Trained in jewelry-making at the Pavillon technique in Quebec City, Caroline Arbour is a jeweller who created her company in 2003 under the name SCARO by Caroline Arbour. With an unwavering passion and a great respect for know-how, Caroline designs and produces all her jewelry in her Amos, Quebec workshop. The beetle, a thousand-year-old symbol, is the emblem of SCARO.
Her collection includes 300 models for men and women, in gold and silver. SCARO offers jewelry that is unique or part of a limited series. Many creations are made using real elytra (beetle shells), which makes very distinctive jewelry.
Caroline has been a member of the Conseil des métiers d’art du Québec for many years. She is also a sculptor, represented by the Artêria gallery, which exhibits her works worldwide (New York, London and Hong Kong). She has rapidly gained notoriety for the quality and boldness of her products. As a partner sponsor for the 2017 Quebec edition of the popular TV show The Voice/La Voix, she supplied the jewelry worn by the judges and guest artists.
Caroline Arbour’s work is first and foremost rooted in the nature and environment that surrounds her, from her native Gaspésie and its spectacular marine landscapes, to her adopted Abitibi, rough and proud. While insects are the focus of her fascination with living beings, she also sees beauty in the variegated textures of plant life. Ferns, bark and moss become ephemeral lacework that the jeweller transforms, through filing, moulding and welding, into jewellery or works of art, forged in precious metals.
With her sharp eye and endlessly renewed inspiration, Caroline Arbour harnesses the fragile beauty inherent in the poetry of our surroundings. She is guided by emotions gleaned from contemplation and silence, which lends her work a unique strength.
For Caroline Arbour, creation is a way of life, a passion. To innovate, dazzle, and please is a definite part of her vocabulary, yet her jewellery is primarily a form of expression that goes far beyond the sole beauty of an item of jewellery. Her craft is a means of spreading happiness and harmony by making the most of what she can accomplish with her hands and her heart.
20 years at BIRKS
For Caroline, marking 20 years of daring innovations at Maison Birks was a magical moment. This legendary Montreal institution was where the jeweller had the pleasure of celebrating her 20-year career, notably with the launch of the Vivante collection. The touching words of President and CEO Jean-Christophe Bédos will remain engraved in the jeweller’s heart, bringing a few tears to her eyes.
Caroline Arbour’s passion for beetles is so intense that she decided to combine her name with that of the mythical insect. SCARO is the fusion of “Caro” and the scarab.
“Fusion” is not too strong of a word. For 20 years, her relationship with the beetle has been one of fusion. And it’s no coincidence that for the last 20 years, Caroline has been practising the noble profession of jeweller. When it comes to precious metals, the concept of fusion appeals to her, as do sculpting, moulding, engraving, setting and the many other crafting techniques required to fully master this art form.
Let’s pause for a moment and reflect on the meaning of this almost obsessive devotion to this sacred creature.
The “golden age” of the beetle, if we can put it that way, dates back to ancient Egypt, where the god Khepri, a symbol of good luck and perpetual rebirth, was represented by a man with the head of a scarab beetle pushing the solar disk to its zenith. A royal symbol and good-luck charm, the beetle even replaced the heart of the deceased in certain mummification rites.
Beyond its sacred status, this animal also has a more earthly and laborious dimension. Let’s not forget that the beetle is an insect that devotes its existence to pushing its ball, often larger than itself, with its hind legs. This strange behaviour won’t escape the notice of fans of Greek mythology, as it inevitably invokes the myth of Sisyphus, the brilliant, magnificent man condemned to roll a boulder to the top of a hill, see it roll back down to the bottom, and start again day after day for eternity. Therein lies a message for humankind, compelled to find meaning in its daily toil and the work it must constantly begin anew. For Caroline Arbour, this perpetual toil is that of jewelry-making, a difficult and thankless profession, but one that’s oh so sublime and beautiful! It’s the work to which she devotes herself every day. It’s the meaning she’s chosen to give to her life.
But, let’s go a bit further, while we’re at it. The fascination with the beetle isn’t limited to references from antiquity. There’s a surprising duality to this creature which stirs the imagination. It’s as if the beetle represented a harmonious alliance between two extremes. Think of the astonishing contrast between the extraordinary robustness of its shell, similar to the gleaming shield of a fierce sci-fi soldier, and the fragility of its wings, so subtle and ephemeral in appearance. Think also of the power of its claws, so diametrically opposed to the slowness of its movements and gait, comparable to a hesitant, cautious dance.
Those lucky enough to know Caroline Arbour won’t be surprised by the parallels between her personality and this insect, also known as a stag beetle. For Caroline, the shell is only thick because it protects a deep sensitivity. For her, the masculine harmonizes with the feminine. The mechanical blends with the organic. Rebellion expresses itself in peace. The solar merges with the lunar. Rock melts into poetry.
And for the sensitive observer, it’s the heart that melts for SCARO….
Jean-Christophe Bédos, President and CEO, Maison Birks
Ève Salvail
SCARO’s spokesmodel
For Caroline, Ève is a symbol, a model, a muse.
Inspired and inspiring, she was chosen as Caroline’s muse, being a clear representation of SCARO’s essence and evolution.
Like SCARO, Ève exudes a strong sense of duality.
Everything about Ève is poetry.
SCARO’s muse is a woman who’s lived, plunged, fought, confronted, fallen and gotten back up, more divine, more powerful, stronger, more beautiful, in all her fragility.
Beneath this shell of a warrior and provocateur, Ève exhibits different shades of gentleness, finesse, subtlety and femininity that only the greats of this world can display, without doubt or shame.
After a long battle with alcoholism that brought her to the brink of death, Ève gradually rebuilt herself, wearing sobriety as her weapon and strength. A role model for an entire generation, especially for Gaspesians like Caroline, Ève has broken taboos, transcended an era and given hope to women.
In her autobiography Sois toi et t’es belle, Ève recounts her peaceful childhood in the Gaspé Peninsula surrounded by loving, open-minded and sensitive parents.
The world’s first model with a shaved and tattooed head, Ève Salvail is a multidisciplinary artist.
Her atypical career path and varied experiences have led her to wear many hats: author, actress, D. J., visual artist, model and broker at the New York Stock Exchange.
Ève Salvail is a true chameleon.
A solitary person, Ève has made her mark with some of the world’s greatest names, including Jean-Paul Gaultier, Karl Lagerfeld, Thierry Mugler and Gianni Versace. She’s demonstrated her uniqueness and authenticity in a world where image is everything.
“When Caroline approached me to be the face of the SCARO brand, I was seduced by both her creations and their symbolism. The positive messages that Caroline Arbour conveys through her writing and jewelry, her sensitivity and authenticity as a jeweller, and even the way this brand has carved out its place in the market, all speak to me and touch me deeply!
Since our meeting, I’ve always worn my Pure ring. I’m never without it and it brings me good luck!”