Senegalese by birth, Italian by heart, French by adoption, Rosemarie carries these three cultures in the conception of her creations.
As a little girl in Dakar, her seamstress mother gave her a taste for pretty dresses.
“I collected the offcuts of electrical wires from my electrician father and associated them with small brass objects, thread, buttons, pins or pieces of fabric that I could find at my mother's to create with my first necklaces and bracelets”, Rosemarie.
Later, as an educator specialized in Maria Montessori and Decroly pedagogy for young children in Senegal and France, she made educational games from recycled materials pursuing her childhood passion and that of children by seeking for copper wire, plywood, buttons, chains, buckles… and fashion her own creations.
Over time, she started to create her own jewelry and use pearls brought back by her husband, antique dealer of ancient African arts.
Her inspiration is sensory.
“Any characteristic object that attracts my attention is an inspiration. I am self-taught. My creativity flourishes under my hands. It's surprising and exciting! It vibrates to me from the inside as if I was to give life to the most beautiful child there is.”
Inspired by her three cultures, her creations are: Murano glass paste beads (Italy), leather, bronze, ebony, bakelite, crystal, amber, shells, East African zebu bones, coco, or accessories found in France.
“I am manual by nature and by instinct; my creations are just the fruit of my daily observation of life and nature, masterpieces of past centuries or even ours, both in Africa and in Europe. Inspiration comes to me from everywhere. Which explains why all my creations have been unique since the beginning in 1974!”
These unique pieces are jewels resolutely in tune with the times and at the same time timeless, which have established themselves as sculptures that sublimate you and challenge your imagination.
Our Créations Rosemarie Dufour selection is available: here