Spotlight on Monique Pean
Every once in a while you meet someone so smart and genuine that simply being in their presence is an inspiration. You come away feeling energized, thinking that anything is possible no matter how cynical your outlook on life, and truly believing that even you in your little corner of the world can make the world a better place. How incredibly refreshing.
Monique Pean is one of those rare persons. I had occasion to first meet her last year when she came to Manhasset to show us her collection of jewels. I’m not sure what knocked me off my feet first, her exquisite collection or her fine personal qualities — her quiet understated intelligence, her warm smile that speaks to the goodness in her heart, her modesty in describing her impressive academic background and stint at Goldman Sachs, and her commitment to social issues and to the environment.
In 2006, Pean launched her collection of sustainable fine jewelry consisting of gorgeous pieces inspired by the indigenous cultures of places such as Haiti, Bali, Alaska and China. Traveling the world, as she did with her family when she was a child, Pean works with indigenous artists to find rare sustainable materials to incorporate into her designs. In her Bering collection, Pean integrates fossilized walrus, caribou and wooly mammoth ivory with recycled gold, stones and conflict free diamonds to make one-of-a-kind pieces.
In her Charity-Water fine jewelry collection, Pean seeks to raise awareness of the more than 1.1 billion people in the world who lack clean drinking water. The collection moves between blues and browns to glistening clear colors. Pean returns a percentage of the proceeds from each piece to Charity-Water to bring clean water into communities in need in developing countries.
Pean’s talent has not gone unnoticed. She was selected as one of the winners of the highly prestigious 2009 CFDA/Vogue Fashion Fund as well as the Ecco Domani 2009 Fashion Foundation award for accessories.
We’ve just seen the beginning of Pean, and the future promises so much more. With an “anything is possible” approach, Monique Pean is truly as stunning a woman as the elegant jeweled works of art she creates.
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