Photographer Stephanie Volpato – Talent Quentin Pontonnier – Interview by Simoné Esterhuizen
Quentin, you grew up in Paris. Is there a corner of the city, a street, a building, or a neighbourhood that still feeds your imagination today?
I mainly grew up in Paris’s 13th arrondissement, surrounded by 1970’s architecture, which shaped the way I looked at things from a very early age. At the same time, with my skate crew, I also spent a lot of time crossing the city, especially towards the 5th arrondissement, where I discovered Haussmannian architecture. That contrast between a raw, almost futuristic modernity and timeless elegance deeply nurtured the way I see things. And Paris continues to inspire me today. For example, Place de la République gives off an intensity that I now find again in Tant D’Avenir.
You trained at the École Boulle, one of the most rigorous craft schools in France. Was there a moment during those years when you understood, truly understood, that jewellery was your language?
At first, I didn’t think that I’d go into jewellery. I grew up with this practice without really naming it. As a child, I’d spend hours making little shiny objects to wear. As a teenager, I was fascinated by fashion. But once I was at Boulle, I discovered that jewellery touched me more deeply. For someone like me, who’s always had a very dreamlike side, that encounter between creation and rigour was decisive. That was when I understood that jewellery was no longer simply a craft for me, but my language.
Before launching Tant D’Avenir, you were making pieces in your bedroom and working side jobs as a cook, at a front desk, doing deliveries. What kept you going on the days the dream felt very far away?
Honestly, I didn’t really have a choice. Even when things were difficult, even when I was living off odd jobs, I kept making jewellery because it was the only thing that gave me the feeling of moving forward. I always had the deep conviction that the world I was building had its place, even if it wasn’t visible at the time.
You once said that you want your pieces to become personal to whoever wears them, to be passed down, given to someone you love. Have you ever seen one of your pieces living that kind of life?
Yes, and those are probably the moments that move me most in this work. I’ve had the chance to create rings for people close to me, and also for weddings. When two people walk into the shop with that intention, something very powerful always happens. The whole team feels it. We’ve also learnt that some pieces have been passed on, and those are stories that leave a deep mark on me. What I seek with Tant D’Avenir is for a piece of jewellery to take on an intimate place in someone’s life, and then continue its story. Today, I increasingly want to design rings conceived to celebrate that bond.
You design jewellery that’s meant to be worn every day, almost never taken off. Is there a piece you wear yourself that you never remove?
Yes, absolutely. With Tant D’Avenir, I wanted to develop ergonomic forms designed for everyday life, especially for rings, so that they can be worn all the time and even stacked. For me, the piece that best tells this vision of jewellery is still my necklace. It’s a fine chain that I’ve transformed over the years. At first, it was a very simple silver chain with a pendant. Then I gradually evolved it by adding new elements, pieces of gold chain, pendants, stones, always with the desire to preserve a certain sense of balance. It is a piece of jewellery that continues to live with me, almost like a personal archive.
You’ve drawn inspiration from Greco-Roman coins, alien spacecraft, workers’ tools, and with 2041, from a vision of the world 16 years from now. When a new collection begins, what comes first: an image, a material, a feeling?
A collection often begins with a fairly instinctive intuition. Very quickly, it translates into images, then into forms. After that, I enter into a process of drawing, adjusting and reworking, until I find a line that’s truly faithful to what I had sensed at the outset. At first, the way I looked at things was shaped by Paris, skateboarding and architecture. Then it opened up to other worlds, especially Japanese culture, anime and science fiction. All these influences feed my imagination without ever being translated literally. What interests me is the moment when they meet and give rise to a new form. I like it when a collection seems to belong to an uncertain time, somewhere between memory and projection. For 2041, for example, that process took nearly two years. I moved forward sketch by sketch, with the desire to stay as close as possible to the initial sensation, then to give it the right form within the language of Tant D’Avenir.
Sterling silver has long been the DNA of Tant D’Avenir. You’ve described it as a metal that lets you create pieces more people can actually afford and wear. Is there something political in that choice?
Yes, it’s a question of values. I come from a background where sharing, closeness and transmission matter a great deal, so I could not imagine jewellery as something reserved for an elite. Silver established itself naturally because it allows me to uphold demanding creation and real craftsmanship, while keeping a direct connection with the people who wear our pieces. That’s also what defines Tant D’Avenir’s DNA: strong jewellery, but closer, more alive and more just.
You’ve spoken openly about the emotional weight of running an independent brand in France, feeling blocked creatively and financially. Was there a particular low point that, looking back, turned out to be a turning point?
Yes, there were very difficult periods. The release of 2041 was notably followed by a burnout. Carrying an independent brand in France already demands a great deal, but wanting to defend strong values, put forward a new vision of jewellery, and keep going within a strained economic reality sometimes creates a pressure that many people are going through today. With hindsight, that period nonetheless marked a turning point. I was lucky to be well surrounded, and that allowed me to come through it with a clearer vision. I understood what I truly wanted to protect in Tant D’Avenir. It forced me to strip away the superfluous, return to what’s essential, and express things with greater accuracy through more personal collections.
What would you tell your 15-year-old self, the one wearing fake earrings and wooden surfer necklaces in the family photos?
It may sound strange, but I think I wouldn’t tell him anything. I’ve kept a very vivid memory of that age within me, and it still nourishes my creation today. I hold on to that way of moving forward through instinct. I’ve always been guided by an instinct for freedom, so I think speaking to my younger self might risk changing things. I’d rather watch him grow and let him follow his path. Deep down, the only thing I hoped for him was that he’d keep going.
Lastly, what should we expect from you in the near future?
For what comes next, we’re preparing some very beautiful things. We’re continuing to evolve our emblematic creations, always nourished by Parisian architecture, while also opening the brand up to new worlds. This year, the main focus will be collaborations. It’s an important step for us, because it will allow Tant D’Avenir to extend beyond jewellery and create links with other creative fields.