent your true self and style. Her wrist is decked with a stack of her own gold bangles engraved with lucky and meaningful symbols. “I wear them always, they are a part of me” as every woman’s jewelry should be.
The Webster owner Laure Heriard Dubreuil, Allison Serofim, and Designer Aurélie Bidermann
