Some people’s destinies are sprinkled with stars…

… But it was diamonds, pearls and multicoloured stones that studded the destiny of Fred Samuel.

Born in 1908 into an Argentine family dealing in such precious stones, he conceived a passion for cultured pearls and won recognition as a leading expert in the field.

He worked with the finest specimens, particularly those of a creamy-pink shade now known as ‘FRED-coloured’.

From the early 1950s, colourful stones kindled his creativity when the Nepalese king and queen commissioned from him jewellery to match the court saris.

Drawing inspiration from vivid, shimmering silks, he mirrored their hues with an almost infinite palette of sapphires or diamonds.

This passion was joined by a quest for the sunlight that illuminated his childhood in Argentina. Both influences shaped his work, the latter forming a leitmotif, almost becoming his muse. To this source of endless inspiration he added his love of the sea, whose power and splendour gave rise to several celebrated chapters in the Maison’s history.

Fred Samuel’s natural aesthetic sensitivity, together with his radical view of jewellery as part of everyday life, especially for women, enabled him to build a brand as timeless as it is distinctive. Describing himself in 1936 as a ‘Contemporary Creative Jeweller’, he staked a claim for modernity based on striking jewellery, pieces with rounded, curvace outlines. Today, the Maison FRED honours its founder’s unquestioning love of sunlight and colour with its sun-infused creations, demonstrating its mastery of personalisation and the sheer versatility of its collections.