Biography
Before launching into the sculpture of precious metals, Philippe Tournaire tried to understand the world. With each trip to Paris, he spent long hours at the Musée de l’Homme, on the Place du Trocadéro. His fascination pushed him to understand how the indigenous people, the first inhabitants, were able to make objects using primitive methods (and to transform them into necklaces and other ornaments...).
Initiatory travel
Today, Philippe does not hesitate to use ancestral, even archaic, techniques to create hand-sculpted jewellery, while also incorporating a zest of modernity using new technologies. This all gives the final product an incomparable result.
He is glad that he never formally learned the skill, since this allows him the opportunity to have a completely open mind. What is even more surprising is that Philippe has a diploma in electronics. For a decade or so, he worked alone in an abandoned cave that he converted to an atelier. As he modestly says, “Not having an obligation to make a profit, I was able to express myself with great liberty.” His initial and solitary voyage into sculpture, interrupted by trips to Europe, Africa, the Middle East, and the USA, brought him a great deal of traditional savoir faire along with an understanding of modernity, thus allowing his audience to better comprehend the originality of his jewellery, whose roots go back some 35 years.
“In the beginning, I did not want to work in gold. My first stones were pebbles. Then an oil company came up with the idea for an original promotion. With each tank of gas, the driver would receive a fine stone. I used these stones in my first pieces of jewellery that I made to sell to friends. Eventually, by word of mouth, friends of friends began asking me to make wedding rings, medallions, engagement rings... Orders came in on a regular basis and soon exceeded my production capacity. Logically, I wanted to exhibit my work, to have a real window, so that more people had access to my creations. So, in 1984, I decided to open a boutique in Montbrison, which is near my home town. During this period, I also exhibited in contemporary art shows, especially in Paris, Belgium, and Germany. The contact with other artists was beneficial and forced me to leave the ‘solitude of a basic creator’ and to move on.”
A growing fame
In Montbrison, a small town near Saint-Etienne, Philippe’s original and unique style earned him a faithful clientele. His reputation quickly spread, and soon reached Lyon. Philippe decided to open a second store in this city, the capital of the Rhone region. Several exhibitions in specialized shows brought him to the attention of clients from Paris and abroad. They were a demanding clientele, even blasé, who were always in search of perfection and something new. In Paris, he caught the eye of the media. Because of his simplicity, charisma, and of course his talent, Philippe became a target of journalists from the feminine press who were constantly looking for “something else.” This well deserved attention allowed him to open a third store on the prestigious Place Vendôme. A dream, an accomplishment... not totally, since he still has the rest of the world to conquer, to search for jewellery in the truest sense of the term, to find artists who share his sensitivity for authenticity.
For Philippe Tournaire, the Place Vendôme is the opening to a world that he wants to be able to seduce. This year, 2006, will be a good test since, for the first time, he will be faced with international competition at BaselWorld in Switzerland, the largest meeting place for the jewellery world. Any other person would be distressed by this new challenge, but Philippe remains serene. He is following his dreams, as the artist that he is and has always been. This serenity is also strengthened by the growing demand for his work by a well-heeled international clientele.
To define Philippe’s work, which today involves some 20 people, is not an easy thing. How can you describe the creations of an artist without betraying it? His jewellery speaks for him - better than he. It summarizes his first step: enhancing the character of fine stones. You must see Philippe on his knees on the floor of his atelier surrounded by hundreds of precious gems, looking for the ideal match of colours, for unusual combinations, for the juxtaposition of the sparkle, and the contrast of the polished and the matte. He is happy, like a small child who has just been offered some building blocks. The stones are meticulously selected, placed side by side. They begin to take form and structure in his mind. They create volumes where each stone reigns on its own pedestal, the ensemble giving birth to rings, pendants, medallions, and bracelets, which make up most of his work.
Philippe adds a phrase that precisely represents his vision of jewellery. “The symbol is what gives meaning to live and changes reality.”
To listen to Philippe speak of his precious rocks as if they were his children, is like letting yourself get carried away in a fairy tale (the symbolism of the jewellery), that represents solace in a world becoming increasingly materialistic and virtual. You see, poetry also exists in jewellery, and Philippe Tournaire is a wonderful example.