Locally designed bracelet captures culture of the River Parishes

Locally designed bracelet captures the culture of the River Parishes

BY BROOKE R. CANTRELLE

The custom-designed La Riviére bangle bracelet at Roussel’s Fine Jewelry & Gifts shows the meandering of the mighty Mississippi River through St. Charles, St. John the Baptist and St. James parishes. It’s the only piece of jewelry that captures the culture of the River Parishes with symbols representing native wildlife, culinary delights and sights that aren’t replicated anywhere else in the world. Creation of the La Riviére bracelet was a team effort that began more than a year ago, according to Earl Rodrigue Jr., manager of the LaPlace Roussel’s location at 232 Belle Terre Blvd. Suite A. “We wanted to find a way to represent the River Parishes in a unique way that could combine St. Charles, St. John and St. James parishes. That’s when we developed the idea to do a cuff bracelet,” Rodrigue said. Crafted in sterling silver, the bracelet features the Mississippi River as the tie that binds the three parishes. In the center is a fleur de lis representing light and life in the River Region. Several symbols are intricately weaved into the bangle, including a bold magnolia flower that reflects the blooming trees throughout the region. A stalk of sugar cane symbolizes the industry that spurred early development of local communities, as well as the Sugar Queen festival that crowned generations of young women. Meanwhile, a simmering

Carlos Martich, Meshia Slack, Codi Duncan and manager Earl Rodrigue Jr. helped design the exclusive La Riviére bracelet at Roussel’s Fine Jewelry & Gifts. All of the employees across the different store locations were part of the team effort.

jambalaya pot symbolizes a love of food that brings the communities together. The bracelet contains a smokehouse in honor of St. John the Baptist Parish’s designation as the Andouille capital of the world, as well as the Andouille Festival that takes place annually in LaPlace. St. Charles Parish’s Alligator Festival and St. James Parish’s Festival of the Bonfires, a unique Christmas tradition, are also represented in the bangle. The alligator doubles as a symbol of local wildlife along with the image of a pelican, which is recognized as Louisiana’s state bird. At each end of the bracelet are silver columns that stand for the diverse community and the strength that the three parishes have when standing together. The La Riviére bracelet is priced at $499, and Rodrigue said the community response has been overwhelming. The positive reception has been a testament to the teamwork that went into designing the bracelet and producing a commercial that garnered more than 5,000 views on Facebook in less than two weeks. “It took a little while for us to decide which images would best represent the parishes,” Rodrigue said. “It was a team effort from all of the stores, from the initial design to picking out the images that represent the region. The images were picked and produced in the store, and the commercial was done in house.” Crafted in sterling silver, the La Riviére bracelet holds a lot of meaning to people who love the culture of the River Parishes. While there were some delays in production due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Roussel’s employees were excited to be part of the process. The college-aged employees at the LaPlace store were able to pick up some useful career skills in the creation and marketing of the unique piece. Codi Duncan assisted Rodrigue with selecting images that encapsulated local culture. The symbol that spoke to her the most was the Andouille Smoke House and its connection to the Andouille Festival in St. John. She also aided in the creation of the La Riviére commercial.

“It really shows all of our parishes in one. We wanted to emphasize the food, the culture, the experience and what shows off Louisiana,” Duncan said. She added, “This was my first time working on a script. It was a great experience for me since I am going to school for acting. I learned what goes into making a commercial. I’m happy it was a great success.” College students Maria Schexnayder and Meshia Slack did a lot of the computer work involved with making the commercial, with help from Rodrigue. “We did a lot of the editing and production. I can honestly say the production of the video was fun,” Slack said. “It did take a lot of challenging work, and we had to go back to listen to and edit certain parts. We had to take our time, but it was easy afterwards, and it was fun to learn different things from YouTube about how to do the edits.” While giving input on the bracelet, the bonfire is what stood out to Slack the most. The wooden teepee shaped structures are seen along the levee during Christmas time and ar eset ablaz each Christmas Eve to light the way for Papa Noel, the Cajun version of Santa Claus. Rodrigue said each image from the bangle bracelet will eventually be sold as individual pendants in Roussel’s stores. The La Rivière bracelet is only one example of the treasures to be found at Roussel’s Fine Jewelry & Gifts. The store offers something for everybody, from personalized wedding gifts and floral arrangements to home décor, timepieces and elegant masks for Mardi Gras balls. Roussel’s has served the River Parishes for 44 years, starting with the LaPlace store at 232 Belle Terre Blvd. Roussel’s later expanded to Gramercy, Boutte and Ponchatoula. Original owner Jesse Roussel opened the LaPlace location after retiring from teaching. His experiences restoring furniture with his wife inspired him to open a business with a focus on antiques and home décor. Custom designed jewelry, especially sparkling engagement rings, became part of the heart of the business after Jesse’s son, Chris Roussel and his wife, Amber, took ownership of the store. Today, Roussel’s spans three generations of family with Chris and Amber’s sons, Jess and Rene, bringing new and innovative ideas to the table. Rodrigue is Chris Roussel’s brother-in-law, and he enjoys serving the local community with good, old-fashioned customer service. Gifts purchased at Roussel’s are beautifully wrapped as a complimentary service, and customers are welcome to return to the store for jewelry repairs. For more information, follow Roussel’s Fine Jewelry & Gifts on Facebook or visit roussels.com.