Born in Tunis to a wealthy Florentine family, Scemama moved to Paris in 1922 where he began parure-making.
[1][2] Scemama worked for the most famous French haute couture houses[3] and resurrected the use of crystal in fashion in the 1950s.
[4] To complement the black Givenchy dress of Audrey Hepburn, Scemama was asked to design her necklace.
[5] Scemama designed jewelry[6][7] for Jacques Fath,[8] Balmain,[9] Schiaparelli,[10] Lanvin,[11][12] Givenchy,[13] Balenciaga,[14][15] Dior[16][17] and Yves Saint Laurent.
[18][19][20] Some of his jewelry creations for Yves Saint Laurent can be found in New York at the Metropolitan Museum of Art[21] and others at the Palais Galliera, Musée de la Mode de la Ville de Paris.