— Our Story —

Why a spiritual collection?

In a way it starts with the grandmother Paule, one of the first yoga teachers to introduce Tai-Chi Chuan in France in the seventies.

Her son, Richard, followed the lead and went to India to study yoga and meditation next to Dharamsala. There he discovered the breathing techniques aiming at keeping constant awareness, full consciousness.

Back in France in the mid-eighties, he developed a passion for the teaching of this approach: constant meditation fueled by awareness of the breathing. To help his students stay aware of their breathing during their daily routine he used to knot a red cotton cord around their wrist: seeing the cotton would remind them to stay fully conscious.

Back in India he finds a shop in Dharamsala selling all sorts of spiritual symbols. He mounted them as pendants and bracelets and brought them to France. The students were now wearing spiritual jewellery as reminders and no more a red cotton. The SOUL collection comes from this important step.

But as the students were only in the hundreds he had to develop other collections of fashion jewellery, mostly at the time from India, Bali and the Philippines, but the materials used were so fragile (shells, woods, leathers) and the jewellery was not long lasting. Even the silver from India and Bali would tarnish and lose its appeal. He had to find another material.

Seeing the cotton would remind them to stay fully conscious.

Why in stainless steel?

Wanting a jewellery long lasting but affordable to all, he was, in the early 2000s, one of the pioneers introducing stainless steel into costume jewellery.

Isla Samba and its seven French shops, created by Richard in 1999, progressively used it in their collections and, to optimize the quality of the materials used and to control the finishing, Isla Samba partnered with Chinese manufacturers from the early 2000s.

A few years later Isla Samba invested into molds and PVD machines and from then on could deliver 316 stainless steel, vacuum plated with 3 microns real gold: in other words, the best quality of stainless steel coming out of China.

A jewellery long lasting, long shining and well above the Chinese standard using only water plating.

The best quality of stainless steel coming out of China.

Why the Soul box?

After 25 years, the Isla Samba shops are known, successful and run by themselves.

So Richard decided to use the internet to offer worldwide his best collections in assortments as for him, bracelets, necklaces, earrings and rings are fabulous when they are part of a story and the ladies can decline them in unlimited combinations.

With these boxes Isla Samba offered 8 pieces for the price of 3. And of course, the first assortment had to be the spiritual one, remembrance of the red cotton of the 90s.

It was first offered in France to yoga followers, meditation groups and anyone involved in spirituality, but very soon, the box was bought by everyone as the concept of assortment brings the fashion jewellery to another level, fun, cheap and versatile.

Today, in 2026, we start the worldwide commercialization with the American market first before other major countries.

The first assortment had to be the spiritual one, remembrance of the red cotton of the 90s.