Lydia Courteille collection inspired by Queen of Sheba
PARIS, May 2016 – For her newest collection, Lydia Courteille invites you to travel to the cradle of Mankind, the country where, according to some legends, the Queen of Sheba once reigned – Ethiopia.
The Queen of Sheba was seen as a “Divine creature”, an alluring sorceress of great intelligence and wisdom.
She is the symbol of this collection, taking you to the crossroads of religious influences, where Biblical, Hebraic and Quranic stories have nourished Ethiopian popular art, which took much of its inspiration from animistic and magical beliefs.
Lydia Courteille pays tribute to Ethiopia and its cultural and geographical diversity through her new collection, Queen of Sheba.
Influences:
Mursi Tribes living in the remote Omo Valley, called “Flower Men”.
Ark of the Covenant: wooden clad chest containing the tablets on which the Ten Commandments are said to be engraved.
According to various texts, the Ark containing the tablets, is currently conserved in the Church of Our Lady Mary of Zion, in Axum.
Lalibela churches: According to legend, these churches were ‘built by angels’ and carved from the depths of the earth.
Danakil Desert: near the Dallol Volcano, one of the lowest and hottest places on Earth, a truly diabolic beauty of nature.
Swirling sulphur and mineral salt formations have influenced the choice of gemstones for this collection: rare yellow and green tourmalines, gold the color of clay and brown diamonds.
Technical information:
18 pieces: 1 tiara, 9 rings, 7 earrings, 1 bracelet
Material : Black and brown rhodium plated gold 18k, green and yellow tourmalines, yellow sapphires, brown and white diamonds, tsavorites, peridots and opals.
About Lydia Courteille : Lydia Courteille heads up a 30-year-old eponymous design house from the Place Vendome in her home city of Paris.
A lover of history, nature, and gemology, Courteille’s passion for antique jewellery evolved into making fairy-tale inspired one-of-a-kind pieces with dark humour, baroque styling, and surreally detailed, imaginative and unforgettable compositions and finishes.
Her work is coveted and requested for placement on couture runways, Woody Allen movies, and brand collaborations, and can be seen in luxury jewellery shops worldwide.
High-profile fans include Karl Lagerfeld, who dubbed her “a genius for making jewellery.”
