Jolly Bijou

The creator Caroline Denis imagines pieces for her label which harmoniously blend the refinement of highly-sophisticated design with the nuanced sparkle of colored gems. A combo very much in tune with the times.

After 15 years working with Saint-Laurent and Chloé, where she was in charge of image and visual identity, Caroline Denis felt tempted by (and ready for) a new challenge. Although Caroline had always been drawn to the world of fashion, she now wished to give free rein to her creative desire. If truth be told, Caroline has been fascinated by accessories and decorative items since childhood. So, it comes as no surprise that, down through the years, creating jewelry had become a real hobby for her.

In 2015, Caroline and her husband flew off to the United States. The start of a new chapter for the young couple who settled in Brooklyn with their toddler daughter. New York’s energy would inspire and nourish the universe of this creator who was passionate about architecture. Blocks of buildings mixing different styles, bridges with majestic allure, the creator’s eye was forever alert.

To fine-tune her technique, Caroline headed back to the classrooms of the Gemological Institute of America (GIA), New York’s prestigious gemology school. Following on from this, Caroline took up an internship in a Brooklyn jewelry firm where she made her first creations. In 2017, she launched Jolly Bijou, her Made in New York jewelry brand, and rapidly stood out with her highly-colored, feminine pieces with their ever-so refined profile. Her little pleasure? Colored stones, like tourmaline and its subtle rose hints, tsavorite and London blue topaz.

The creator adores mixing cuts, be it baguette-cut to princess-cut, to play with contrasts. When she sketches her collections, Caroline always starts off with a geometrical shape which she then reinterprets according to her desires, from earrings, her favorite accessory, to rings and necklaces. With her Sundial earrings, she began with the idea of offsetting the roundness of the circle with a transversal bar, then chose to create with the bar on its own proposing a rose gold and an emerald, sapphire and ruby-set version.

When asked about her wishes for her future collections, Caroline spoke of her desire to move on to more rock-oriented, mismatched pieces as well as to incorporate enamel into her upcoming collections to expand her palette of colors. An invitation to evermore dazzling jewels.