Coralie van Caloen

I've been making jewellery since I was about five years old. I spent hours threading glass beads into necklaces and tiny animals, long before I imagined it could become my profession.

At boarding school, I spent my evenings making jewellery in my room and by the age of sixteen, I had sold my first piece to a friend. She still has the bracelet today, a multicolour bracelet made of glass beads.

At the time, I never thought jewellery could be a real career, so I chose to study fashion at La Cambre in Brussels.

At twenty-two, I realised that jewellery could be a real profession. I left Brussels for Bombay to study traditional jewellery drawing techniques. My mornings were spent practising at the International Gemological Institute, while my afternoons were spent exploring the gemstone markets, where I discovered an entirely new world.

From Bombay, I moved to Jaipur to work at the Gem Palace. It was there that I discovered the world of traditional Indian jewellery, learning about gemstones, ancient techniques and the extraordinary heritage of a city that had created jewels for generations of Maharajahs.

After my time in India, I moved to London to explore a completely different world. I trained in fashion jewellery with houses such as Alexander McQueen and worked alongside independent designers in Notting Hill. The contrast between these experiences shaped the way I think about jewellery today, bringing together traditional craftsmanship and a more contemporary sense of design.

At twenty-six, I returned to Belgium to study gemmology at the HRD in Antwerp. At the same time, I joined Wolfers, the oldest jeweller in Brussels, where I deepened my understanding of fine jewellery, craftsmanship and working with clients.

By twenty-seven, I felt ready to create pieces under my own name, and founded my jewellery house in Belgium.