Behind the scenes of creation
From the very first idea, the one that keeps Louise awake late at night, the one that fills her with enthusiasm and makes her dream, to the first models, through the casting, polishing and gilding, we unveil everything behind the scenes of our jewels’s creation.
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The love of savoir-faire and the respect of the handmade techniques have always been at the heart of our creation; discover today all the meticulousness and all the creativity hidden behind your favorite pieces.
All the steps your jewels go through
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01.
The birth of an ideaAt the beginning there was only one idea. Shy and fleeting, it was born in the course of a stroll in Paris, reading through a captivating novel or by observing old family photos. This idea, Louise will cherish it. She scribbles it on the edge of a table, imagines it at the wrists or ears of the ones she sees in the street to finally sketch it, black on white, in her notebook. This first sketch is shown to her model maker. Together, they develop a 3D technical drawing. Louise can then, for the first time, have a look at her future jewel from every angle.
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02.
The modelOnce the technical drawing is approved, the model maker is going to create, by hand, a first model. A real work of art, he carves meticulously the jewel in a block of wax. This model is then shown to Louise. It is a crucial moment. If the lines of the jewel are not perfect, and only one detail has to be changed, then he will have to start all over again.
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03.
The creation of a unique moldOnce the model is approved, it then serves as an imprint for the mold creation. The mould maker (yes, it’s a real job!) creates several molds that will serve to produce each one of the collection’s pieces. Molten tin (almost 662°F!) is then poured in each one of the imprints. Once the mold is cooled down, the demolding and cutting off the pieces is handmade. PS: in our workshop, nothing is lost, everything is transformed, the tin scraps left are re-melted down and reused.
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04.
The filing and polishingThanks to the filing and polishing, we then get rid of all the little imperfections that all the created pieces can have. Each one of them is first filed and then polished by hand with sandpaper. The pieces are finally plunged in vats full of ceramics pieces, that, thanks to a mechanical rotation motion, are polished as wished.
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05.
The weldFor the jewels that need it, a weld assembles manually the different elements between them by welding with a welding torch. A step technical and meticulous at the same time.
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06.
The gildingFinally, our jewels are ready to wear their pretty golden dress, a 24k gilding please! To do this, each piece is hung by hand and at regular intervals on a metallic shelf that is then plunged in baths. Once again, precision is advised: the pieces definitely can’t touch each other. In the bath, the magic of electrolysis comes into play and our jewels come out as golden as can be. To protect their gilding and to make it last in time, the pieces are then covered with a protective varnish layer.
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07.
The enamelingIn some collections, Madeleine, Henriette or Jo, our jewels are enameled with a touch of color that gives them all their character. This step is once again made by hand. We apply the color with a needle, this gesture requires an extreme dexterity and fineness.
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08.
The assemblyFinally, we are almost there. Just one more step, and not the least. All our jewels are assembled by hand. We cut the chains to the desired length, we put the rings and the clasps, in short, we put the final touches to these jewels that, a few months before, were born in Louise’s mind.
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Our 3 commitments for jewels that last
Gilding and materials
It’s not always easy to get your bearings, let us explain everything about the technique and the materials that we use at the workshop. We are convinced that a jewel that lasts, a jewel of quality, is, above all, carefully selected materials.
Our three pillars at the heart of the making of each one of our pieces:
All our jewels are in tin or brass, gilded with 24k gold. A pure gold that, unlike 18k gold, is not blended with other metals.
Our materials are all sourced in Europe and don’t contain lead, nickel or cadmium, controversial allergens for their impact on health.
Finally, to protect the gilding from the time passing and to allow you to enjoy your jewels as much as possible, we all plunge them in a protective varnish bath
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Timeless jewels
Jewels designed to beautify and enhance the one who wears them, but never hiding her. Refined, bold or delicate pieces that every woman can appropriate. We have the conviction that a jewel has no “due date”. This is why you can find on our website the latest collection straight out of the workshop but also the one created a few years ago and that we continue to love.
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