Mignon Faget Artfully Defending the Gulf Coast

New Orleans can count on Mignon Faget, the first lady of New Orleans jewelry. In the past, she’s been there to defend the architectural history of the city by donating her first gallery building to the Preservation Resource Center of New Orleans. She’s been there to help restore the historic New Canal Lighthouse on Lake Pontchartrain. She’s even helped bring home musicians displaced after Katrina.

New Orleans, and the Gulf Coast, can count on her today, as well. Ms. Faget has introduced a collection of jewelry designs that bring attention to the Deepwater Horizon oil spill disaster. A portion of the proceeds will benefit the Coalition to Restore Coastal Louisiana.

Ms. Faget has taken pieces from her earlier works that were inspired by Gulf Coast wildlife and redesigned them to reflect the impact of the oil spill. The new collection is titled “In Mourning” and is intended to be worn as such. Wildlife pins of pelicans and redfish are backed with black ribbon. A silver oyster necklace is oxidized to symbolize oil stains. The chain on a bracelet holding crabs and shrimp charms is dark as oil. Large tuna and tarpon brooches are to be worn “belly up”.

Taking jewelry that was originally designed to highlight the beauty of coastal wildlife and modifying it to reflect the effect of the oil spill is a poignant display of art imitating life. “It is a heartbreaking statement to make with jewelry originally designed to celebrate the abundant gifts of our coast,” says Faget, “but the reality is that we need to make people aware of this disaster and the long-term effects on this region. We all need to do what we can.”

Some can do more than others. Ms. Faget has certainly done more than most. She began her career as a clothing designer, but soon shifted to jewelry. As a native New Orleanian, she found inspiration for her designs in the local floral, fauna and architecture. Her collections so capture the heart of New Orleans that she has become an institution, being described by Frommers’ travel guide as “one of the biggest personalities in New Orleans’s jewelry universe, and a piece from here is as much a must for a New Orleans lady as a Tiffany piece is for an NYC one.”

With 40 years of jewelry design, Ms. Faget has earned a national reputation as well. Dillards now carries a line of her creations.

The Faget collections, which number over 30, began with the SEA collection in 1970, in which Ms. Faget used the design of local sea shells and ocean creatures to create wearable natural art. Other collections include BAMBOO, inspired by local bamboo gardens, IRONWORKS, which honors the unique wrought iron and cast iron seen in French Quarter architecture, and FLEUR DE LIS, her creative use of the symbol of all things New Orleans. After Katrina, Ms. Faget donated a portion of the sales of the Fleur De Lis line to the Louisiana Cultural Economy Foundation, which helps artists and art institutions return to New Orleans.

The heart and soul of New Orleans runs through Mignon Faget. It is visible in her creations. It is proven by her public spirit. She is a jewel which is as timeless and unique as the Crescent City. And when New Orleans needs her help again, she will be there. You can count on it.

For more info visit www.mignonfaget.com

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