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Léa Stein

Born in France in 1936, Léa Stein began her career in the fashion industry, where her fascination with plastic materials emerged. Collaborating with her husband, chemist Fernand Steinberger, they developed a unique process of layering cellulose acetate sheets, integrating patterned fabrics like lace between the layers. After baking and cooling the compressed layers, they were cut into shapes, a meticulous process taking up to 6 months.

Initially focusing on plastic buttons and serigraphy brooches depicting women's faces, Stein's early work is distinguished by its rarity. In later designs spanning two periods, 1969-1981 and 1991 to the present, she gained renown for her iconic animal brooches and bangles.

These pieces, featuring vibrant colours and special finishes such as shell and mother-of-pearl, exhibit Stein's characteristic V-shaped pin fittings and are stamped with "Lea Stein Paris," distinguishing them as authentic works of her art.