ZANNOCLOU — CALENDÉ Exhibition — Parcours Bijoux 2026

01

Exhibition

ZANNOCLOU is part of the 5th Parcours Bijoux taking place in Paris in October 2026. The event is organized by the association D'un Bijou à l'Autre, which aims to promote contemporary jewelry by strengthening its visibility and international reputation.

Contemporary pieces escape traditional jewelry categories. They are works of art in their own right, independent, which, while flirting with the world of luxury and fashion, retain an untamable aura.

Before even seeking to be "desired" as an object to wear or categorize, the contemporary jewel exists as a work in its own right. Because it is born from the encounter between thought and matter, gesture and tool. It is essentially a bearer of meaning, history, and identity.

"For each of the scheduled events, we hope you will join us in celebrating 'expression' jewelry, 'committed' jewelry, and 'auteur' jewelry — in other words, contemporary jewelry."

02

Artist

Adeline Chapin

Creator of CALENDÉ — jeweler, documentalist

Adeline is committed to a research and creative approach that allows her to question the jewels of the Martinican wardrobe and thus create a space for exchange and transmission around identity jewelry.

A documentalist by profession, a collector, she has worked for several years in the fields of fashion and luxury and participates in artistic residences oriented towards the enhancement of cultural heritage and the founding codes of Martinican jewelry.

The passionate adventure that brings her two activities together allows her to tell a story of contemporary Creole jewelry through her creative project: Calendé.

"I explore the contemporaneity of Creole jewelry."

03

ZANNOCLOU, memorial jewel

"ZANNOCLOU is the name I inherited in the community where I found my roots. I will tell you what my accessible memories say about me. I may have appeared at the beginning of the 19th century, on the ears of a Nubian woman sculpted by a French artist. I am then visible on the ears of elegant Caribbean women in studio photographs, associated with the jewelry ornaments of yesteryear worn with traditional attire.

I am even represented in colonial paintings as an imposing symbol of the finery of the women portrayed. And then I disappear. I become a myth, a legend jewel that is rarely spoken of. I present myself to you here, as a memorial jewel, as a gateway to an identity heritage and as an architectural object surrounded by mystery.

Let us reflect together on the place I occupy as an artifact jewel. Let us explore the creative laboratory of the metamorphosis of the jewel identified as ZANNOCLOU, by establishing a dialogue between preservation and innovation."

04

History & Heritage

Jewelry is an essential element of finery and has, yesterday as today, an important place in the art of living in Creole culture. Thanks to the know-how of artisan-creators in the French West Indies since the 19th century, a unique jewelry style emerged when African, Indian, and European influences mixed.

Jewelry, beyond its ornamental function, is a savings object and a tool for transmitting wealth. It constitutes a heritage, a legacy; and is often bearer of symbols or sentimental values.

The models created at that time, such as the Grains Choux necklace or the Chenille earring, still find resonance today when they are transmitted, when they are still worn, and when contemporary creation continues to trace the anchoring furrow of this unique heritage.

05

The Venue

Librairie Calypso

The first bookstore in Paris specialized in works by authors from the Caribbean and the Overseas regions. Manager Agnès Cornelie has made this literary environment a place for meetings and cultural discovery.

Address: 32 rue Gassendi, 75014 Paris — France
Phone: +33 1 73 70 07 94
Website: librairiecalypso.fr

Hours

Tuesday : 3:30 PM — 7:00 PM
Wednesday — Saturday : 11:00 AM — 2:00 PM, then 3:00 PM — 7:00 PM
Sunday and Monday: closed

"In order to tell the story of contemporary Creole jewelry, it was obvious that the setting that would host the ZANNOCLOU exhibition would be a place full of meaning."
— Adeline Chapin