A store front with a large window and many lights.

Corpus Christi (Jewelry Shop)

Corpus Christi, body of Christ…..Type it into Google, and you will come up with an Oxford College, a Catholic feast day, a latin prayer, and a song by Jeff Buckley. It is also, however, the name of an unusual jewelry shop just off rue des Abbesses in the 18ème arrondissement.

 Sandwiched between two unassuming shops on an unassuming street, this boutique, with its pristine white exterior and artfully understated window display (apart from the stuffed peacock that is), stands out from its neighbours. The interior is no less compelling; from the distressed-wood walls hang delicate gold and silver pendants, draped off bleached deer antlers. Lower down, in immaculate rows on long, bleached wood tables, lie equally fragile-looking bracelets and necklaces, each with a tiny embossed leather price tag attached. On these same tables, bangles perch upon smooth white pebbles, and glass domes protect dainty rings and earrings. Around and above these items are pinned iridescent beetles and butterflies, the presence of which lends the shop a slightly fairytale feeling. 

The uniting feature of the different pieces is that they all incorporate charms of some sort; not your standard miniature tennis rackets and gilded initials, but rather tiny lightning bolts, hearts going up in flames, elegant cross bows, diminutive but fully articulate skeletons…..My favourite item in the shop is a pendant ending in a small glass phial clasped between two golden caps, containing a tiny golden bone. Its macabre charm (excuse the pun) chimes perfectly with the slightly gruesome character of the shop’s name; Christ’s body on the cross etc. etc.

A black and white image of a scissors

If there is one downfall to this wonderful boutique, it is that it is not necessarily cheap; pieces begin at about 80 euros, and prices rise according to the size of the item. However, the originality and quality of the jewelry more than compensates for the hole it might create in your pocket! 

Address: 6 rue de Ravignan, 75018 Paris

Tel: +33(0)1 47 00 45 77

Web: www.corpus-christi.fr

Other boutiques at: 9bis rue du Moulin Joly, 75011,  AND 64 rue Vieille du Temple 75003 Paris

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