Bijoux Tisse: Woven Chain Jewelry from Maison Bivouac

I Bought This Informational Link 

In April, I drove up to pretty, seaside Newburyport MA to do some shopping and browsing. At Wishbasket, the shop from which I always buy dripless candles, I was distracted by some unusual jewelry near the front door and cashier (so you couldn’t miss them!). I had never seen bracelets or necklaces like these. They looked like they were made from different metals. But instead of looking “hard” like metal often does, the pieces looked soft like fabric. I was especially fascinated by the bracelets. 

Each bracelet was a mixture of metal colors: – gold, silver, black – in blocks. I tried on several, and they definitely felt soft against my skin. I couldn’t decide.

I asked the woman at the checkout if she knew anything about the jewelry, and surprisingly, she didn’t. At that point, I decided I would think about it.

So I thought about it for almost 5 months. During that time, I did some research. I never saw the jewelry at any other gift shop or jewelry store. But somehow I managed to find them on a website in France!

It turns out the jewelry that is called “Bijoux Tissé” (woven jewelry) is from Maison Bivouac in France where it is made. Here’s the translation of the description of the brand’s process and how the “colors” are derived:

“Based on traditional know-how combined with a modern approach, the brand’s signature is recognizable by the technique used. A weaving of thin metal chains that gives birth to “second skin” jewelry with simple shapes and a style that is both raw and refined.
Each jewel is woven on a linen or metal thread and composed of chains of different materials:

• Indian gold: 18 carat gold on stainless steel
• Silver: Stainless Steel
• Black: Patinated brass
• Raw: Oxidized raw brass”

As the spring and summer passed, I kept looking at the jewelry on their website. At that point, I didn’t know if that was the brand of jewelry that I saw in Newburyport. Yet, I couldn’t find this style of jewelry anyplace else. Hmmm.

On Tuesday, my friend Connie, the artist whose paintings grace the ponchos, scarves, tops, and other garments that I’ve written about on NSDB, was going to Newburyport to bring two of her autumn paintings to hang in a coffee shop in town. I told her I would meet her there because I needed to buy more candles. I met her at the boutique, Design of Mine, the sister store to the shop where I bought my Habitat top that I wrote about last Thursday (here). Connie is going to be selling some of her ponchos at Design of Mine in Newburyport! Exciting. 

From DoM, we walked to the other side of town where Wishbasket is located in the Tannery “strip mall”. I bought the candles, and I asked the woman at checkout if she knew what happened to the jewelry that had been on display back in April. She said she didn’t know. Oh, boo, I thought.

We left that side of town and walked back to the coffee shop. After Connie headed home, I walked to the parking lot to get my car. I decided to do some more browsing before I left Newburyport.

I drove back to the Tannery. The owners of Wishbasket have another shop a couple of stores around the corner, Red Bird Trading Company. Both stores sell pricey home products and furniture for every room in the house. Wishbasket concentrates on kitchen and bedroom goods, while Red Bird emphasizes the living room and dining room.

I dropped into Red Bird through a side entrance. An interior decorator was shopping with a man who was her client. They bought a lot of things! Meanwhile, I looked around. As I headed for the front door, fortunately I noticed that they had a jewelry display that was filled with the jewelry I was seeking! The woman who had checked me out at the other store earlier in the afternoon was working in Red Bird now. I was surprised to see that she was wearing one of the bracelets, and I hadn’t noticed it previously in the darker store. If I had seen it earlier, it would have made my initial visit more successful, but no matter.

Struggling between two different bracelets among the several in the case, I asked her for help.

Though ended up choosing the first one, the one she didn’t suggest, I was happy. After 5 months, success! How do you like it with my Miyuke Tila bracelet (reviewed here)?

When I got home and look at my bracelet, I noticed a small gold oval hanging from the adjustable linen thread.

I put on my glasses to read: “MB” – Maison Bivouac!! Of course. In fact, I just found my bracelet on the Maison Bivouac website: PAMPA Silver Bracelet Here’s their description: 

“Handwoven bracelet. Fine chains in silver-plated stainless steel, white-plated stainless steel, 18-karat gold-plated stainless steel, and linen. Sliding link closure with 5 cm of linen braid at each end. Length: 14 cm Width: 0.7 cm”

I am very happy that I found a store in the US that’s selling Maison Bivouac because:

So you can’t buy Maison Bivouac jewelry in the U.S. now! A couple of weeks ago, France and I think all or most of Europe won’t send packages to the U.S. because of the tariffs. Boo!

Maybe that is why I am not able to receive the Hellenist Paris Les Bras de Morphée perfume that I ordered and paid for a month ago! It’s coming from France. I have a feeling that maybe US Customs won’t release it because France isn’t shipping here right now!? What do you think?