Published on by Olivier Maupas-Sehikyan · Rings
Some commissions arrive with a sketch. Others arrive with a box. This time, a client walked into my workshop in Saint-Sébastien-sur-Loire, near Nantes, with existing jewellery and gold that belonged to her. She wanted all of it to become a single new piece, one that truly reflected her. I remember laying the jewellery out on the bench, one piece at a time, before we had even spoken of a design. We first had to look at them, to understand what they had meant to her.
Transforming old jewellery into a unique ring
This project rested on a wager: to transform old jewellery without erasing what it carries. Making one piece of jewellery from another is a delicate exercise. It is not a matter of melting down for the sake of it. One must bring together materials, sometimes of different origins and alloys, and produce a clean, sound metal, ready to be worked. Only then can the form be imagined.
My client entrusted me with her gold with a trust that moved me, and which immediately placed a responsibility on my shoulders. I knew that this bespoke peridot and diamond ring would not simply be one more object in a jewellery box. It would be the memory of her jewellery of yesterday, and an expression of who she is today. That thought stayed with me at every stage.
A square peridot, a green that speaks of renewal
For the centre stone, I chose a square peridot. I chose it first for its colour: a living, luminous green, with a softness found in no other gemstone. There is something of spring in that green. One reads in it growth, renewal and harmony, words that echoed what my client wished to express through her ring.
The square cut matters too. It gives the stone a crisp, almost architectural presence, far from the round shapes seen everywhere. The peridot appears like a small window opened onto the light. I took my time turning it under the loupe, observing it under several kinds of lighting, since its colour changes with the day. It can lean towards a golden yellow or a fresher green, and that is precisely what makes it so alive.
Why a peridot rather than a more expected stone
Because it tells a different story. A stone is never chosen at random: it must suit the person who will wear it. Here, the peridot spoke of momentum, of a fresh start, of a present built upon memories.
Palladium white gold and baguette diamonds
For the metal, I selected palladium white gold. Its clear, luminous white sets off the green of the peridot without ever competing with it. A yellow metal would certainly have warmed the stone, but it would also have blurred the dialogue between the colours. Here, I wanted a pale, understated setting that lets the gemstone breathe. Palladium, combined with gold, gives a natural white that is pleasant to wear every day, with the quiet elegance one appreciates more and more over the years.
On either side of the peridot, I placed two baguette diamonds. Their elongated, straight-lined shape creates a pleasing contrast with the square of the centre stone. It also establishes a symmetry, a balance that reassures the eye. The diamonds bring a cool, almost crystalline clarity against the warmth of the green. And they carry their own symbolism: purity, endurance, that which does not fade. My client recognised in them values that matter to her, which confirmed me in my choice.
From drawing to polishing: the work in the workshop
It all began with the drawing. I worked on the proportions, the thickness of the band, the height of the bezel, the way the baguettes would frame the stone. Then came the wax stage, when the ring takes shape between my fingers before it exists in metal. It is a moment I love: one can still correct, soften a line, rework a volume.
My client's gold was then melted and cast, and the raw ring was refined by hand. Every solder joint was carefully considered, every surface deburred, filed and adjusted. The setting came next: the peridot was seated with care, then the two baguette diamonds, one by one, in seats cut to their exact size. With straight-edged stones, the slightest imprecision shows at once. It demands patience and a precise hand.
Finally, the polishing. It reveals the white of the metal, makes the edges sing, and gives the piece its final brilliance. Throughout the work, I felt I was handling more than gold and stones. Every gesture was guided by the intention of turning her old memories into a piece that speaks of her present and her future.
Handing over the ring: a smile that says it all
When my client came back to the workshop, I set the ring before her without a word. The square peridot caught the light, the baguettes accompanying it with their clean reflections. She looked at it for a long time, then she smiled. A broad, spontaneous smile, the kind that cannot be summoned. It is my finest reward, and it is enough for me.
What I love about this craft is precisely this: creating pieces that carry meaning and that can pass through the generations, linking past, present and future in one small circle of white gold.
If you too have jewellery lying forgotten in a drawer, or gold waiting for a second life, come and talk to me at the workshop in Saint-Sébastien-sur-Loire. We will look together at what you have, and at what you would like to make of it. No obligation, simply a conversation.
