JA New York: What inspires your designs?
Nathalie Regnier for NRegnier: Our jewelry’s contrasting elements make each piece exquisite and reveal each woman’s unique essence. Each piece embodies elements from the Colombian fauna, flora and culture, using the highest quality gold and silver, as well as precious and semi-precious stones, such as Colombian emeralds, diamonds and Swarovsky Crystals. Our pieces are all handmade by talented skilled Colombian craftsmen. NRegnier jewelry supports rural indigenous communities and it is fully committed to protecting the environment.
JA New York: Walk us through your design process?
NR: My first approach is through the materials found in nature, be it an anaconda rib or a feather in the jungle, which I then consider on how to convert that into a jewel. I want to embody that initial beauty that caught my eye, but in a wearable fashion. Its shape and form is adapted or molded following images I see in the world around me. For example, I take that feather and it takes me toward the following images of a spear or a lancet, there the design process kicks in. At that stage, I associate materials and different techniques to the piece, I love to mix the latter by the way, into a compound jewel with a strong ethnic and aesthetic allure. There’s special magic when you combine ancestral techniques and modern ones. The final bang is when you achieve a timeless, ethnic, yet sophisticated and feminine piece of original jewelry.
JA New York: What was the favorite part of exhibiting at the New Designer Gallery at the July 2015 show?
NR: I could feel the excitement on the floor and the vibrant and beautiful energy of all the new designers. I had come with no expectations on selling, but delighted on this chance to introduce my brand into the international market, and was rewarded with a couple of orders!
JA New York: If a theme song played every time you walked into a room, what would it be?
NR: The Ballad of Sacco and Vanzetti played by Stephane Pompougnac