Antic Tonic: The Art of Curated Obsession

Pacha Salomon on instinct, rarity, and building a modern cabinet of curiosities

Born between Paris and Venice, Pacha Salomon, founder and creative director of Antic Tonic, grew up surrounded by antique objects, artworks, and art books. Raised by an eccentric father, she developed an early sensitivity to rarity, instinctive collecting, and objects that seem to carry a soul. After studying Art History in Paris, she turned this lifelong fascination into a project of her own: Antic Tonic, a bold and highly curated vision of vintage jewellery selected with intuition and audacity. What began as a personal eye for unconventional pieces quickly evolved into a distinctive universe, where eras, styles, and narratives collide.

In 2024, the project expanded into a hybrid brand with the introduction of original creations. Gradually, it began gaining attention from institutions such as Printemps Haussmann and Galeries Lafayette. Between sourcing and designing, Antic Tonic has become a contemporary cabinet of curiosities. Every piece feels like a fragment of a larger story waiting to be discovered.

IRK: Let’s start at the beginning. How did Antic Tonic come to life, and what was missing in the fashion and jewellery landscape that made you feel this project had to exist?

Pacha Salomon: I love this question. Antic Tonic was born both from a very personal passion and from a gap I felt in the market. I was already wearing eccentric, often vintage pieces. Nonetheless, I couldn’t find a brand that mixed everything the way I envisioned. I’ve always loved displacing jewellery, styles, materials, and price points. I don’t like things that are too literal.

Beyond gold jewellery, vintage jewellery was not really developed in Paris, even though it is such a huge source of inspiration for contemporary designers, and a real source of originality for people who love fashion. I knew I had something to bring because I could see that gap.

IRK: The name Antic Tonic feels both playful and sharp. What does it represent for you, and how does it reflect the identity you wanted to build from the start?

Pacha Salomon: After noticing that gap, I didn’t really build a strategy or a plan. I was still living in my childhood bedroom when I created the Instagram account, almost spontaneously. I felt aligned with that way of doing things and I simply wanted a name that felt a bit offbeat, easy to remember, with sounds that worked well in English. Together, those two words express the blend that is at the heart of my work: creating a dialogue between the old and the contemporary.

Would I choose this name today? I don’t know. But I’m deeply attached to it. Indeed, it takes me back to a lighter time, full of ideas, spontaneity, and intuition. In a way, the “me” of today is still trying to honour and give something back to the “me” of yesterday.

IRK: Your work feels instinctive rather than trend-driven. How do you personally define “good taste” today?

Pacha Salomon: It’s funny to see that there was already a lot of instinct at the beginning, and that it is still a central way of working for me today. I often say that my job is, at its core, to be an “eye”, a term I borrowed from an art historian: first to see, then to highlight pieces, a taste, jewellery stories. That is my real strength today. And in creation as well, I try to put my eye at the service of my hand when I draw. For me, good taste is a sincere gaze, shaped by life experience and emotion.

IRK: Antic Tonic exists between creation and curation. How do you balance your own designs with the sourcing of exceptional pieces from elsewhere?

Pacha Salomon: The balance happens very naturally. I don’t try to separate the two, but rather to make them speak to each other. Antic Tonic is a space where the old and the new complement each other and tell a shared story: that of my passion. These are truly the two things I love most: sourcing and designing. Even if I sometimes still lack time for creation, I know it will come.

IRK: There’s a story we love — comparing your approach to that of a pirate in search of treasure. Between your eye for the rare and the unexpected, do you see a parallel between the idea of a pirate and your own quest for exceptional jewellery?

Pacha Salomon: This idea came from a spontaneous comment by my then 7-year-old nephew. One day he came into my old studio, where there were jewels absolutely everywhere… Later, at school, he told his teacher that his aunt was a pirate. That’s how the parallel began. There is truly this idea of treasure hunting in my work. And when I find an exceptional piece, there is that almost childlike feeling of having discovered a hidden treasure.

IRK: When you encounter a piece, what makes you feel it truly belongs to Antic Tonic? Is it craftsmanship, emotion, history, or something more intuitive?

Pacha Salomon: I think it’s a mix between what we call “the eye”, experience, and the ability to project the personalities who might wear these pieces. It’s a bit of a cliché answer, but there is no formula—it’s something that is part of me.

IRK: Storytelling seems essential to Antic Tonic. Do you see the project as a living archive of encounters, objects, and histories rather than a simple place of acquisition?

Pacha Salomon: I see jewellery almost like a set of Russian dolls. On the surface, they are objects. But once you open them, layer by layer, they tell stories. On a very broad scale, they speak about History with a capital H. On a more specific level, they tell the story of fashion, of social codes. And in an even more intimate circle, they carry the imprint of a designer, then of the person who wore them. This Russian doll effect moves me deeply.

IRK: Antic Tonic also includes a personal collection designed by you. What does designing your own pieces allow you to express that sourcing alone cannot?

Pacha Salomon: Of course, designing is even more intimate. When I go sourcing, I never really know what I’m going to find. Whereas when I design, there is an intention. My first collection is inspired by Venice, a city I grew up with alongside Paris. Choosing it as a starting point was a way of presenting my universe and my personality.

IRK: Your clients are deeply connected to the pieces they choose. Who are you creating and curating for, and what kind of relationship do you hope people build with Antic Tonic jewellery?

Pacha Salomon: This is something that makes me very happy: I am close to my clients, they are in my thoughts when I source, and they give meaning to my work. It’s very motivating. My goal is that beyond the jewel itself, they also keep a beautiful memory of the moment they chose it. I think that’s essential—it turns the object into something more than material.

IRK: One of your editorial project was highly visual and cinematic. How did you approach the artistic direction of the shoot, and what part of Antic Tonic did you want to reveal through these images?

Pacha Salomon: This is a project that Margo, from our team, imagined and shared with us, after my nephew’s anecdote. It’s funny to see how a child’s joke can turn into a fashion shoot, with a real narrative dimension and a touch of drama. I also enjoyed embracing this pirate role, often not very feminised in its “hunting” character rather than purely aesthetic. There was something powerful in embodying this unruly figure, especially for someone as messy as I am.

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