Clotilde Bodiguel, or ‘Cloquille’ a French jeweller inspired by the sea
Cloquille has always had an intimate, almost vital connection with the ocean. As a teenager, she would leave the city alone to go to the Brittany coast. There, surrounded by silence and sea spray, she would find her own rhythm. That deep breath has never left her.
For more than thirty years, she worked as a scientist specialising in fisheries management. This career path took her from Canada to the shores of Africa and Asia, via the south of France. She immersed herself completely in it, through knowledge, but above all through her body: sailing, diving, freediving… This last activity, in particular, taught her to feel the sea up close, its shapes, its silences, that deep blue where one can lose oneself as much as one can find oneself.
It was on the sidelines of this journey that her creative practice quietly took shape. While working on her thesis, she began making silk necklaces embroidered with antique glass beads. She felt a need to work with materials, to clear her head, to explore another side of herself. Little by little, jewellery became a space for freedom, expression and imagination
From this journey, Cloquille was born, her jewellery brand inspired by the sea.
Today, she designs unique pieces, like sensitive fragments of her connection to the ocean. More than just ornaments, her jewellery seeks to awaken stories. They are worn like a secret, an emotion, a story to be invented. She likes to think that they will begin a journey alongside those who choose them.