At MANOYAS, every talisman in recycled 18-carat gold begins with a single word: audacity, intuition, harmony. After more than twenty years in consulting and banking, Yasmine Bakkali founded this house of “intention jewellery” three years ago. She tells us why a diamond is placed “where the intention lies”, what is far less poetic about running an independent house, and the story of a client who received her talisman the day she left her job. Meet a designer convinced that “no marketing choice should ever come at the expense of meaning.”
We have often heard about your career change and the search for meaning that led to the creation of MANOYAS. Now, three years into the journey, how has your own definition of “meaning” evolved?
Meaning has become something I experience more deeply. Since my teenage years, I’ve been drawn to the stories jewellery can hold—the connections it represents and the hopes we attach to it.
Creating MANOYAS allowed me to bring that belief to life and reconnect with what truly matters to me.
Three years on, the women who wear my creations bring their own stories to that vision. The lotus represents my own rebirth, but it can become a symbol of theirs, too.
Recently, a woman told me her talisman had arrived on the very day she received the letter confirming the end of her employment, as she prepared to begin a new professional chapter. Hearing her story brought tears to my eyes.
Today, that connection is part of what meaning is to me: I give an intention a tangible form, and the woman who chooses the piece gives it a place in her life.
You describe MANOYAS as a house where intention comes before design. How does something as intangible as boldness “intuition” or “harmony” actually becomes a piece of jewellery?
Every creation begins with an intention, expressed in a single word: boldness, intuition, harmony… I then ask myself how to give it a visible form within one of MANOYAS’s two collections.
The lotus and the hand are my creative language. They offer endless possibilities, and I feel I’ve only begun to explore them. I work with their lines, open spaces and movement, then choose the materials that give each intention its own expression.
For Audace, which expresses boldness, I paired white gold—which evokes the moon and femininity—with diamonds. The diamond at the base of the motif represents feminine strength. The metal and the placement of the stone carry as much meaning as the design itself.
For Intuition, the circle represents the third eye and the element of Air.
Harmonie brings together seven natural gemstones associated with the seven chakras. Their different colors express that search for harmony.
That’s what I mean when I say intention comes before design: every shape, material and stone is chosen to embody the intention that inspired the piece.
“I place diamonds where the intention lies.” Let’s take one specific piece: can you show us where the intention is, and why the diamonds sit there rather than elsewhere?
In the Les ManoYas collection, diamonds highlight the symbol that embodies each intention: the circle for Intuition, the triangle for Force, the waves for Sérénité and the three lotus petals for Équilibre. They draw the eye to the symbol that gives the talisman its meaning.
In the Éponyme collection, the two hearts illustrate how the placement of diamonds reflects the intention behind each piece.
Cœur Liberté has a smooth gold outline framing a diamond-set lotus, suspended at its centre and free to move. That moving lotus embodies the freedom to become yourself and grow at your own pace. The diamonds are concentrated on the lotus, catching the light as it moves.
The Cœur Signature is fully pavé-set with diamonds. Its lotus remains fixed at the center, while a ruby symbolizes that sense of being grounded. This piece expresses a deeply rooted sense of fulfillment. The intention lives within the entire jewel, so the diamonds extend across it.
That is what guides their placement: whether the intention is carried by a particular symbol or by the piece as a whole. Their brilliance, together with the strength and energy we associate with diamonds, amplifies that intention.
The Lotus speaks of Renaissance, the Hand of protection, and on the Équilibre pendant the lotus sits at the heart of the hand. Why these two symbols? And how do you balance respecting the history of the Khmissa with giving it your own voice, by inverting the position of the fingers?
The hand and the lotus bring complementary meanings to the piece. The hand offers protection, while the symbol within it expresses the particular intention of each talisman.
For Équilibre, I chose the three lotus petals to represent Earth, grounding and stability. This was a deliberate way of connecting the piece to the Éponyme collection, where the lotus symbolises rebirth. Here, the protective hand holds that possibility of renewal, giving it a place to take root.
The Khmissa has been part of my life since childhood in Morocco. Reversing the arrangement of the fingers was a conscious choice: I wanted the hand to express openness and bring a stronger spiritual dimension to my interpretation. It retains its protective meaning while inviting us to open up inwardly.
For me, honoring that heritage means staying connected to what the symbol stands for, while allowing my own perspective and experience to shape its design.
MANOYAS sits at the intersection of luxury, fine jewellery and spirituality. Do you ever worry that spiritual language might be misunderstood or perceived simply as a marketing trend?
Yes, I’m mindful of how that language might be received. Spirituality is deeply personal, and it means different things to different people.
For me, it’s all about symbols, intuition and what helps us reconnect with ourselves. That connection existed long before MANOYAS, through my attachment to the Khmissa, also known as the Hamsa, and the meaning I’ve always sought in the jewellery I wear.
That’s why I now describe my approach as intention-led jewellery. It makes what I do more tangible. A talisman can be a reminder of a decision, a personal value or a new beginning. Each woman is free to make it her own.
That meaning has to come through in the design, the choice of materials and the craftsmanship. MANOYAS may take longer to find its audience than a brand with a more conventional approach, and I’m comfortable with that. No marketing decision should compromise the meaning behind what I create. I want the house to grow while remaining true to the vision that brought it to life.
Does a talisman need us to believe in its power to have real meaning? Or is it simply the intention we give it that makes it powerful?
I don’t think you need to believe in a particular power for a talisman to hold real value. But I wouldn’t say its strength comes solely from the intention we attach to it, either.
For me, the precious materials themselves are part of that strength. Gold and natural gemstones have been treasured for thousands of years. Their presence, their light and their lasting nature all matter. They allow a piece to be passed down, carrying the stories it has gathered along the way.
At MANOYAS, I give an intention a tangible expression through a symbol, recycled 18-carat gold and natural gemstones. When a woman consciously chooses a piece because it resonates with her, she adds her own meaning to it. That is when the jewel becomes her talisman.
I’ve experienced this myself with the Love bracelets I chose when my children were born, with their names engraved inside—a way of keeping that bond with me, always. I’ve also had bespoke pieces made to hold other intentions. It is this connection between precious materials, personal intention and a life story that I want to share through MANOYAS.
In 2024, MANOYAS was “the talisman of your soul”; today you speak of “intention jewellery”. Why change the words, and what have your clients taught you in the meantime?
“The talisman of your soul” is still MANOYAS’s tagline. “Intention-led jewelry” explains the creative approach behind it: giving an intention a precious, tangible expression, so that each woman can find a talisman that resonates with her.
I used to describe my work as “joaillerie d’âme”—soul jewelry. I still feel close to that expression, but it doesn’t communicate the idea as clearly in French as it does in English. “Intention-led jewellery” makes the starting point more tangible: a word, a symbol, and materials chosen to express its meaning.
What my clients have shown me is how personal that meaning can become. One woman received her RéHarmonie pendant on the very day she received the letter confirming the end of her employment, just as she was embarking on a new path. For her, the talisman marked that transition. Her voice message moved me to tears.
Those conversations shape how I speak about MANOYAS. I give an intention a physical expression; the woman who wears it connects it to her own story. “The talisman of your soul” speaks to that intimate connection. “Intention-led jewellery” explains how I create it.
We often talk about the emotion and poetry behind MANOYAS. But what is much less poetic about building an independent jewellery house today?
The creative work is what people see, but behind it is a great deal of practical, everyday work that often goes unnoticed—and isn’t particularly glamorous. Managing costs, navigating production constraints, keeping track of cash flow… and having to wear so many hats.
Building an independent jewellery house also takes patience. Introducing people to your world, earning their trust and developing lasting relationships with clients and workshops all take time. You have to balance that long-term vision with careful day-to-day decisions.
My background in consulting and banking has been invaluable. It taught me to plan, anticipate and adapt. With MANOYAS, I bring that experience to something deeply personal. For me, boldness also means standing by a conviction and doing the work, every day, to bring it to life.
You have spoken about doors initially being closed to you because you did not come from the jewellery industry. Looking back, did being an outsider become a weakness, or a form of creative freedom?
At first, coming from outside the jewellery world meant I had to prove myself. But I was determined, and a few closed doors weren’t going to make me give up. I had a vision; I needed to learn how to bring it to life within a craft with its own standards, expertise and traditions. Those early obstacles pushed me to seek out other people to work with and become clearer about what I wanted to build.
Looking back, I also recognise the freedom that came with that background. My starting point was the intentions and symbols that had been part of my life for years. That personal perspective shaped MANOYAS, while the artisans’ expertise helped me turn it into jewelry.
Today, I see that outside perspective as a strength, provided it comes with a willingness to listen and a commitment to quality. My creative freedom grows through working with people who know the craft. I bring the vision, and together we find the best way to bring it to life.
You design each piece around an intention, but once someone wears it, its story becomes their own. What is the most surprising thing a client has told you about what her MANOYAS piece means to her?
Of course the intention and the story take on a life of their own—and I’m glad they do. I create a piece with an intention in mind, but the woman who wears it is free to make it her own, let its meaning evolve and bring something to it I could never have imagined. That is what touches me.
The most surprising story came last year. A client had instinctively chosen the Abondance ring as a birthday gift from her family, before she knew anything about its symbolism. She had been moving from one temporary contract to another and was longing for stability.
When she discovered the intention behind the ring and my approach at MANOYAS, she found herself attaching that very personal wish to it. Sometime later, she secured a permanent position. She was so happy that she called to tell me. I was deeply touched that her ring had become part of that moment, and that she wanted to share it with me.
Jewelry often celebrates a milestone or an achievement. Some of my clients choose their talisman for that reason; others choose one to hold an intention they want to embrace as they move forward. For this woman, the ring did both: it celebrated her birthday, then became a companion to her hope for a more stable future.
From what your clients tell you, which moment in a woman’s life does MANOYAS accompany most often?
What comes up most often is a life change, whether personal or professional. A moment when a woman makes a new commitment to herself: to listen to herself more closely, stand by her choices, find her balance or pursue a new direction.
The talisman gives that commitment a tangible presence—something to hold on to. She chooses it as a reminder of what she wants to nurture in her life, even when everyday demands pull her attention elsewhere.
I’m also seeing more and more women buying that gift for themselves, which touches me most. They choose to honor that commitment without waiting for a special occasion or for someone else to mark it for them.
MANOYAS often accompanies that turning point: a woman has made a decision for herself, and the jewel becomes a way of keeping it close.
Éponyme pays tribute to a woman who is “free, fulfilled and powerful”, yet your texts speak of talismans that unite men and women around universal values. Do you envisage a men’s offering, and what should it be?
Men already wear MANOYAS creations: the lotus on a cord bracelet, with or without diamonds, the Lotus ring and the Lotus Bleu signet ring. In the Les ManoYas collection, the Intuition and Force bracelets are the pieces that seem to resonate most with them.
A man featured in the brand’s very first photo shoot. I’ve never really believed that jewellery should have a predetermined gender—especially a talisman that embodies an intention. Strength, intuition, rebirth and balance are part of all our lives.
Éponyme celebrates a woman who is free, fulfilled and powerful, but that doesn’t mean its pieces cannot speak to a man too. I want everyone to feel free to choose the symbol and the way of wearing it that feels right for them. Bespoke commissions take that approach a step further: we begin with a personal intention and imagine, together, the talisman that will bring it to life.
In ten years, is MANOYAS bigger or more intimate than today, and what are you prepared to refuse so that it stays true?
I want MANOYAS to grow, and for its talismans to find their place in more lives, while preserving the deeply personal connection at the heart of the house. To me, that means staying close to the people who choose my pieces, nurturing the dialogue with the artisans, and giving every creation the thought and care its meaning deserves.
I’ve already declined commercial opportunities that would have taken MANOYAS away from its founding principles—whether by imposing a faster pace or requiring me to work with workshops geared towards mass production. I don’t believe in creating a piece simply to keep up with a calendar of launches. Each creation should begin with something worth expressing.
Growth should give me the freedom to explore that vision more fully. Ten years from now, I want to look at every piece and recognize the intention that brought it into being, knowing that whoever wears it is free to give it a meaning of their own.
If you had to choose one MANOYAS talisman to accompany you for the next five years, which would it be and why? Is it the same one you would have chosen when you first created the Maison?
If I could choose only one, it would be Audace—the ring I always wear on my left index finger. When I founded MANOYAS, it embodied the courage to begin: to follow a conviction before there was any certainty. For the next five years, it will represent the courage to carry that vision further, allowing the house to grow while remaining true to its purpose.
Yet I would be tempted to wear the Lotus Renouveau signet ring alongside it. The lotus embodies rebirth, a thread running through both my own story and MANOYAS. The tsavorite’s vivid green gives renewal a precious expression. It reminds me that there is still much to unfold—in the house, and in the woman I am becoming.
Audace is the conviction I carry. Lotus Renouveau is the possibility I leave open.
That is the beauty of a talisman: its meaning need never stand still. One can hold the thread of our story; another can mark the moment we begin to write its next chapter.
