Monique Péan

Monique Péan is an American artist and designer whose New York-based studio works across fine jewelry, sculpture, painting, furniture, textiles, and other functional objects. Although she is widely associated with a sustainable fine-jewelry label bearing her name, her practice is broader than conventional jewelry branding. Her work examines space, temporality, identity, origins, and the relationship between ancient natural materials and contemporary geometric form. Péan was born in Washington, D.C., and grew up in Great Falls, Virginia. Her father, who was born in Haiti, worked as a senior economist at the World Bank and later as a consultant to the United Nations Development Programme. Her mother is a painter of Russian and Polish Jewish heritage. Péan attended an international school in Washington and graduated from the University of Pennsylvania in 2003. Her childhood travels with her father exposed her to multiple landscapes, architectural traditions, and cultures, experiences that later became important sources of inspiration. After university, Péan worked on the fixed-income desk at Goldman Sachs in New York. She left finance in 2005 after the death of her younger sister in a car accident. Jewelry-making had begun as a personal and therapeutic activity, but Péan subsequently pursued it as a professional practice. She traveled internationally to study local craft traditions and to work with artisans. A visit to the Arctic Circle, arranged with a friend connected to the Alaska Native Arts Foundation, introduced her to ancient walrus-tusk fossils and helped establish the material direction of her early work. Péan launched her first fine-jewelry series in 2006. The collection used materials such as fossils and ethically sourced diamonds, combining unusual organic surfaces with structured, contemporary silhouettes. After learning about the environmental waste associated with gold mining, she adopted recycled gold and platinum for her jewelry. Her work became known for incorporating fossilized walrus ivory, fossilized dinosaur bone, meteorite specimens, and other materials selected for their geological or historical depth. Her sourcing process involves consultation with scientists and researchers, as well as collaboration with artisans and Indigenous communities possessing specialized knowledge of particular materials. The studio's design language is often described as sculptural, modern, and materially distinctive. Péan's recurring concept of 'deep time' treats fossils and meteorites as carriers of histories that extend far beyond human experience. She has described her goal as balancing organic textures with geometric structure. Travel remains another recurring influence: landscapes, architecture, cultural diversity, and regional craft practices are translated into jewelry and objects without reducing the work to a single national style. Péan expanded into painting in 2012, drawing on her Sut'ana jewelry series. She used magnified images of fossils as the basis for large paintings, layering pigment over photographic material to evoke reflective and translucent surfaces. By 2021, she was also making pigments from powdered fossilized dinosaur bone mixed with water and gum arabic. From 2019 onward, sculpture became a more prominent part of her practice. Her box-like vessels, fabricated in steel and bronze, contain meteorite fragments and are intended to create a physical and conceptual interaction between the viewer and material from outer space. Her work has also included furniture, textiles, and functional objects made with traditional artisans. Her visibility in popular culture increased in 2016, when she was invited to create fine-jewelry pieces for the film La La Land in collaboration with director Damien Chazelle, costume designer Mary Zophres, and actress Emma Stone. Her jewelry has been worn publicly by figures including Michelle Obama, Natalie Portman, Gwyneth Paltrow, Kerry Washington, Naomi Watts, Lupita Nyong'o, Mahershala Ali, and John Legend. In January 2021, Jill Biden wore custom Monique Péan earrings at the 46th United States presidential inauguration. Beyond commercial design, Péan has participated in exhibitions and design fairs including Objects: USA 2020 at R & Company, Art Basel Miami, PAD Art + Design, and Object & Thing. She is associated with the Dia Art Foundation's women's council and has contributed to professional-development initiatives for minority professionals through Management Leadership Tomorrow. Her philanthropic activities include long-term support for Charity: Water and funding for water and sanitation projects in Malawi, Nepal, and Haiti. The studio's work therefore combines luxury design with environmental sourcing, artisan collaboration, cultural research, and charitable engagement.

Monique Péan's professional path moved from finance into interdisciplinary art and sustainable luxury design. Born in Washington, D.C., and raised in Virginia, she developed an early familiarity with international cultures through extensive childhood travel. Her family background also connected her to both economic development and visual art: her father worked in international economic institutions, while her mother painted landscapes and portraits. After graduating from the University of Pennsylvania in 2003, Péan joined Goldman Sachs in New York as a fixed-income analyst. She left the financial sector in 2005 following the death of her younger sister. During this period, making jewelry served as a therapeutic practice. Péan then began traveling to meet artisans, learn about material traditions, and develop a design practice that could connect contemporary forms with historical and cultural knowledge. A formative visit to the Arctic Circle exposed her to fossilized walrus tusk material and redirected her attention toward objects with geological and historical depth. In 2006, she introduced her first fine-jewelry series, using fossils and ethically sourced diamonds. Environmental concerns surrounding mining led her to commit to recycled gold and platinum. The studio became associated with sculptural jewelry made from unconventional materials, including fossilized walrus ivory, fossilized dinosaur bone, meteorites, and other responsibly acquired natural specimens. Péan's approach depends on research as well as design. She consults scientists and researchers to understand the origin and properties of fossils and meteorites, while collaborating with artisans around the world. Examples described in reference material include work with Inupiaq Alaskans on fossilized walrus ivory, Rapa Nui artisans on obsidian, and Maya-descended artisans on Guatemalan jade. These collaborations support a model in which material expertise and inherited craft knowledge are central to the finished object. Her practice expanded beyond jewelry in 2012, when she began painting from the magnified patterns of fossils used in her Sut'ana series. She translated the surfaces into large works combining photographic imagery and paint, later developing pigments from fossilized dinosaur bone. In 2019, she turned increasingly toward sculpture, producing steel and bronze vessels containing meteorite fragments. Sikhote-Alin Vessel incorporates material from the meteorite that fell in southeastern Russia in 1947 and is designed to permit viewers to handle the fragments. Péan also applied her visual language to furniture, textiles, and functional objects. Recognition came through both fashion and the art-and-design world. In 2009, she was a runner-up for the CFDA/Vogue Fashion Fund and received a financial award and mentorship. She received an Ecco Domani Fashion Foundation Award, won a CFDA/Vogue Fashion Fund and Tiffany & Co. development grant in 2011, and received Wallpaper's Best Jewelry Design Award in 2015. In 2016, she designed jewelry for La La Land. In 2021, her sculpture was shown in Objects: USA 2020 at R & Company, and she discussed her work in a Museum of Arts and Design talk. The studio's public profile also includes political and charitable projects. Péan created a T-shirt for Hillary Clinton's 2016 campaign through the Made for History initiative and designed a Unity-embroidered mask for the 2020 Biden-Harris campaign's Believe in Better merchandise range. Since Charity: Water's founding, she has supported the organization and directed part of her studio profits toward water and sanitation projects in Malawi, Nepal, and Haiti. A 2015 capsule collection honoring Walter De Maria supported the Dia Art Foundation. Péan remains best understood as an artist-led design practice rather than solely as a conventional jewelry label.

• 2021

  Shown in Objects: USA 2020

  [1]Monique Péanen.wikipedia.org

  Three sculptures were included in the R & Company exhibition in New York, and Péan participated in related public discussion.

• 2019

  Expands into meteorite sculpture

  [1]Monique Péanen.wikipedia.org

  Péan began concentrating more heavily on steel-and-bronze vessels containing meteorite specimens.

• 2016

  Designs jewelry for La La Land

  [1]Monique Péanen.wikipedia.org

  Péan created fine-jewelry pieces for the film in collaboration with its creative team.

• 2015

  Creates Walter De Maria-inspired charitable capsule

  [1]Monique Péanen.wikipedia.org

  A jewelry capsule inspired by The Broken Kilometer directed proceeds to the Dia Art Foundation.

• 2012

  Begins painting

  [1]Monique Péanen.wikipedia.org

  Péan started creating paintings inspired by magnified fossil imagery from her Sut'ana jewelry series.

• 2011

  Receives CFDA/Vogue and Tiffany development grant

  [1]Monique Péanen.wikipedia.org

  The grant supported the development of her design practice.

• 2009

  Receives CFDA/Vogue Fashion Fund recognition

  [1]Monique Péanen.wikipedia.org

  Péan was named one of two runners-up and received an award and business mentorship.

• 2006

  Launches first fine-jewelry series

  [1]Monique Péanen.wikipedia.org

  Péan introduced a jewelry series using sustainably sourced materials, including fossils and ethically sourced diamonds.

• 2005

  Leaves finance for creative work

  [1]Monique Péanen.wikipedia.org

  Following the death of her younger sister, Péan left Goldman Sachs and began developing jewelry as a professional practice.

• 2003

  Graduates from the University of Pennsylvania

  [1]Monique Péanen.wikipedia.org

  Péan completed her undergraduate education before beginning a career in finance.

High-end sustainable fine jewelry and interdisciplinary contemporary art centered on rare natural materials, ethical sourcing, and sculptural design.

• Jewelry · 2006

  Fine jewelry

  Péan's core design practice uses recycled gold and platinum together with ethically sourced diamonds and unusual natural materials. Fossilized walrus ivory, fossilized dinosaur bone, meteorite fragments, obsidian, and jade appear in sculptural forms that pair organic texture with precise geometry. The work is positioned as high-end jewelry but also functions as a material and conceptual art practice.

• Fine jewelry

  Sut'ana series

  The Sut'ana series provided an important foundation for Péan's later paintings. Its fossil-based surfaces were examined through magnification, allowing patterns and textures that are normally seen only at close range to become the basis for both wearable objects and large-scale visual works.

• Commissioned jewelry · 2016

  Custom and ceremonial jewelry

  Péan produces custom pieces for prominent public appearances and screen projects. Notable commissions include jewelry for La La Land and custom earrings worn by Jill Biden at the 2021 presidential inauguration.

• Sculpture · 2019

  Meteorite vessels

  Beginning around 2019, Péan developed box-shaped vessels in steel and bronze that contain meteorite fragments. Sikhote-Alin Vessel incorporates material from the 1947 Sikhote-Alin meteorite fall and treats the specimen as an object that can be removed and physically handled by viewers.

• Painting · 2012

  Fossil-inspired paintings

  Péan's paintings use enlarged fossil imagery and paint to recreate the reflective, translucent, and patterned qualities of ancient materials. Her later process included pigments made from powdered fossilized dinosaur bone mixed with water and gum arabic.

• Design objects

  Furniture and functional objects

  Alongside jewelry, Péan designs furniture, textiles, and functional objects. These works extend her material-led approach into domestic and collectible design and are made with traditional artisans working from her designs.

• 2020Believe in Better

  United States

  Péan designed a face mask embroidered with the word Unity for the Biden-Harris campaign's Believe in Better merchandise range.

  Outcome. The project connected her textile and object-design practice with U.S. presidential campaign merchandise.

  Source
• 2016Made for History

  United States

  Péan designed a T-shirt for Hillary Clinton's presidential campaign as part of Made for History, an initiative that commissioned designers to create campaign-supporting apparel.

  Outcome. The work expanded Péan's public design activity beyond jewelry into political merchandise.

  Source

• 2019

  Broadens the practice toward sculptureStrategy

  Background

  After developing jewelry and painting, Péan sought additional ways to explore time, materiality, and the relationship between ancient objects and contemporary form.

  Action taken

  She began producing steel-and-bronze vessels containing meteorite fragments, including Sikhote-Alin Vessel.

  Aftermath

  Sculpture became a more prominent component of the studio's interdisciplinary art and design practice.

  Source

• 2006

  Adopts recycled precious metalsStrategy

  Background

  Péan became concerned about the waste associated with conventional gold mining while developing her early jewelry business.

  Action taken

  She decided to use recycled gold and platinum in her jewelry and to emphasize ethically sourced stones and responsibly obtained ancient materials.

  Aftermath

  Sustainable sourcing became a defining part of the studio's positioning and material vocabulary.

  Source

1. 1Monique Péanen.wikipedia.org