De Taillac has worked with The Gem Palace of Jaipur since the inception of her company 17 years ago, and she is perhaps best known for her briolette necklaces fashioned from colored gemstones (a style once typically reserved for diamonds).

She maintains that every stone passes through her hands - even the 46,000 carats of aquamarines that fill the Yves Klein (French artist) glass table in the center of the showroom, which took her a year to accumulate.

The designer runs her company with the help of her three sisters, Sophie, Gabrielle and Victoire, and expresses scant desire to turn the collection into a mass brand.

She is content with her distribution - 48 doors worldwide in Asia, Europe and the US - and her own three stores.

"It's difficult to grow and maintain quality. I want a life - (and) I won't be inspired if all I do is make jewelry," she said, adding: "When you do what you're meant to do, doors open easily."

De Taillac does want to enter two new categories: jewelry timepieces and books. Although she has yet to develop the former, her first book is slated to come out later this year.

"It's not a guide, but my view on how to wear jewelry," she said. "It has some practical and (then) some crazy information. Stones have certain powers."

The New York Times

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