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All that glitters
French jewellery brand Etername was created from a heartfelt love story. Sarah Besnainou, the brains behind it shares her secrets with City Times as she makes her UAE debut
- PUBLISHED: Tue 15 Feb 2011, 9:12 PM UPDATED: Tue 31 Jan 2023, 7:38 AM
The purity and power emanating from gemstones have always fascinated Etername founder Sarah Besnainou. What excites her most is designing eclectic pieces of jewellery to embellish life's precious moments.
Screen divas Sharon Stone and Diane Kruger, models Natalia Vodianova and Astrid Munoz, and singer Kylie Minogue who loved her multi-ring diamond Etername earrings are just a few of her celebrity clients.
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Sarah has the looks, talent and charisma to be a designer of haute joaillerie. So why was Etername selected as the brand name? She says, “I was looking for a name in any language that meant 'make me forever'...and the one that I preferred was Etername. Originally the purpose of my first piece, which was a pair of cuff links, was to remember something between someone and myself forever.
“I've built my brand from that great experience. So, I had the desire to find a name that will remind me of my first steps into this amazing world.”
Being a jewellery designer was not what she planned. Sarah admits, “I never wanted it. It is just the result of two big coincidences in my life. The first one was in 2002 when I was offered a position in the Press Department of Dior in New York City.
“My parents didn't want me to do that, as it was very important for them that I should get more diplomas. So I made a deal with them, to take my position at Dior having to take evening classes. The closest one was the GIA. I registered, I loved it and I graduated from there. It's an amazing school.”
The second coincidence was when Sarah had to attend a charity dinner while working at Baby Dior. “I asked a person who was very important in my life to join me for the event. It was a dinner in January 2006. When we left the gala dinner, I had to leave as I was flying to another country. I wanted to offer him a special gift, one that he would never never forget. After five hours of thinking in the plane, I decided to manufacture with my hands a pair of cufflinks. A few months after I left Baby Dior and exactly one year after, in January 2007, I launched Etername in Paris,” she adds.
Sarah confesses that working at Baby Dior meant a lot to her. “I'm so thankful to them. They are amazing people. They have played a big part in Etername existing today. I'm used to saying that Etername was created from a love story, a family story and a friend's story. So many people are involved daily, you have no idea. And the people from Dior are still here for me, which is great!”
As a jewellery designer, she advises readers to buy jewellery with their hearts. “For diamonds you have certificates, so you know exactly what you are buying. In the case of coloured stones, buy them with energy, feeling and soul.”
When Sarah looks at her closet she always dreams of a piece of jewellery to match each outfit. “I really create from my needs. I create what I wear and what I know I'll be happy to wear for the next 20 or 50 years. I design pieces that remain timeless and that is very important to me,” she admits.
As soon as Sarah's creative studio is over with the final drawing and technical aspects, it takes four weeks to have the jewellery pieces ready. Nevertheless, she has worked on very complicated pieces that took up to a year from idea to realisation.
What should prospective buyers look out for when purchasing jewellery? Says Sarah, “Timelessness and elegance. A piece of jewellery has to emphasise your natural beauty. It has to be you. You have to feel good with it. Prices range from 450 euros with no upper limits as in the case of haute couture jewellery pieces.”
Sarah is now involved in a project called Signature Diamonds and she really believes that Etername will have a great positioning in the UAE and Dubai market. “We are distributing in Lebanon with Sylvie Saliba and we are already very happy about our first implementation in the Middle East,” she informs.
Selecting jewellery is an individual experience. It depends on the favourite colour, the stones and the lifestyles. All the details have to be considered. The underlying idea is to surprise those who already possess everything. It lets them express their own particular ideas, sense of the exclusive and their personal feeling of luxury. Similarly Sarah's designs are very dynamic, mixing and developing different styles.
Etername opened overseas only in 2010. “The first two years we chose to stay very exclusive in Paris in order to establish the brand as a luxury brand. I have a great team in my Paris office and they have done an amazing job. We are now present in 26 different places in the world from Lebanon to Moscow to Courchevel in France and Hong Kong. And trust me, we still have several projects in front of us,” she says.
Her sophistication in taste and glamour in communication bring out the soul, spirit and smile on a woman's face that unfolds like magic. The range of jewellery in her collection is the kind of accessories that will easily blend with haute couture fashion. And the underlying spirit of her design is the passion for discovery, excellence, originality in style and extravagance. Her collection is indeed based on this close relationship between a woman and her jewellery.
EVENT DETAILS
What: Etername at the Signature Jewellery Exhibition
When: February 15 in Dubai, February 16 and 17 in Abu Dhabi
Where: Joharah Ballroom, Madinat Jumeirah, Souk Entrance in Dubai and Foyer Island Centre, Emirates Palace in Abu Dhabi