Vintage jewelry is forever, and luckily, there’s plenty to go around. While estate sales, flea markets and vintage shops are a constant, discovering a prized piece takes a developed eye and the ability to see the allure in certain pieces.
Karry Berreby is in a niche of her own. She doesn’t necessarily seek jewelry dripped in gold and diamonds. Instead she scours for rare couture pieces. “I look for sophistication and elegance. I examine the proportions, the materials and the ‘allure’ of the jewelry. I also pay attention to the colors.”
Well-versed in full-on glamour, Berreby has drawers and drawers of bijoux from the 1950s to the 1970s. No vintage and antique designer is too small or big. She knows them all: Balenciago, Bulgari, Cardin, Chamet, Ossie Clark, David Webb, Givenchy, Madame Grès, Jacques Fath, Van Cleef & Arpels and Yves Saint Laurent. “I love the weathered gem and not the jewel that shines. Vintage jewelry is just classic and sophisticated.”
“Personally, I think it is very important for women to wear jewelry because jewelry contribute to a style, a personality, a look. Women, who wear jewelry, acquire a touch of femininity,” says Berreby. The collector also has an appreciation for worn antique watches.
Her finds are at Karry Berreby, a jewelry company for style mavens that launched two years ago and is special appointments only. For years she operated the famed Paris boutique Karry’O on rue des Saints Pères, which she closed a few years ago to make room for new opportunities.
The Parisian beauty attended Studio Berçot in Paris and has always been self-employed. There has been one significant influence. “My grandmother was a very elegant woman,” says Berreby. “She influenced my perceptive on jewels. I would compare her to ‘La Callas,’ Maria Callas in the role of [La Traviata’s] Violetta at the Royal Opera House in London.”
Not one to rest on her laurels, Berreby is pursing new passions. She launched BK Spa, a treatment center in a typical Parisian apartment in November 2012. Beauty addicts receive treatments (ayurvedic massage, reflexology, lymphatic draining and muscular facial massage) by top professionals. The property’s minimalist décor, private all-white rooms with hardwood floors, tall ceilings and fireplaces, create quite the Zen zone. Berreby also is opening a boutique hosting a gallery of objects, furniture and jewels. The eponymous boutique is located at rue de Lille (Paris 7è).
