A Real Gem

Four years ago, while working as a trademark lawyer in Paris, Carole Midy had an Eat Pray Love epiphany. “I was bored and needed to change my life,” she recalls. “I wanted to do something with my soul.” So she quit her job, and, yes, she left her husband while she was at it. But rather than skipping town, Midy hunkered down at the French Institute of Gemology, earned a degree as a master jeweler, and launched her own line of baubles adorned with pastel moonstones, rich cabochons, carved onyx, and twists of gold and silver. The jewelry designer describes one of her collections, called Les Vanités, as “a happy family of skulls and Buddhas.” The jumbo rings (above) and cuffs—topped with the toothy characters, many with gleaming third eyes—are a lighthearted take on both life and death. “It’s to add some humor,” Midy says. “Just have fun, and enjoy your moment” (at Le Bon Marché, Paris; CoutureLab, London; infocarolemidy@gckpartners.com; $1,000 to $15,000).