Jewellery brand Messika enters a new chapter with the recently released ‘Moderniste’ collection. Since founding the brand 20 years ago, Valérie Messika has pioneered the concept of ‘diamonds in motion’ – whereby the stones actually move within a piece of jewellery. Now, ‘Moderniste’ signals a shift towards a language of contrasts. Powerful yet precise, luminous yet irreverent, opposites meet in deliberate balance. Wallpaper* joined the maison in London to celebrate a new design direction – one that places architectural thinking and gold at the forefront of Messika’s creative identity.
At the heart of the collection is a decisive move away from diamonds as the sole focal point. Instead, gold – rendered in yellow, white, and rose – becomes a sculptural medium. Pieces are conceived as wearable forms rather than traditional jewellery, with volume, structure, and the play of light taking precedence over ornament. Polished, brushed, and pavé surfaces interact dynamically, allowing each design to shift in tone and intensity depending on how it is worn.
Wallpaper* watches & jewellery editor Hannah Silver (left) and Valérie Messika
Drawing on the principles of modernist architecture, the collection references the clarity and restraint of figures such as Le Corbusier and Eileen Gray. Clean lines, geometric precision, and balanced proportions define the silhouettes, while a recurring dialogue between circle and square introduces a sense of tension. This ‘paradox’ extends beyond form, suggesting a union of masculine and feminine energies – strength and fluidity held within a single gesture. Subtle asymmetrical pyramids appear throughout, echoing the maison’s emblematic ‘diamonds in motion’, now translated into a more structural vocabulary.
The range spans rings, earrings, sculptural necklaces – including torque and tie styles – and a defining bangle that anchors the collection. Each piece functions as both adornment and object, designed to be experienced in three dimensions.
Details of the 'Moderniste' collection by Messika
The event with Wallpaper*, held in an intimate setting overlooking Kensington Gardens, mirrored this sensibility. Guests were invited into a space where light, reflection, and materiality took precedence, with a dedicated styling area for guests to try on key pieces from the collection. Wallpaper* watches & jewellery editor Hannah Silver shared the floor with Valérie Messika to discuss the nuances of the collection, with a sneak peek at what potential future collaborations could look like.
Developed with creative director Sybille de Saint Louvent, the accompanying campaign explores the intersection of artificial intelligence, material innovation and form. Photographed by Ezra Petronio and starring former Wallpaper* cover star Julianne Moore, the imagery positions each piece as an architectural artefact – ‘beyond adornment’, and intentionally inclusive in its appeal.
Campaign imagery featuring Julianne Moore, alongside pieces from the collection
The ‘Moderniste’ collection is available now, with prices ranging from £1,680 to £42,300.