My Surrealist Homage Jewellery

Every piece tells a story. And Elsa’s Eyes tells many.

Every time I look at the art, movie, and literature from a century ago — from the Art Nouveau to the Surrealism — I feel a strange but familiar pull. As if my soul once lived among those artists. That era’s visual language runs through pieces I create as a jewellery designer.

But more than aesthetics, it’s the bold spirit of innovation that moves me — their fearless exploration of new materials, new forms, and new ways of seeing. This spirit lives in my Homages series, and each piece carries a name: Pablo, Gabrielle, Elsa.

And while for many the widely recognised eye motif is most often associated with the name Elsa Schiaparelli, I want to speak about another Elsa — a woman whose bold ideas quietly staying behind the success of that iconic fashion house.

Long before she became the first woman to win the Prix Goncourt, Elsa Triolet — born Ella Kagan in Russia — was crafting surreal jewellery in 1930s Paris. She worked with papier-mâché, nuts, ceramic, leather, even pills and enema tubes, creating bold and unconventional pieces that blurred the line between fashion and art.

Her work was noticed early by Elsa Schiaparelli, who purchased her designs and adapted her “aspirin necklace” into porcelain costume jewellery version. This opened doors to fashion houses like Poiret and Vionnet, where Triolet’s extraordinary jewellery became part of the Couture collections.

Elsa wasn’t just designing jewellery. She was designing ideas — wearable, tactile, unforgettable.

From Matisse to Saint Laurent

Elsa’s Eyes continues a chain of associations, not only Elsa Triolet but a wider world of art:

• A Matisse painting, Les Yeau d'Elsa

• A poem by Louis Aragon, written for Elsa Triolet, his wife

• A famous jacket by Yves Saint Laurent, embroidered with surrealists eyes —Les Yeau d'Elsa - a nod to Schiaparelli’s motifs.

Homages is my way of honouring this circle of influence: handmade, meaningful - a connection to those who dared to create differently.

Explore the Homages series: Handcrafted jewellery inspired by the boldest women in art and fashion.