Messika

Messika was founded in 2005 by Valérie Messika, the daughter of André Messika, a longtime diamond dealer on the Paris market. She grew up around the stone trade, and in 2007 turned a childhood memory - watching her father slide loose diamonds between his fingers while entertaining her - into the brand's signature design. The result was Move, a jewel built around three diamonds set to slide freely along a bar, worn as a ring, bracelet, necklace or earring. The collection sold well from the start and has since expanded into multiple sub-lines, worked in 18-karat yellow, rose and white gold. Messika has built its identity around this kind of wearable, everyday diamond jewelry rather than strictly formal high jewelry, positioning itself between ready-to-wear jewelry brands and the older Place Vendôme maisons. Messika's own flagship boutique is at 259 rue Saint-Honoré in the 1st arrondissement; the brand is also carried at other addresses along the separate, similarly named Faubourg Saint-Honoré retail corridor in the 8th arrondissement. Messika has also become a regular presence on film and awards-show red carpets, where its jewelry has been worn by a range of actresses, adding to its visibility as a relatively young name among established French jewelry houses.