Published in the Montreal Gazette (Coming Soon)
Reflections on Identity, Language, and Cultural Preservation
There are moments when public discourse intersects with something more personal—when a question debated at a national level quietly becomes a question of identity.
I was born and raised in Montreal. As a child, I delivered the Montreal Gazette in Westmount with my brother, moving through streets that felt, at the time, entirely ordinary. Only later did I come to understand how much those early surroundings shaped my sense of belonging.
After more than four decades living in the United States, I recently found myself compelled to write a letter in response to a contemporary debate surrounding language, culture, and national identity in Canada. That letter was published in the Montreal Gazette.
The Published Letter
(coming soon)
Alternatively, read the original publication in the Montreal Gazette. (coming soon)
Identity and Preservation
What struck me in writing the letter was not simply the policy debate itself, but the deeper principle beneath it: the idea of preservation.
From a distance, measures designed to protect language and culture can be misinterpreted as restrictive. Yet, viewed through a historical lens, they often represent something far more enduring—a conscious effort to safeguard identity in a rapidly changing world.
This concept of preservation is not abstract to me. It is the foundation of my work.
The Parallel in Antique Jewelry
At Ma Couronne, I curate antique jewelry not as ornament, but as historical artifact—objects that carry meaning across generations
Each piece embodies:
Language without words
Symbolism encoded in material
Identity preserved through craftsmanship
Hairwork mourning jewelry, lover’s eye miniatures, acrostic gemstones—these were never simply decorative. They were acts of remembrance, of communication, of cultural continuity.
In this way, the preservation of language and the preservation of material culture share a common purpose: both resist erasure.
A Personal Reflection
With time and distance, what once felt ordinary about Montreal now feels exceptional—its balance, its pluralism, its quiet insistence on continuity.
Writing this letter was, in many ways, an acknowledgment of that realization.
It was also a return.
About Ma Couronne
Ma Couronne—“My Crown”— is a boutique jewelry brand, based in Sun Valley Idaho, specializing in antique gold charms sourced from collections across Europe. Each piece offered is a one-of-a-kind artifact, created from 9 to 18 carat gold and adorned with exquisite precious and semi-precious gemstones, including diamonds, sapphires, emeralds, amethysts, garnets and pearls.
Founded on a deep reverence for European and early American decorative arts, Ma Couronne curates authentic antique and estate jewelry spanning the Georgian, Victorian, Edwardian, and early 20th-century periods. Each piece is selected not merely for beauty, but for historical integrity—bearing the marks of its era, its maker, and the cultural moment that shaped it.
The collection reflects centuries-old traditions in goldsmithing, enameling, micro-mosaic work, hairwork, and symbolic ornamentation—motifs once used to signify love, mourning, sovereignty, faith, remembrance, and lineage. Crowns, hearts, fleurs-de-lis, cameos, coins, and talismans appear not as trends, but as enduring visual language passed from generation to generation.
Ma Couronne was created by a lifelong collector, with academic curiosity rooted in European history and the evolution of personal adornment as social record. This perspective informs every acquisition: pieces are researched, contextualized, and respectfully preserved, often remaining entirely original, or restored only when conservation demands it.
Unlike modern fine jewelry houses, Ma Couronne does not manufacture replicas. Each jewel is singular—having lived a life before it reaches its next custodian. Many were once worn as intimate keepsakes, ceremonial objects, or heirlooms meant to outlast their original owners.
Ma Couronne exists for collectors, historians, and modern patrons who understand that true luxury lies not in novelty, but in continuity—owning something that has already endured centuries, and will endure centuries more.
Every piece is, in its own way, a crown.