o understand how S by Salanitro’s mask-inspired jewellery came into being, we must set the dial on our time machine to September 2022. After all, this is magical jewellery and there are no limits to what magic can do.

Two years ago, Swiss master jeweller and gem-setter Pierre Salanitro made an unexpected announcement. Known for his decades-long collaboration with the watch world, he was launching S by Salanitro – the label he had created for his collections of jewellery and objets précieux. A few months later, he presented his debut creations - objects worthy of a place in a cabinet of wonders – to close friends at Bailly Gallery, in Geneva’s old town. Among those present were Thierry Stern, president of Patek Philippe, master watchmaker François-Paul Journe, art collector Stéphane Barbier-Mueller, Nicolas Beau, vice president of Tiffany Horlogerie, and auctioneer Aurel Bacs.

Pierre Salanitro, Founder and CEO, Salanitro S.A.

A monumental mirror framed a vanitas in coloured gemstones by interior designer Aline Erbeia. Hung on the walls like artworks, masks in vermeil and diamonds appeared to stare back at the guests who stopped to observe them. Display cases held backgammon sets whose titanium, diamond, sapphire, black diamond and ruby checkers awaited players and aesthetes.

Encouraged by the warm reception given to this first series of objects, Pierre Salanitro was eager to continue in this vein. “When I founded S by Salanitro, I had no plans to make jewellery. There are already countless jewellers and the only way to enter the market is with an idea that will make you stand out. Well, I kept meeting clients, both men and women, who thought the masks would make wonderful jewellery.” And there it was, the idea that would set him apart: miniature versions of the masks, in the form of jewellery.

The collection he unveiled in autumn 2024 is unmatched. Each piece is stunningly beautiful, with several designed to be worn in novel ways, such as a double ring that sits on each side of the knuckle. But it is more than this. It elevates jewellery from adornment to wearable artwork, instilling these rings and earrings with a symbolic dimension. Indeed, a mask is no ordinary object. Masks are shown in museums of indigenous art all over the world. In many traditions, the mask is a sacred object that connects the visible world with the invisible world. While artists in the early twentieth century were captivated by the mask’s aesthetic value, we cannot ignore its inherent magic.

THE WARRIOR rings, S by Salanitro, white gold, diamonds and sapphires. THE DOUBLE WARRIOR necklace, S by Salanitro, white gold, diamonds and sapphires. ©S by Salanitro | Photo: © Elie Charles

“Last year’s collection of masks was a magnificent collaboration with students at ECAL, Lausanne’s renowned art and design school,” notes Pierre Salanitro. “Masks have infinite potential. Our inspiration came from famous original masks.” One, The Warrior, inspired by the Malinaltepec Mask in hard stone that was uncovered in south-west Mexico in 1921, reappears in the jewellery collection.

“Every mask has a meaning and can be worn to suit a particular day or a mood, even a warrior spirit,” Pierre Salanitro continues. “There are so many stories behind these jewels. One look and you know they are S by Salanitro simply because they exist nowhere else.”

One advantage of heading up your own gem-setting company is that you can do what you like, how you like, with no limits. Pierre Salanitro set up his business in 1990, initially with just one client, Piaget, although others soon followed. Some of the most prestigious Manufactures bring their watches to Salanitro to have them set with precious stones; one, Patek Philippe, acquired a stake in the company in October 2022. If Pierre Salanitro can achieve the impossible for others, why wouldn’t he do the same under his own name? And, where S by Salanitro is concerned, impossible also means bespoke, with 250 gem-setters, engravers and jewellers employed at the Geneva workshops, ready to fulfil even the most extravagant request.

“Every S by Salanitro product, without exception, can be made to order. A client recently bought one of my rings, which she wanted in rose gold set with a tsavorite and a rainbow of diamonds. Because we’re not a huge company, this is something I can do. I don’t intend to produce tens of thousands of pieces but I am open to customisation. It’s not hard for us to swap one stone for another. If, on the other hand, someone asks us for a special cut, then we would have to adapt the design, which is for a one-carat stone.”

Pierre Salanitro intends to create three masks a year, which will later enter the jewellery collection. The opportunities are endless, all the more so as these are not replicas but artistic interpretations. “The hardest part,” he insists, “is to transcribe the masks in a contemporary style without losing any of their significance, so when collectors of indigenous art, such as my friend Stéphane Barbier-Mueller, say I’ve succeeded, then I’m delighted.” Confirmation of this success: after sending photos of the jewellery to his wife, who already owned pieces by Place Vendôme’s finest houses, a client bought almost the entire collection. “She had everything there is,” says Pierre Salanitro, “but she liked the fact that these are different.”

Pierre Salanitro is from the same mould as the jeweller-artists of the early twentieth century. His creations are uniquely recognisable and each has a story to tell. To buy one of his creations is an intellectual process, “more akin to acquiring a sculpture or a painting than a piece of jewellery,” he says.

A mask is no ordinary object. Nor is a piece of jewellery. It plays multiple roles: it can be pure adornment, a symbol of power, a form of social recognition or a talisman. Pierre Salanitro’s jewels are doubly talismanic, representing a mask as well as the hidden mysteries it contains. “Some clients don’t feel this. They are drawn to the originality and beauty instead, while others feel a powerful connection. This connection was important to me. I wanted to create jewellery that would trigger an emotion, something magical.”