Interview of Félix Albert

Where does your brand name « monade » come from?

The monade means by definition, the perfect unity, the big « one » at the origin
of everything that exist in this world.
It’s an ancient word, soft, warm and calling for a sense of fullness.
For me it perfectly carries the image of a pregnant woman, mother of the world.
When I discovered this word, it came to me as evidence; this would be the one
and only word capable of truly defining my work on maternity.

It’s rare to see a man devote himself on motherhood.
What made you orient yourself to this concept?

Indeed, this is quite a common question.

I’ve always found pregnant women beautifully striking; significant of both
beauty and magic of the world.
I’ve worked for a few years in high Parisian jewelry and this has shown me the
lack of feelings and emotions in numerous jewels. Even in indescribable pieces
of art the sentimental value of the buyer can genuinely be the same as buying the
latest Iphone.
I wanted to create meaningful jewels. Maternity is for me magnificent and
universal; therefore I decided to build my work around this unique step of life.

What is maternity for you?

Kindness, love, family, joy, stability…
Motherhood is timeless; it is the past, the present and the future.
When I look at a pregnant woman, I have an overall view of everything, the
meaning of life, I feel in the middle of history, I see the entire humanity in this
baby bump; a woman gives birth, her daughter will give birth when her time
comes and this infinite act has built the human history.
It’s for me the entire beauty of life right under my eyes.

You are designing a jewel for the mother but also for the father, why?

For me, a pregnancy is conceived and lived by both.
Our society leads us increasingly to an individualism who will exclude the other
from the very beginning of motherhood.
I therefore created a duet: a pendant and a “galet chéri” (piece shaped like the
belly of a pregnant woman), these two pieces are an emotional link between
both parents, a bond towards the other one and the love of their future child.

Who is your collection for?

To the couple and anyone in their entourage whishing to participate with
originality in this happy event. To every lover of life and hand made art.
My goal as of today is to explore and use other materials so that everyone can see
a part of himself or herself in my collection.
The gold and crystal Monade or gold and wood, also exists in a smaller version in
sterling silver or in colored metal.

Conte de Grim

Le joaillier et le cristal indissociable

Un jour l’épouse d’un joaillier eut le bonheur d’etre enceinte.

Pour symboliser l’heureux évènement, il décida de lui façonner une pièce unique de cristal et d’or. Tandis que le bijou naissait de ses mains habiles, une partie du cristal  vint à se détacher et il en conserva précieusement le morceau au fond de sa poche, dans un foulard de soie. Jour après jour, l’éclat s’arrondissait et se profilait jusqu’à devenir l’image même du ventre de sa femme. Dès lors, le galet ne quitta plus l’orfèvre, que ce dernier choyait le jour dans l’attente de son enfant promis. Les mois passèrent, le ventre de sa femme s’arrondissait.

Un matin, enfin, le bijou fut achevé. L’artisan couru jusqu’à la maison, son cœur bondissant dans sa poitrine, c’était son œuvre la plus parfaite, tout son savoir-faire et son amour étaient ici représenté. Sa femme en fut très émue et ne quitta plus le présent.

Le couple attendait patiemment la naissance, mais l’enfant ne venait pas.

Un soir, l’homme sorti de sa poche le galet chéri, sa femme surprise par ce petit objet qu’elle ne connaissait pas encore vint se pencher par dessus les épaules de son mari. C’est alors que son pendentif, s’échappant de son cou, toucha le précieux galet. De ce contact apparu le poupon, lové dans les bras du père.

Et ils vécurent heureux jusqu’ à la fin des temps.

M. Grimaud