If we say Force 10, you say Fred! This iconic unisex bracelet catapulted the French jeweler into the spotlight in the 1960s and has stayed there ever since. But Fred is much more than that. It’s story of family and creative audacity told by Valérie Samuel, Artistic Director and Vice President of Maison Fred, who we met during her visit to Casablanca for the opening of the brand’s very first boutique in Africa.
Do you remember the stunning high-jewelry necklace worn by Julia Roberts in Pretty Woman? Or the Pain de Sucre rings with interchangeable stones, launched to great acclaim in 2011? That’s right… Force 10 may be the jeweler’s most famous piece, but its history goes back much further. It’s a family saga that began in Buenos Aires and continued across the world’s most beautiful destinations—with the French Riviera topping the list. Both fresh and sun-kissed, modern yet rooted in traditional jewelry craftsmanship, Maison Fred—part of the LVMH group since 1995—has remained deeply human. And it’s this heritage, in all its humanity, that Valérie Samuel shares with us.
She represents the fourth generation of jewelers in her family. And the passion is clear—in her eyes and in the tone of her voice! It’s a family business, yes, but above all, a story of legacy. As a little girl, Valérie spent her Saturdays at the Rue Royale boutique, rummaging through drawers filled with precious stones and wandering into the vault. “A real candy store!” says Valérie, adding, “I was born into this world.”
Freedom in Its DNA
Her great-grandfather was already a jeweler in Argentina, and her grandfather, Fred Samuel, founded the house in Paris in 1936, later joined by his two sons, Jean and Henri—Valérie’s father. When she joined Fred in 2017 to take the reins, she was immediately appointed Artistic Director and Vice President, with a mission to bring the founder’s DNA to life while anchoring the brand firmly in modernity. A true challenge for a house with such a distinctive name, synonymous with quality and a close relationship with its clients. “Our brand carries the first name of its founder. That’s powerful,” Valérie says.
“At Fred, we design everyday jewelry—pieces meant to be worn freely, by both men and women,” she explains. Versatility and freedom are at the heart of the house’s spirit, as reflected in playful, interchangeable collections like Force 10 and Pain de Sucre, which adapt to your mood or the occasion. But the story of modularity goes back even further. “In the 1960s, we designed transformable tiaras for the royal family of Nepal. The central piece could be worn as a necklace, the side elements as brooches, and the more extreme parts as earrings. This kind of versatility has always been in our DNA—with a bonus: the ability to transform your pieces yourself, easily,” Valérie says with a smile.
More Than Jewelry—It’s an Energy
Creative audacity has always been a constant at Fred. As early as the 1930s, her grandfather Fred Samuel introduced cultured pearls—a revolution at the time. Later, Force 10 was born of love and imagination: a bracelet designed by Valérie’s father, a sailor, made from marine cable, as a gift to his wife. Mixing steel and gold was groundbreaking then—and still true to the founder’s vision, who signed his business cards Modern Jeweler Creator.
This guiding thread—summed up as innovation, freedom, and emotion—runs through every Fred creation. “It’s not just a piece of jewelry; it’s an energy,” says Valérie Samuel. Fred isn’t a fabricated name—it’s a soul, a sunny state of mind that speaks to every generation. “People give a Fred jewel for a graduation, an engagement, a birthday… it marks life’s big moments.”
Playing with Emotions
Staying true to that spirit, Valérie continues to enrich the collections—from everyday pieces to sophisticated sets—like the latest, Monsieur Fred Ideal Light, a High Jewelry collection infused with that same joyful spirit and, without sounding repetitive, with true strength. This is evident in the choices of both shapes and stones she uses in her designs. “It’s not about rarity—it’s about vibration. Each gem moves me differently. My job is to play with emotions.”
Today, Maison Fred continues to shine and has set up shop in Casablanca—its first boutique on the African continent. This is a move that makes perfect sense to Valérie: “Casablanca is a sunny, dynamic city that shares our state of mind. At Fred, we speak to a joyful, spontaneous, multigenerational clientele. What we sell is emotion—a craving for light and freedom.” Exactly.
