Published on by Olivier Maupas-Sehikyan · Rings
Treasured Gold, a Bespoke Tanzanite Ring
Some creations begin with a drawing, others with an object. This one began with a quantity of yellow gold that my client had kept for years. He entrusted it to me at the workshop in Saint-Sébastien-sur-Loire, near Nantes, with a request that was both simple and immense: to make a unique ring that would carry the story of this gold forward rather than erase it.
We took the time to talk. This was a family treasure, 18-carat gold, and the idea of seeing it reborn in another form mattered more than anything else. In my profession, this listening is the first stage of the work. A bespoke tanzanite ring is not simply a stone placed on a metal: it is built around what the person wishes to pass on.
Why a 3-Carat Cushion-Cut Tanzanite
When it came to the centre stone, the choice fell on a tanzanite. I love it for its changeable character. Its deep blue-violet shifts with the angle and the light: a moment more blue, the next almost purple. It never looks the same way twice, and that is what gives it its slightly magical quality.
The one we selected weighs 3 carats and has a cushion cut. This was no incidental choice. The rounded corners of the cushion soften the stone's silhouette and lend it an almost velvety gentleness. Set in yellow gold, it gains warmth, as though the metal were enveloping it rather than simply holding it.
A Blue-Violet That Suits the Gold
Blue stones are sometimes paired with silver or white gold. Yet I find that yellow gold suits them very well: it warms the violet of the tanzanite and spares it any coldness. In an 18-carat yellow gold ring, the contrast between the golden metal and the deep stone creates a pleasing, lively tension.
Two Pink Pear-Shaped Sapphires to Frame the Tanzanite
A single stone can be enough. Here, we wanted to go further. I suggested placing two pink, pear-shaped sapphires on either side of the tanzanite. They establish a crisp symmetry that gives the ring its balance. Their pink also converses with the blue-violet of the centre stone, a little like a dawn beside an evening sky.
This trio turns the tanzanite and pink sapphire ring into a piece that catches the light with every movement of the hand. The pears, with their points directed towards the centre, seem to accompany the tanzanite without competing for its place. Each has its role: the centre stone commands, the other two surround it and show it to advantage.
From Drawing to Polishing: Making an 18-Carat Yellow Gold Ring
Once the idea was settled, the work at the bench began. I first drew the ring, seeking the right proportions between the three stones and the width of the shank. The drawing serves to check that the whole design stands up, that nothing unbalances it before I have even touched the metal.
Then comes the making itself. The gold brought by my client was melted down, then worked to become the body of the ring. This stage has something particular about it: watching a metal kept for years change shape is like witnessing a passing of the baton. Nothing is wasted, everything is transformed. The mount is then shaped, adjusted and reworked as many times as necessary until the form is perfectly right.
Setting, the Most Delicate Gesture
Setting demands patience and absolute calm. The tanzanite must be held firmly without the metal crushing it, and the two pear-shaped sapphires must be positioned with rigorous symmetry. Each claw is adjusted by hand, stone after stone. The tiniest discrepancy would be visible at first glance. This is the moment when the workshop falls silent.
Polishing completes the piece. It brings out the colour of the yellow gold, smooths the surfaces and gives the ring its final brilliance. When I put down my tool, I look at the jewel under several lights, as its wearer will.
A Ring That Carries a Story
Handing over a piece of jewellery is always the moment I like best. After weeks of work, the ring leaves the workshop with its whole story: the gold kept for years, the stone chosen with care, the craftsman's gestures. What touches me most is knowing that this gold will no longer lie dormant, that it will be worn, admired, perhaps passed on in its turn.
This ring illustrates well what I seek in bespoke creation: attentive listening, knowledge of materials, technical exacting standards, but above all a narrative. Using a client's personal gold adds a sentimental dimension that no new metal can offer. The jewel is no longer merely beautiful, it is inhabited.
A successful jewel is one whose story you recognise as you wear it.
Come and Talk It Over at the Workshop
If you too are keeping an old piece of jewellery, family gold or a stone you do not know what to do with, come and see me at the workshop in Saint-Sébastien-sur-Loire, near Nantes. We will take the time to talk it through over a coffee, with no obligation. Sometimes, a beautiful bespoke tanzanite ring in Nantes begins simply with a conversation.
