Marie-Maimoona Jeannot, Introducing The Light Of Marie

Marie-Maimoona Jeannot, born and raised in France by her Martiniquais parents, has been living and working in London for many years. By trade she is an ESOL (English for Speakers of Other Languages) tutor, an employability co-ordinator and a representative for a dialysis unit. For her own creative ambitions and independence, she is the founder and designer for the stunning jewellery line Light Of Marie Jewels. Her jewellery line specialises in truly unique accessories made from sterling silver and semi-precious stones.

In the first post of this four-part interview, Marie talks to Yaaya about why she wanted to be a part of this conversation, how she started her jewellery line Light Of Marie Jewels, and the personal significance to her of being a black woman with her own business.

And so the conversation begins …

When Yaaya Met The Light Of Marie Jewels

 

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Yaaya:

Hi Marie, it’s very lovely to meet you.

Marie-M J:

It's very nice to meet you too!

Yaaya:

Out of curiosity, why did you think it was important to share your story through Yaaya?

Marie-M J:

I felt it was a great chance to share my experiences and what I've learned along what has sometimes been a difficult life-journey. As a woman, I wanted the chance for people to hear my perspective … you know, my true story.

As an owner of a small business in a very [competitive] market, this was also a great PR opportunity. A way to share my passion and what I love doing with people. Not just for commercial reasons, but for people to see what I have been able to accomplish and hopefully inspire another person to do the same.

When I looked at your blog, I really liked it. One of the aspects of Yaaya that I identified with was this [sentiment of] accepting and celebrating the diversity [of] black women. And this acceptance of allowing us [black women] to be natural. Not feeling you have to change who are to be socially relevant or sometimes even tolerated.

Shining The Light Of Marie

 

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Yaaya:

You are the founder and designer for the jewellery line Light Of Marie Jewels, which designs and makes hand-crafted jewellery using semi-precious stones and sterling silver. Can you tell us a bit more of the what 'Light Of Marie Jewels' means and the design process?

Marie-M J:

It's about my inner-light. But also of any woman's inner-light. Her radiance. When I design my jewellery, I think about how I want it to make me or the woman feel, how I want it to not only look beautiful around her neck, if it is a necklace, but also …. bring out her inner beauty.

When I design my jewellery, the ideas usually come to me when I am trying to think about what I would like to wear with a certain dress, and how more beautiful it would be if I wore 'that' necklace. Sometimes, I even dream about it. I think a lot. So when I am on a train or on a bus and I design a particular piece of jewellery in my head, as soon as I go home, I draw it on a piece of paper really nicely. You have to put it on paper straight away, otherwise you might forget it.

Yaaya:

Can you explain the choices for the materials you use to make your jewellery?

Marie-M J:

I use semi-precious stones because they are natural. And [I use] silver because I love silver. I'm not really a 'gold' person, and it's also really expensive anyway. But silver, I really like. I love the different ways you can design with it, and solder it into different shapes.

I just really like silver and the creative [possibilities]. (Pauses) It's the fact that you start with a sheet of silver and you can make anything you want. A ring, a bracelet, necklace, earrings … you know. And when you finish, you yourself are amazed. [It's] like “wow”.

Yaaya:

So it's that transformation process that you like. Taking something very raw and using that to visually and tactilely interpret an 'in-that-moment' idea or an emotion.

Marie-M J:

Yes … yes!

Yaaya:

How did ‘Light Of Marie Jewels’ start?

Marie-M J:

(Thinks) I have been doing this for six years. My son is seventeen now, but at the time when I started he was eleven years old. Then, he was telling me all the time, “I'm bored, I'm bored, I'm bored!” So I said to him, “well, if you're bored, we're going to find something for you to do”.


So I gathered some leaflets from a local college [The Forest Gate Learning Centre], and I saw a course for jewellery making. I went to the college to make some enquiries and learned about silver jewellery-making course and enrolled onto the course. Don't worry, I didn't forget about my son! (Laughs).

Yaaya:

Do you have a particular target in mind for your jewellery line?

Marie-M J:

I design jewellery for men too. But I think I am more passionate about designing jewellery for women. 'Light of Marie' is for the woman that carries herself with a quiet confidence. She is elegant. She appreciates great jewellery craftsmanship and can find true beauty in the naturalness of raw materials.

Yaaya:

How would you describe the style of your jewellery line in one sentence?

Marie-M J:

Beauty that is very individual, elegant and sophisticated.

Yaaya:

What personal significance does 'Light Of Marie Jewels' have for you?

Marie-M J:

When I make my jewellery, it's very therapeutic. I love the welding process as well. It's so weird, but it makes me so happy and joyful, and I hope that translates into the finished product. I am doing and making something that I love, that I want to be exquisite and stunning.

But more importantly, Light Of Marie Jewels is a way for me to express myself in a creative way. It's a way for people to hold my story in their hands and to relate to it by including it into their own style. My jewellery is typically chunky or statement pieces. I think it's because I am reserved that I like my jewellery to speak for itself, make people ask questions, or take a second look because they've seen something unexpected.

Yaaya:

How important did you think it was for yourself as a woman to own and start your own business?

Marie-M J:

It was extremely important for me. I think it's good for women to be entrepreneurial. But for me it was personally significant because of the way my life has been. You see, I have Sickle-cell.

Look out for Part 2 of this four-part post on Friday 27th September, where Yaaya discusses with Marie one of the most personal and difficult chapters in her life-journey.

Leave your comments below to let us know what inspiration you take from Marie’s talents and creativity. Invite others to join the conversation by sharing this post!

Image Source | These images do not belong to Yaaya. Images courtesy of Marie-Maimoona Jeannot (Light Of Marie Jewels)