int isn’t the first to make jewellery with a hidden message. Jewels have been used to express sentiments and convey secrets probably for as long as such adornments have existed. Gimmal or joint rings, introduced in the medieval period, divide into two hoops, each engraved with a pledge of undying love, which are united into a single ring on a couple’s betrothal.

Under the First French Empire, Marie-Etienne Nitot (jeweller to Napoleon I whose workshops later became Chaumet), imagined acrostic bracelets in which the first letters of each stone combine to spell out a word. The Emperor gifted them to Josephine de Beauharnais, then to Marie-Louise. Now Virginie Parent has imagined a different way to send a secret message: she uses gold and diamonds to write words in Morse code.

Virginie Parent, founder of Hint

After graduating from the Haute Ecole de Joaillerie in Paris, where she studied between 1998 and 2002, Virginie Parent got her first job with Lorenz Bäumer, staying two years. The rest of her CV reads like a who’s who of fine jewellery: five years with De Beers in London, a stint at Chanel, a year with Harry Winston in New York, then six months at Cartier. She has freelanced for Fabergé, Piaget, Chaumet as well as for clients based in Dubai, Hong Kong and Moscow.

While browsing Pinterest one day, she spotted a Morse alphabet that gave her the idea for a necklace with her initial, V, spelled out as three dots and a dash. She was already thinking about designing her own jewellery, customisable pieces at affordable prices, and the barrage of compliments her necklace received from clients and friends was the push she needed to launch Hint - which is what her jewellery is.

“More” medal, yellow gold and heart-shaped diamond (0.5ct)

Photo credit: Dans Tous Les Sens

Meanwhile, her talent was in demand. Hint was fresh out of the starting blocks, in January 2019, when both Chaumet and La Montre Hermès offered her a job. She chose the watchmaker: “I’d already done two watches with [Creative Director] Philippe Delhotal. When he offered me a position at Hermès, I said yes.” She now shares her time between the two Hs in her life: Hermès, her employer, and Hint, her brand.

T, V and H chain rings, white, pink or yellow gold, diamond

Photo credit: Alma Karina

Europa Star: Where does your love of drawing and design come from?

Virginie Parent: My mother adored watching the haute couture shows on television, in particular Christian Lacroix, and it must have rubbed off on me because one day I came across a Christian Lacroix dress and, pinned to it, was the most incredible brooch. That’s when I started wanting to create jewellery myself. I was still at school in Toulon, although not many subjects interested me, apart from literature. Then I found out I could study for a vocational diploma at the Haute Ecole de Joaillerie in Paris.

My parents insisted I go to university instead, so I started a degree in French literature but didn’t enjoy it. A year later, in 1998, I enrolled at the Haute Ecole de Joaillerie. I was better at drawing and thinking up ideas than sitting at the bench making jewellery. Claire Choisne, who is now creative director at Boucheron, taught at the school. She’d just been hired by Lorenz Bäumer and offered me an internship there. When it was over, Lorenz asked me to stay.

E, E, V, P and H earrings, pink or yellow gold, diamond

Photo credit: Alma Karina

Fresh out of school, you were trained by Lorenz Bäumer. What did you learn from him?

At that time his studio was divided into two parts. One team worked for his brand and the other, where I was, under Claire Choisne, worked for external clients, mainly Chanel. I was incredibly lucky to begin my career there but it was no picnic. He expects nothing less than excellence and never leaves anything to chance. He will keep looking for a way to achieve the impossible and won’t stop until he’s found it. Virtually every designer on Place Vendôme started with him and we were all trained the same way.

Sun, Brume and 5+3 rings. Imperial topaz, pink gold and diamond; pink gold, violet spinel and diamond; yellow gold and coloured sapphires

Photo credit: Alma Karina

How did the idea for Morse code jewellery come to you?

For a long time I’d been hunting around for an idea for customisable jewellery at an accessible price. I’d noticed that Parisian women all wore the same jewellery, which I found terribly sad. After I came across the Morse alphabet on Pinterest, I decided to have a necklace made in gold with my initial, V, in round and baguette diamonds for the dots and dashes. I sent a sketch to the studio I worked with. That was in 2017. Two years later, in 2019, I launched Hint.

Initially all your jewellery was with diamonds. What made you introduce coloured stones to the collection?

I work with coloured stones when clients specifically ask for them, for special orders, but it’s quite rare.

Engagement ring, white gold and pear-shaped diamond (0.9 ct)

Photo credit: Alma Karina

Do you always work with the same suppliers?

Yes. I source my diamonds from Taché. They know exactly the type of stone I need. Our technique for setting the baguettes leaves no margin for error, hence the diamonds must be precisely calibrated. I go to Imagem for coloured stones. They have amazing hues that you don’t find anywhere else.

Songe à la Douceur ring, yellow gold, diamond and terracotta tourmaline

Photo credit: Alma Karina

Could you tell us more about your technique for setting the baguette diamonds?

In a closed setting, metal is folded all around the stone or, in the case of a baguette cut, along straight edges. This has to be done with extreme precision which of course implies a certain cost. I worked with a specialist who found a way to clip the baguette into the setting. The metal is then folded on one side only. Thanks to this I was able to divide the cost of setting the stones by five. On small jewellery such as mine, there isn’t much material but a lot of labour. Everything is done in Paris, so we looked for ways to keep prices within an affordable range.

I use baguette diamonds that measure 0.38 mm or 0.39 mm in length by 0.18 mm or 0.19 mm wide. We work to within one tenth of a millimetre. Because I wanted to reach a younger clientele too, I came up with the idea for Mini Hint jewellery, crafted from tiny gold baguettes which are less expensive than diamonds. I’ve always wanted to create jewellery for everyone.

Forever mini wedding ring, pink gold and diamond

Photo credit: Alma Karina

You started with chain jewellery. Today’s collection extends to wedding rings, pendants and medals. Was this a natural progression?

My first “solid” ring was for a client who asked me to design an engagement ring with a pear-shaped diamond. When the studio showed me the finished piece, I was thrilled. Ultimately, every jewellery designer wants to create an engagement ring and a wedding ring that are different from anything else you might see. So I asked the workshop to make wedding rings then small earrings. They’re not as complicated to produce as the chain jewellery, which is more labour-intensive as the Morse letters have to be soldered to the end of each chain.

Which studios do you work with?

I work with a studio in Paris that supplies Place Vendôme jewellers. They developed the jewellery from my designs and also make it. For the small wedding rings, I work with a studio in Barcelona.

B mini arrow pendant, yellow gold and diamond

Photo credit: Dans Tous Les Sens

Have you ever refused to write something?

No, never. Often, people ask for little love notes, children’s initials or their own initials. An artist asked me to write the word “art” and someone else ordered a necklace with a quote from The Little Prince. The funniest request so far was from a friend who’s a lawyer. She works for this big business law firm, with these obnoxious men. She asked me for a bracelet with the word “pute” [whore] spelled out in Morse, because that’s how they treat the women when they’re not happy. She wears it to meetings, with her sleeves pulled up. I personally have a “fuck” necklace. I wear it when people are getting on my nerves.