A former antique dealer, Marie-Alexandrine Yvernault spent several years collecting jewels before making the jump into creation. Her signature? Sculptural pieces with generous volumes that do not remain unnoticed.
To understand Marie-Alexandrine Yvernault world, you must first enter through the art market door. A field that fascinates the former student of the École du Louvre and the IESA (International School of Cultural and Art Market Professions), who opened a stand at the Marché Serpette as soon as she graduated, at the Saint-Ouen flea market. The antique dealer developed her own style, focusing on objects and furniture from the beginning of the 20th century to the 1980s. It was a bit later, at the age of 30, that Marie-Alexandrine became interested in jewelry. Her eye became sharper and her name circulated in the trade fairs where she presented her treasures, notably in Las Vegas and Miami.
From Saint-Ouen to Paris, there is only one step, which the antique dealer crosses to open a gallery on rue de Beaune, in the Carré Rive Gauche. There, Marie-Alexandrine offers interior design furniture as well as jewelry. Invited three times to the PAD – the most prestigious design show – and to the Biennale des Antiquaires as a young dealer, she was spotted by the Magen H Gallery in New York, which offered her a showcase dedicated to jewelry by 20th century artists. What does she like about these pieces? The stones, which fascinate her and which she likes to say reconnect her to the Earth.
It is thanks to a meeting with a craftsman, specialized in the manufacture of made-to-measure pieces, that Marie-Alexandrine Yvernault begins a turn towards creation. At the head of a large collection of rough stones, ranging from malachite to pyrite, lapis lazuli or agate, the designer draws the material for her first collections. She creates in a spontaneous way, letting herself be guided by their color, their shape and their imperfection that she sublimates with talent.
Inspired by great names such as Jean Vendôme, Lalaounis, Andew Grima or Roland Schad, Marie-Alexandrine also has a real passion for Antiquity, as evidenced by her vestal-like cuffs or her plastron necklaces. Handmade in Paris, her creations seduce art lovers as well as afficionados of unique jewelry. Against the current trends, Marie-Alexandrine Yvernault celebrates a certain idea of jewelry, that of pieces with a strong personality, nourished by their imperfection and their character. Jewelry like works of art, which we dream of adorning ourselves.
