AURELIE BIDERMANN

Dentege Vintage Cuff

The incredible architecture of France's Azay-le-Rideau Chateau is mesmerizing.

Built during the 16th century under a shroud of controversy, the castle boasts spectacular amenities such as a grand staircase leading inside; long rows of windows; and high roofs.

France is also the home of featured jewelry designer Aurélie Bidermann.

Like so many jewelers, Bidermann's jewelry epitomizes the essence of her profession: a grand outlet of self-expression.

Jewelry is a representation of life experiences, nature, and cultural influences. It is passion and beauty exploding in matte or glossy metals and brilliant faceted or uncut gemstones.

Bidermann draws from every interest and influence from art to style icon Audrey Hepburn to a myriad of cultural influences. She embraces it all cultivating a broad range of creations.

"I come from a family with roots in the art world, my parents are collectors; art therefore is like my natural course," she explains. "I studied Art History before working at Sotheby's in New York and Paris. My grandmother however was very chic, and stylish. She used to commission these amazing pieces from Van Cleef & Arpels, and Cartier and she'd show them to me, which influenced my interest in jewelry."

After completing gemology and jewelry courses, she traveled around the world from Italy to Mexico to India seemingly absorbing the varied sights. In 2004, the culmination of experiences would lead to a full-blown leap into jewelry design.

Fascinated with cultural superstitions, one of Bidermann's first collections was an assembly of lucky charms--stars, dragonflies, elephants, and turtles--carved from mother-of-pearl and suspended from colored string. The charms, which have become her signature items, are fashioned in an informal, makeshift kind of way giving them a childlike and endearing appearance.

Her keen knowledge of gemstones is captured with gorgeous, single-stoned pendants like her uncut, Celestine Stone gently dangling from a silver chain. Her minimalist styled charms and pendants are contrasted with the dramatic detailing of her exquisite old lace cuff dipped in antique, yellow gold and her gold choker.

"I feel jewelry, like art, is more permanently relevant than fashion," she says. "My collections are very like collections of art in that each piece is unique and a lot of work goes into the process of creating them."

18-Karat Gold Gingko Biloba Earrings

Bidermann's extraordinary jewelry has been featured in publications worldwide such as the Japanese, Russian, and American versions of Vogue, as well as Elle, Marie Claire, and Teen Vogue.

Her eclectic pieces are sold through numerous Parisian boutiques including Colette, and are also found at Barney's New York, and Tomas Mailes in Florida.