Published on by Olivier Maupas-Sehikyan · Rings
Some appointments at the workshop stay with you long after the day is over. A couple's visit one afternoon is among them. They walked into my workshop in Saint-Sébastien-sur-Loire, near Nantes, together, with that quiet gentleness that comes from years shared. The husband explained that they would soon be celebrating fifty years of marriage. He wanted to mark the occasion, and he already knew it would not be an ordinary piece of jewellery.
A Pompadour ring to celebrate fifty years of marriage
His request was simple, and all the harder to fulfil for it: to give his wife an elegant, refined piece of jewellery, one capable of passing through time without showing a single wrinkle. We talked at length. About their story, about what a golden wedding anniversary means, about the way she wears her jewellery every day. Gradually, one answer became obvious: a Pompadour ring.
I love this style for its balance. A central stone takes pride of place, and a circle of brilliant-cut diamonds surrounds it like a crown. Nothing about it is showy; everything is designed to let the light move freely. The design is classic, certainly, but it is a classicism that has never ceased to please, because it showcases the stone without betraying it. For a couple whose love has withstood everything that fifty years can bring, it seemed right to choose a form that has itself endured through the ages.
The Ceylon sapphire, a blue for fidelity
The choice of stone almost made itself. The Ceylon sapphire, with its deep, natural blue, is both solemn and luminous. It is said to symbolise fidelity, wisdom and peace: it is hard to imagine values closer to what this couple had just told me. When I showed them the stone, the silence that followed was worth any number of words of approval.
Around this blue, there needed to be clarity. I selected twelve brilliant-cut diamonds to surround the sapphire and give it its radiance. The contrast is deliberate: the sapphire draws the eye with its depth, while the diamonds answer it with their sparkle. Together, they form a small landscape of light that looks different depending on the angle and the time of day.
Why yellow gold?
As for the metal, yellow gold was never in question. Its warmth answers the blue of the sapphire, and it carries a memory of its own: that of wedding bands, family jewels, and the jewellery boxes passed from one generation to the next. I worked in 18-carat gold, an alloy I appreciate for its durability and its beautiful colour, which makes no attempt to imitate anything but itself.
From wax to gold: making a bespoke ring
It all began on paper. I drew the ring several times, adjusting the proportions: the height of the setting, the breadth of the circle of diamonds, the slenderness of the shoulders. A bespoke ring is decided by these details, which nobody notices unless they are wrong. Then the drawing took shape in wax, which I modelled by hand before casting it in yellow gold.
Once the metal came out of the casting, the true goldsmith's work began. The body of the ring was reworked, filed and refined, with a sturdy seat designed to hold the sapphire and its twelve diamonds. I insisted on that solidity: a piece of jewellery of such sentimental value must be wearable every day, and for a long time, without ever causing its wearer a moment's worry.
Next comes the setting, the stage I both dread and adore. I used traditional techniques, those that guarantee the stones are held securely while keeping the metal visually light. The sapphire was positioned with extreme precision so that it would catch the light from every angle. Each diamond then took its place, one by one, in a slow movement during which one almost holds one's breath.
Finally, the polishing. This is when the yellow gold acquires its depth, the surfaces turn mirror-bright and the edges soften. It is the moment when the ring stops being an object in the making and becomes a jewel. I adjusted it by hand one last time, then looked at it for a long while in the light of the workshop before placing it in its box.
A ring that says fifty years of love
On the day of the handover, the couple returned to the workshop. I confess I was almost as moved as they were. When the box opened, the emotion was palpable: a gasp, a glance exchanged, a few words struggling to come out. The sapphire caught the light from the window, and the diamonds did the rest. I believe no one in the room really wanted to speak.
This ring is not merely a piece of yellow gold set with a sapphire. It is a memory held in time, a testament to patience, fidelity and a life shared. One day, it will no doubt be handed down, together with the story that goes with it, and that is what touches me most in my profession: knowing that what I make here will go on telling something long after we are gone.
With this creation, I wanted to pay tribute to their story, with my hands and my craftsmanship. It is in moments like these that my work as a designer jeweller takes on its full meaning.
Let's talk about your project at the workshop
If you too have a wedding anniversary, a birth or a memory to celebrate, you are most welcome in my workshop in Saint-Sébastien-sur-Loire, near Nantes. We will take the time to talk about your story, look at stones and draw together. There is no pressure, simply the chance to see what we can bring to life.
