LuxImpact to revive French heritage jeweler Oscar Massin
French heritage jeweler Oscar Massin is making a comeback under a new parent company and strategy.
It’s Frédéric de Narp, Sandrine de Laage, and Coralie de Fontenay, who are joining forces under the company LuxImpact, a new investment firm based in Paris that relaunches historic French labels with a social and sustainable edge.
For Oscar Massin, that means introducing a new progressive model, rooted in ethical and sustainable practices, to make it the first heritage luxury brand to use only grown diamonds in the U.S.
Designed by creative director de Laage, the brand will launch with several collections of jewels inspired by Massin’s most iconic designs, including his metal lacework and signature rose-cut diamonds. The new collections are set to launch in mid-February, through the Oscar Massin website.
True to the brand’s new ethos, the line uses only fully traceable, untreated, and climate-neutral Latitude grown diamonds in settings of 100% recycled gold and platinum. These newly available stones are the first to meet the highest standards of environmental and ethical responsibility by SCS Global Services. Likewise, the core collection line was handcrafted in family-owned ateliers in New York City and High Jewelry in its Place Vendome atelier.
In the 19th century, Oscar Massin was renowned for his inventive approach to creating jewelry, that integrated art and science. He established his eponymous atelier in 1859, where he worked until his retirement in 1892. Through his work, he created bespoke pieces for royalty across the globe and he was awarded the gold medal at the Universal Exhibition in Paris in 1867.
LuxImpact added that Massin is recognized as much as a teacher as an artist, and that by sharing his experiments, original techniques, and purposeful design, he led an era of jewelers, and a new era of artistic expression and achievement.
Most recently, Vever, an Art Nouveau pioneer, was relaunched in a joint-venture between Luximpact and the Vever family. Luximpact is reportedly aiming to acquire two more brands this year.