Betony Vernon

interview by OLIVIER ZAHM
photography by KATERINA JEBB

 

She designed an exquisite collection of luxurious handcrafted sex jewelry. Then she created Paradise Found, an ultra-private members-only boudoir in Paris. Now BETONY VERNON opens her world to us, and with humour, uncommon sophistication, and a genuine concern for humanity, talks about her life, her fearless disregard of taboo, and her expertise in the art of giving pleasure.

OLIVIER ZAHM — Where did you grow up?
BETONY VERNON — In Virginia, on the Appalachian Trail. I grew up in a teeny little town, Tazewell, that’s not even on the map.

OLIVIER ZAHM — Do you have a nostalgic vision of it?
BETONY VERNON — Absolutely not. For the first healthy, isolated, fifteen years I didn’t know that the rest of the world existed. My mother was from Great Britain, and my father was from Martha’s Vineyard. My father was…