PARIS — Treasures fill the townhouse that is now the first flagship of lab-grown diamond brand Unsaid, located just a gemstone’s throw from Place Vendôme.
Behind the wrought iron door in the listed facade of 35 Rue Danielle Casanova is a 2,150-square-foot building, spread across three levels accessible to clients, as well as a below-ground safe and a private office under the eaves.
Throughout, there are plenty of eye-catching elements such as a multicolored sofa by Pierre Paulin from the 1960s, light fixtures sourced from Milan’s storied La Scala theater and a monumental sculpture by Italian artist Mattia Bosco that sits at the foot of a stairwell lined in walnut wood.
There’s even a permanent installation by Patrick Rimoux, a French light sculptor who most recently signed the luminous redesign of the Notre-Dame cathedral in Paris.
The ground floor features light fixtures sourced from Milan’s storied La Scala theater and the monumental sculpture by Italian artist Mattia Bosco.
Paola Pansini/Courtesy of Dimorestudio
With nary a point of sale in sight, one could almost forget that the star here is meant to be Unsaid’s jewelry, featuring its 15 signature cuts such as the spherical Bubble, asymmetric Flame and newly introduced Ocean. There’s also an exclusive collection called “35,” after the store’s street address.
That’s exactly how Philippe Nobile, chairman of Unsaid, wanted it. Rather than score sales, he’s keen to strike up conversations around the brand and its ethos of more sustainable jewelry, where use lab-grown stones are a lightning rod for creativity.
“The idea was for visitors to step into a bubble and be welcomed into a home, a place where you feel so comfortable that you forget about the rest,” he told WWD during a visit.
The diamond cuts include Flame, Phoenix, five armor-inspired shapes and revisited classics in the Meta collection.
Courtesy of Unsaid
Indeed, the interior is more akin to a design collector’s home than a retail space, playing on the juxtaposition of plush velvet and woods with metal, marble — and diamonds, of course.
Above the ground floor lounge is the salon dedicated to Unsaid’s growing high jewelry offer. Velvet floral banquettes face corner mirrors and Art Deco-inspired display cases without glass barriers, a move Nobile said was essential to give a closer approach to the pieces.
The second floor, featuring a geometric marquetry of wood, marble and brass on the floor and walls, has a handwoven carpet made from reed and leather from Morocco juxtaposed with 1940s furniture by French architect and designer Pierre Chapo.
Moving panels reveal windows or conferencing equipment, as the area does double duty as a private salon accessible by invitation, but also a workspace for the brand’s designers, Nobile and business partner Ankit Mehta, with whom he cofounded Unsaid and sister brand Aneka in 2022.
The ground floor of the Unsaid Paris flagship offers a comprehensive selection of its jewelry.
François Goizé/Courtesy of Darbyon
Many brands would have balked at the constraints initially offered by 35 Rue Danielle Casanova. Most recently occupied by a menswear store that shuttered in 2020, this building erected in 1860 needed to be stripped down in its entirety, including the roof, as lead was discovered there during the early stages of the renovation.
The project was spearheaded by Milan-based architectural practice Dimorestudio, headed by Emiliano Salci and Britt Moran. They described their goal as creating “spaces that integrated harmoniously the history and modernity of Unsaid, where each detail embodies the DNA of the house,” balancing the French capital’s architectural heritage and a contemporary approach to design.
But that turned out to be a golden opportunity as far as Nobile was concerned: with only a listed facade to preserve, “Number 35” was a blank slate ideal for writing the next chapter for Unsaid through an immersive experience, but also develop the brand’s ideals for sustainable practices.
“Going zero-carbon isn’t a calculation, it’s a duty, everyone should be doing it,” he said. “Once you know that, you can start thinking about the simplest and most economical ways of achieving that.”
While the executive declined to disclose the investment for the building’s overhaul, he said that the project had been on budget, but that the real crunch point was the expertise in sustainable renovations to achieve the carbon-neutral goal he had set.
Earrings from Unsaid’s “35” collection, exclusive to the Paris flagship.
Courtesy of Unsaid
“It’s really win-win but it’s an intellectual effort, more work and requires close collaboration with partners as they don’t [usually] work like that,” he continued. “Luxury and the industry must show the way.”
Overall, he estimated that it added 20 percent to the budget versus a similar renovation done without requirements such as recyclable materials, as-local-as-possible sourcing — including furniture bought at auction — and energy efficiency.
The Paris flagship, which is expected to break even within two years, serves as a sign of Unsaid’s ambitions.
The three-year-old jeweler is going into 2025 with a new brand platform for February and plans to open 30 doors globally including in the U.S. and the Middle East. It will also enter South Korea. On the further horizon are plans for a New York flagship.
The second floor of the Unsaid flagship in Paris is a by-appointment salon entirely lined in wood, marble and brass marquetry.
Paola Pansini/Courtesy of Dimorestudio
For now, French and American customers account for a majority of the brand’s clientele, thanks to retail partners that include several Printemps and Saks Fifth Avenue addresses. It is also stocked at Dover Street Market in the U.S., London, Japan and Singapore. Online sales account for less than 10 percent of the business.
Despite a lackluster luxury landscape, Nobile remains confident in the future. Not only is the jewelry market “suffering less” than other sectors, but he also feels that Unsaid’s focus on sustainable practices will see it through the choppy context.
“Luxury has to go back to its fundamentals. In jewelry, ecology is part of the foundation of ‘new luxury’ alongside lapidary know-how that is evolving and changing how pieces are designed,” he said. “It’s part of the wider transformation and in the end, I think that those who embrace the right principles will not [experience] particular difficulties.”
