Messika is celebrating 50 years of the ubiquitous Smiley with a joyful new jewellery collection. Two ‘Lucky Move’ necklaces and a ‘My Move’ bracelet designed by Valérie Messika are marking the anniversary in an appropriately upbeat spirit.
Smiley collaborated with graffiti artist André Saraiva on a playful 50th-anniversary take on the logo, which inspired the ‘Lucky Move’ pendant – where the face is drawn in a pavé setting of hundreds of yellow and white diamonds. In the interchangeable bracelet from the ‘My Move’ collection, the moving diamond that is Messika’s signature is framed by the Smiley motif imprinted on black rubber.
‘André Saraiva is a very inspiring person because of his street art influences,’ says Valérie Messika. ‘He carries the same values as me concerning positivity, hope and luck. He is creative, joyful, colourful, contemporary. He matched very well with our universe and our vision.’
The pieces draw on the playful design codes of both brands, infusing the contemporary symbol with a precious edge. ‘It's a tribute to the Smiley face and it's also a tribute to my design DNA,’ the jewellery designer adds. ‘The “Lucky Move” pendant is a lucky charm. A smile is universal, unifying, and can have many facets. It can be charming, disarming, laughing, complicit, happy, or synonymous with hope. It is an expression of our innate desire to connect with one another. Smile at life and it will smile back. This is a source of endless joy and is always inspiring.’
Converting the Smiley into fine jewellery was not without its challenges. ‘It’s important not to forget that this is made with diamonds: we took a lot of time to find the right quality of diamonds with the right yellow in order to respect the colour so that it is faithful to the Smiley in its brilliance. The curved aspect of the large “Lucky Move” necklace was also a technical challenge that our workshops have met wonderfully.’
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