Vanessa Tugendhaft

A bright, modern space in a spiffed-up corner of Saint Germain des Prés serves as Vanessa Tugendhaft’s new Paris headquarters. The young Belgian designer has earned her worldwide following with a single winning formula: make the lofty diamond affordable for everyone. The idea—like the resulting diamond-on-a-string bracelet—is simple but brilliant.

Fashion icons agree—both Madonna and Inès de la Fressange have been spotted wearing versions of Tugendhaft’s Identity bracelet: tiny, full-cut white diamonds set in silver or white gold in round, heart or square shapes on a durable nylon string. Starting at about $225, the bracelets cost less than a pair of designer sunglasses, and last indefinitely. At those prices a girl can afford to mix and match, a concept the designer surely anticipated in her Shapes line, with circles, squares, triangles or clovers. For those who can’t conceive of wearing a diamond on a string, no matter how indestructible, there are beautiful and reasonably priced rings, bracelets and necklaces on white, yellow or rose gold chains. If you’re willing to spend a little more, the Art Deco-inspired La Garçonne collection channels “the glamorous and carefree attitude of the ’20s and ’30s” with vintage-inspired designs that could easily be taken for family heirlooms, with prices averaging $250–$650 and topping out at $2,500.

1 rue de l’Abbaye, 6th. 01.46.34.35.57. www.vanessa-tugendhaft.com

Originally published in the November 2012 issue of France Today