La Belle France
My love letter to France. Taking my inspiration from trips to Paris, la campagne, les châteaux, vineyards, seaside towns and the slopes, I embark on a new adventure for 2023, translating that discerning sense of French luxury, style and je ne sais quoi into every one of my jewellery creations.
Introducing La Belle France
Roi Soleil Design Story
Illuminating the dramatic synergy between design, diamonds and the splendour of ' The Sun King' Louis XIV's château and gardens in Versailles is the raison d'être behind Cassandra's Roi Soleil design.
A reimagining of the Sun King's inaugural firework festival in 1664, 'The Pleasures of the Enchanted Island'. Each Roi Soleil piece in the collection gleams with the brilliance and grandeur of this historic display.
Roi Soleil
The Roi Soleil tennis bracelet brings to mind the dazzling kaleidoscopic quintessene of fireworks, transporting us back to King Louis XIV's daring firework display and its fusion of light and colour.
The precision with which each gemstone is cut and fitted creates harmony with the structural cascade of stones which reflect light like a sparkling tableau in the night sky, in turn echoing King Louis XIV's emblem of the sun.
Fleur de Lys Design Story
Cassandra's initial inspiration for this piece stemmed from the ancient Fleur de Lys, a religious and political symbol adopted by the French monarchy which consistently adorned their coat of arms.
The delicate structure of the design creation consists of two interlocking Fleur de Lys shapes, one layer artfully arranged upon the other. The three petals of the Fleur de Lys, paired with another three petals, form one compellingly modern design.
Cassandra's Fleur de Lys design decorates a series of necklace pendants, earring charms and stud earrings.
La France Design Story
For the first time, Cassandra Goad has launched a series of charms - eight iconic French motifs engraved into unique médaillons, or charms, designed for bracelets and necklaces.
Cassandra's travels to France inspired all of the three-dimensional engravings: Le Coq, Notre Dame, Les Vignes, Le Ski, La Marianne, Le Mont St Michel, Dejeuner Sur L'Herbe, La Lavande, La Voile, Le Cheval and Le Tour Eiffel. Each one brings to life memorable French scenes, their concave shape serving as the perfect vessel to display the physical and figurative depth of each story.
Baguette Design Story
The playful linguistic interplay between bague (French for ring), the iconic baguette cut of stones and the beloved edible French baguette was simply too brilliant to miss for Cassandra Goad's La Belle France collection.
Combining all of these witty nuances within one singular striking composition, Cassandra created the Baguette ring. A ring unlike any you have seen before - this design is full of life. Quite literally, this ring will roll on your finger thanks to the moving mechanism on either side of the gemstone. It is surprising and spirited, supple and stylish all at the same time.
Parquet Design Story
Inspired by the unusual and rare patterns of parquet at the Château de Villandry on the Loire. The château, famed for its geometric gardens, has a series of rooms with parquet floors made from an array of woods from its estate.
Frog Fontaine Design Story
Inspired by the pair of fountains in the gardens of Vaux Le Vicomte designed by Andre Le Notre. Inside two circular basins beyond the waterfall wall, six frogs assemble, spouting water around a central pool which rises from the ornate central fountain.
Ecurie Design Story
As Cassandra walked towards the stables of the Château de Vaux-le-Vicomte, sun shining, she spotted from afar a distinct motif emblazoned onto a circle of brickwork, one entirely different to the ornate polished adornments within the château. This symbol was made from robust iron, yet the artistry and symmetry of the swirling lines was exceptionally elegant.
Keeping both the precision of the swirls and the sculptural durability of the original motif in mind, she began to design her own bracelets and earring pendants. She decided to name this series after the French word for stables, Écurie, as a reminder of that sunny day outside the majestic Vaux-le-Vicomte.
Fouquet Design Story
The Château de Vaux-le-Vicomte was built for Nicolas Fouquet, the finance minister of Louis XIV, between 1658 and 1661. A great patron of the arts, Fouquet called upon the best artists of the time to construct his magnificent palace.
The inspiration for Cassandra's design came in Fouquet's bedroom, from a pair of ornate candle holders mounted onto the wall. Keeping them in mind, Cassandra returned to her workshop and transformed their shape with her own stylistic features. Reimagining a pearl in place of a candle, this gilded beacon glows in its own unique way and can be worn as a pendant or earrings.
Huguenot Cross Design Story
The Huguenot Cross, originating from France, is an Evangelical emblem of reformed faith. In Huguenot tradition, it is a representation of Christ's sacrifice, symbolising victory over death and impiety.
There are eight points of the cross to signify the eight Beatitudes (Matthew 5:3 - 12) and four three-petaled Fleur de Lys to signify the twelve apostles. Traditionally, these crosses also feature doves as a symbol of the Holy Spirit (Romans 8:16), but throughout history and times of persecution, this dove has been replaced with a pearl representing a teardrop.
Songe De Vaux Design Story
As I stepped inside the Château de Vaux-le-Vicomte I considered the work Le Songe De Vaux by French fabulist and poet Jean de la Fontaine, which captured Château de Vaux-le-Vicomte's creation, and the splendour inside it.
I found myself pausing to take in the boiseries, wood panelling on the walls and doorways, to admire the carvings of undulating leaves and flowers. As I looked closer, scrolls of leaves curled into one another, while flowers burst out between their folds. I realised these golden orbs and scrolls would be a striking starting point for a new design, my own golden Songe De Vaux.
Patisserie Design Story
As I started to gather inspirations and ideas from my surroundings to bring together a taste of La Belle France in my new collection, I realised there was one ingredient that simply couldn't be forgotten: Patisserie.
Out of every design, Patisserie is one of my bravest. I just knew there was an opportunity for a series of fun and quirky pieces which combined molten precious metals with the sweet shapes of Parisian pastries, extracting their essence into an abstract jewellery creation.
The Patisserie bracelet consists of four unique patisserie outlines, while the pendant earrings just feature one statement shape. I'd love to find out - can you spot the croissant, the pain au chocolat, the canelé and the éclair?
Noisette Design Story
My Noisette pendant is as charming as it sounds. A smooth golden hazelnut that swivels open, revealing a gemstone hidden within.
The trick to really 'cracking' this design was crafting a clever mechanism that could reveal the sparkling kernel within the jewellery shell. There are the larger Cocoa Pods and Pomegranate pendants of previous collections, but I knew my Noisette pendant had to remain perfectly precise and bijou.
Quote Pendants
Traversing across collections and the countries that inspire them, Cassandra Goad's quote pendants capture an array of different thoughts and feelings, as special emblems to wear on our own journeys and travels.
''Soyez Mystérieuses''
Taking inspiration from Paul Gauguin's sculptural piece 'Soyez Mystérieuses' carved in 1890, Cassandra's new quote pendant brings to mind that effortless nonchalance, luxurious 'je ne sais quoi" and elusive magic of La Belle France. Be mysterious.
''Le jour appartient a ceux qui se lèvent tôt''
Cassandra picked out this famous French proverb for one of her latest quote pendants, enriched by its ethos of spirit and rigour. This saying, which translates to 'the day belongs to those who rise early', encourages an optimistic, carpe diem mentality. After all, seizing the day and making the most of every moment is the only way to discover the many great wonders a country like France has to offer.
Napoleon Design Story
Inspired by the beaded and circular gold detail of the painting frame of 'Le Couronnement de l'Empereur 2 Décembre 1804' by Jacques-Louis David. The painting was hung at the Palace of Versailles in the Salle du Sacre.
Couture Design Story
Inspired by the great Parisian couturiers: Worth, Chanel, Dior and others who created exquisite clothes, often with pearls sewn on by the 'petit mains'.
Baguette de Pain Design Story
Cassndra wanted to create a ring to celebrate the iconic French baguette, which is baked into the history and culture of France.
So much so that in 2022, the craftsmanship and culture of baguette bread was incscribed to the UNESCO Intagnible Cultural Heritage Lists. The question was: how could she translate the sweet crunch of freshly baked baguettes into a precious metal?
After trials and tribulations in the workshop, with the fittingly passionate and dedicated intensity of a Parisian kitchen, Cassandra finally created the perfect texture to imitate the unbeatable light, fluffy bread of the perfect French baguette.
Versailles Design Story
Inspired by the chain of the original chandelier that decorates the great staircase of Le Vau at Versailles known as L'Escalier des Princes. The brocade-like detail of the 12 chains holding the lamps has a 17th century feel to the design.
