Jean Mahie jewelry in trunk show

By Paula Rath
Advertiser Fashion Writer

•	Mazard designers Meet Jean Mahie designers Jacline and Veronique Mazard 10 a.m.-5 p.m. today and tomorrow Neiman Marcus, precious jewels salon, Level 1 951-3450

"There's an urban myth that says Jean Marie Mazard purchased a ton of 22-karat gold to start making jewelry, and it's a 'myth' that comes from a very reliable source," said Brian Morrow, manager of the precious jewels salon at Neiman Marcus.

Mazard made his fortune in fashion, having at one time owned hundreds of maternity shops.

In 1969, when he decided to retire and devote full time to his hobbies of bronze sculpture and gold jewelry making, he partnered with his designer daughter-in-law, Jacline Mazard, to create the Jean Mahie line of hand-hammered gold jewelry.

Since her father-in-law died, Jacline has been carrying on the design side of the business with assistance from her son, husband and daughter. Jacline and daughter Veronique (who runs the business side) will visit Honolulu with a trunk show of jewelry and sculpture.

The name Jean Mahie is not the name of a real person. It stems from son Cyril's childhood when he was unable to pronounce "Jean Marie" and said "Jean Maii," pronounced as in the Hawaiian fish name mahimahi.

Jean Mahie's hand-hammered designs combine the naive charm of ancient Etruscan sculpture with the rugged strength of pre-Colombian art. The androgynous figures often have an organic, erotic quality.

They also seem inspired by the elegant gesture of Picasso and otherworldliness of Salvador Dali. There's a reason for that. The Mazards were neighbors of Picasso's in the south of France, and "Dali was a Christmas gift from one of my customers, so I met him for two hours in Paris. He loved the idea of being a Christmas present," Jacline explained.