Kreolor – An Ode to the Islands of the Seychelles
A unique Island luxury brand that looks to nature for its richly decorated collection, Kreolor fuses traditional craftsmanship with contemporary design. Stand out from the crowd wearing decadent jewellery from the paradisiac islands of the Seychelles.
The Kreolor craftsmen are hand-making jewellery and artefacts that are brought to life by using materials from the Indian Ocean – exotic woods, endemic palm seeds, pieces of coconut shell, brightly coloured seashells, oyster shell and rostrums of swordfish, all combined with 18 carat gold are what makes the jewellery collection truly original.
The culturally rich islands of the Seychelles make for the perfect environment to create meaningful and eco-conscious jewellery and at the birth of this brand the founders of Kreolor worked alongside local master goldsmiths to create the first island luxury brand boasting the extraordinary paradisiac emblems of the islands. Founded in 1990 and the first to introduce local manufacturing of gold jewellery on a large scale, Kreolor is unique to Seychelles and tells the story of a diverse joint venture between local and foreign investors.
With Claudio Izzi as its Creative Director, Kreolor offers travellers the feeling of taking home true locally made intricate jewellery and crafts that keep alive the memories of their visit to the idyllic holiday destination. Having discovered Seychelles at the age of 15, the founder of Kreolor, Claudio Izzi hails from Valenza Po, one of the worlds capitals of jewellery where he learned the craft of jewellery making in a small workshop and later went on to study at a Goldsmiths Art School. Coining the journey of creating Kreolor as an adventure he’d always dreamed of, Mr Izzi talks about the brave encounters back in the early days proposing the project to the Government of Seychelles that has today become an original jewellery luxury brand depicting the beauty of the queen that is Mother Nature.
There are two different collections to choose from; Gold and Craft, both boasting a rich variation of charming souvenirs for travellers and a proud symbol of home for locals. The gold jewellery collection offers a stunning range of eye-catching brightly coloured pieces including rings, pendants, necklaces, bracelets and earrings skilfully sorted, cleaned, cut and polished. With fabulous creations such as Pendants with tropical motifs, stunning mother of pearl and 18 carat gold set of earrings, necklaces and bracelets there are plenty of pieces to choose from that bring a touch of brightness to the day. Beautiful earrings that shimmer in the light with the creative pairing of colourful shells and 18 carat gold to the sunset orange red helmet shell, oyster set of bracelets make the jewellery a must-have.
One of the bestselling and luxurious designs offered is the iconic double sided 18 carat gold Coco De Mer Pendant. A rare nut native only to Seychelles that has for centuries been the stuff of legends – the love nut that ancient sailors believed to have grown from a mystifying island under the ocean. The iconic Coco De Mer features on many designs of the Kreolor pendant, necklace, ring, earrings and bracelet pieces of which are also very popular.
The Craft Collection is distinctively unique, authentic and has been in existence since 1998, a range that’s locally sourced using natural raw materials. The Collection has more of an earthy design, with materials like coconut palm and Takamaka, coconut shells and seeds from local palms widely used to make innovative gift ideas such as fun wooden combs, ethnic bracelets, boxes, photo frames, letter openers, trays and more. A wide array of bracelets and necklaces made from palm seeds, coconut timber and coconut shells, cream coloured with speckled chocolate brown spots can be chosen from. With such variety of crafts and original designs that can add a touch of classical paradise to your home, you’ll find it hard to choose between the fun and practical combs in wood with inlays of shell, photo frames with slivers of various timber, coconut shell or the multi-purpose boxes in swordfish bill, timber and palm seed.
Kreolor is not only a luxury brand, but an array of charming designs and a craftsmanship that is a rare reminder of the days gone by when people were happy to use natural products found in mother nature to create rudimentary jewellery and craft items.
Kreolor have various outlets in Seychelles where one can discover the handmade magic. The items can be viewed and bought at the following shops:
Mahe:
Camion Hall, Albert Street, Victoria, tel: 4322268
Eden Plaza, Eden Island, tel: 4346600
Seychelles Int. Airport, Departure Lounge, tel: 4373344
Praslin:
Grand Anse, tel: 4237373
Valle de Mai tel. 4236220
La Digue:
La Passe, tel: 4234400 (currently under renovation, re-opening in 2019)
Some Jouel boutiques also sell a limited collection of the Kreolor products at Constance Lemuria, Praslin and the Domestic Airport, Praslin.