Before Camille and Marie can tell you what a gemstone is worth, they want to know what it is, where it comes from, and what makes it special. Still learning gemology themselves, the friends share their discoveries as they go through their joint Instagram page, @deuxcaratsparis.
The account is about a couple months old and built around gemstones and the stories behind jewelry. Camille came to it unexpectedly. She studied economics, finished a master’s in marketing, and somewhere in the middle of a startup internship realized the career she was building wasn’t one she loved. Marie spent two years making jewelry for a brand where her boss happened to be a gemologist, and that was enough to make her want to understand the stones as well as the pieces. They met while both studying gemology at the Laboratoire Français de Gemmologie, and the idea for a shared page came almost immediately.
We met at Café Boca in Paris to talk about the people and places that inspire them and how they see the world of jewelry evolving.
THE CONVERSATION
On finding a passion, learning in Paris, and making jewelry feel accessible.
How did you get into jewelry?
Camille: “I always loved gemstones, but I discovered that I could work with them.”
After studying economics and marketing, Camille realized she wanted a career that connected more closely with her interests. She found gemology training and began studying while working part-time in jewelry sales.
Marie: “I had already spent two years making jewelry, and my boss was a gemologist. That made me want to study gemstones, too.”
Marie came to gemology through her jeweler apprenticeship at a jewelry brand. During gemology training, she met Camille, and soon decided to share the experience together.
How has Paris influenced your journey in jewelry?
Camille: “If we find something interesting on Instagram, there’s a good chance we can find it in a showroom somewhere in Paris.”
Camille grew up in a small village near Strasbourg, studied there, then moved to Lille, so she’s no stranger to a change of scenery. But, Paris is different. Since launching the account, she and Marie have been going to exhibitions and events, and the city keeps offering them more. She points to the Musée de Minéralogie for the gemological side and to the École des Arts Joailliers, which runs workshops open to everyone, not just professionals, on everything from gemology to jewelry painting. It isn’t cheap, she admits, but the space is beautiful.
Marie: “Paris is the perfect place to create a personal identity and share it with as many people as possible.”
Marie sees Paris as a place where she can shape her creative voice, meet an audience, and bring her ideas into the wider jewelry conversation. The exhibitions, showrooms, and encounters are so accessible here, making it feel possible to find her place in the jewelry world and build something of her own.
Outside of jewelry, what inspires you?
Camille: “The place I’m in. When I’m in Paris, there’s a special mood. When I go back to Strasbourg, it’s not the same people, not the same vibe.”
Camille finds inspiration in the places she experiences and the people she meets. Her six-month stay in South Africa, for example, introduced her to a new culture and way of life. Also, music, films, and social media continue to spark ideas in unexpected ways.
Marie: “My mother is probably the person who inspires me the most. She’s my biggest support and my very first fan.”
Marie’s inspiration is closer to home: her mother. She’s also passionate by art, music, and good vibes, and lets herself be guided by whatever she loves in the moment, which keeps pushing her creative boundaries. Camille showed up in her life when she wanted to build something different, and the two of them have been nudging each other out of their comfort zones ever since.
They agreed that they continue to inspire each other, growing from feeling shy about launching the page to thinking, “Okay, we can do this.”
What have you learned about yourself through working in jewelry?
Camille: “It’s the first time I’m really passionate about something. Before that, I always studied because I had to.”
She assumed the spark would arrive eventually, somewhere along the way through her degree. It didn’t. After finishing her master’s still unmoved, she had to start asking what she likes rather than what she’s supposed to do. Gemstones were the answer, and she says she’s more passionate every day, and more willing to leave her comfort zone to meet people and learn, because she’s starting from scratch in a new sector.
Marie: “I love learning, but even more, I love sharing what I learn.”
Marie has learned that she’s energized by discovery and sees passing her knowledge on as a central part of the work. In a niche profession, she says, there’s always more to explore, and you never get bored. To her, that feels like a real privilege.
What would you change about the jewelry industry?
Camille: “I think the sector is not transparent enough.”
Camille connects transparency with the way people shop and understand what they’re buying. She admits jewelry often comes after choosing an outfit and clothes, with price playing a part. She’d like quality pieces to be more affordable, while recognizing that rarity is part of what makes them precious.
She also sees confusion around gemstone ethics. Lab-grown diamonds are often assumed to be the more ethical choice, but their environmental impact is more complicated. Natural and synthetic stones may share a composition, yet differ in how they form and in their value. Camille believes people deserve clear information to help them make sense of those differences and choose what they want to buy.
Marie: “Jewelry should feel accessible to everyone, especially people who might not feel comfortable consulting a gemologist or walking into a prestigious jewelry house just to admire the pieces.”
For Marie, access means more than price. A jeweler can adapt to a client’s needs without limiting their creativity, making the process feel like an exchange. She’d like people to feel welcome exploring jewelry, asking questions, and admiring pieces—even if they’re not ready to buy.
WHAT THEY WEAR
A family ring, flashes of labradorite, and a Cartier Trinity.
Camille’s jewelry shows how a personal point of view doesn’t depend on a big budget. The piece she calls most precious is a ring her father gave her mother when they were young. Made of 9-carat gold, it has tiny sapphires and rubies set around a diamond. Her mother no longer wore it, so Camille kept it. She loves the ring partly because her grandmother has a similar one, larger and set only with diamonds, that she’s worn for as long as Camille can remember. Her father can’t recall where he bought it, but its connection to both her parents and grandmother makes it especially meaningful to her.
She also wears a labradorite ring from Nature & Découvertes, a brand better known for wellness products and crystal jewelry. Camille isn’t usually drawn to the brand’s jewelry, but this one caught her eye. She loves the flashes of color in labradorite, and the ring also reminds her of Pomellato, whose jewelry is out of her budget for now. A glass ring by a young maker she hadn’t known before reflects her pleasure in discovering unfamiliar names. She hopes to add more well-made pieces that will last over time.
Marie’s jewelry includes two pieces with a different kind of history: the first ring she created for her first jewelry company, which is still a favorite, and a Cartier Trinity bracelet she wears every day.
Together, their pieces carry meaning through the people who gave them, the hands that made them, and the memories they hold.
THEIR POINT OF VIEW
The perspective they bring to jewelry and beyond.
For Camille and Marie, jewelry is where learning, curiosity, and community meet. They’re drawn to gemology because it’s a field where there’s always more to discover, and to social media because so few people talk about gemstones the way they talk about fashion.
Their own pieces say the same thing: a ring from a mother, a first creation, a stone chosen simply because it’s loved. And the page has the same instinct. They aren’t posing as finished experts. They’re two friends who started a little shy, pushed each other past it, and decided that learning something in front of other people is a perfectly good way to begin.
Knowledge, like jewelry, is worth passing on.
OFF THE RECORD
Personal details, current obsessions, and little things worth knowing.
Camille
Birthstone: Amethyst
Favorite city: Cape Town or Paris
Drink of choice: Vanilla matcha
Current jewelry obsession: Marie Mas Ring Stacks
Song on repeat: “Blue Jeans” by Lana Del Rey
Marie
Birthstone: Tanzanite
Favorite city: Biarritz
Drink of choice: Gin tonic
Current jewelry obsession: Nadine Ghosn Burger Ring and Pencil Bracelet
Song on repeat: “While My Guitar Gently Weeps” by Paul McCartney & Eric Clapton
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