Published on by Olivier Maupas-Sehikyan · Rings
Some projects arrive at the workshop with an obviousness that I recognise at once. This was one of them. A client came to see me, in Saint-Sébastien-sur-Loire, with a precise idea in mind: to mark her couple's fortieth wedding anniversary with a piece of jewellery unlike any other. I still remember the way she spoke of it, with no hesitation about the intention, but with a wish to find the right form together.
A precise request: a ring for a 40th wedding anniversary
Forty years of life together is not something to be celebrated lightly. My client wanted something special, an object that would mark an important stage of her life and that could one day be passed down. We took the time to talk, on several occasions, around my workbench. I always ask a great many questions: what the person likes to wear, what suits them, what tells their story without their having to explain it.
From these conversations a clear direction emerged. We chose to create a Pompadour ring, a style that evokes the elegance and refinement of the Baroque era. A coloured stone at the centre, a surround of diamonds that sets it off: this composition seemed to me perfectly suited to the occasion, because, like a couple, it brings together two presences that answer one another.
The fire opal, heart of a ring that speaks of passion
Every piece of jewellery begins with its main stone. Here, the choice fell on a fire opal, and I must say I hardly had to plead its cause. Its play of colour, warm, alive, shifting with the light, says better than words that passion and love can endure. A stone that moves as you look at it is a fine image for forty years of marriage.
Finding the right stone
Choosing an opal takes patience. We needed a precise size, a 10/8 mm opal, present enough to be the centrepiece of the ring, and shades of colour that my client truly loved. I compared several stones, looking at them in daylight and then under the workshop lighting, because an opal never reveals itself in the same way everywhere. This selection was decisive for the rest of the project: everything else would be organised around it.
From drawing to an 18-carat yellow gold mount
Once the stone was settled, I could begin to draw. The pencil always comes first: I look for the proportions, the balance between the opal and its surround, the height of the mount, the way the ring will sit on the hand. The drawing is then shown to the client, discussed and adjusted, until it becomes a promise I can keep.
For the metal, I chose 18-carat yellow gold. Its warmth naturally converses with the tones of the fire opal, and it offers the strength needed for a piece meant to be worn for many years. A paler gold would have cooled the whole. Here, everything had to glow within the same range of light.
Then comes the work with the material. The form is first sculpted in wax, then transformed into gold by casting. It is a stage I love deeply: you move from a soft volume, shaped with the tips of your tools, to a precious metal that keeps every intended detail. The mount is then reworked by hand, filed, adjusted and prepared to receive the central stone and its retinue of diamonds.
Setting the diamonds, a work of patience
The setting of the diamonds is undoubtedly the most delicate part of this ring. In the Pompadour style, the surround must be regular and continuous, with almost no breathing space between the stones. Each diamond was therefore chosen with care for its clarity and brilliance. The aim was not to impress at any cost: the diamonds had to complete the opal without ever outshining it. She remains the heroine, and they accompany her.
Creating the mount demanded meticulous attention. Each stone had to be perfectly aligned, then held firmly by the gold, so that the ring would pass through the years without a worry. I mark the position, open the metal, place the diamond, close the claws, and begin again, stone after stone. Transforming the ring took many hours of handwork, and I feel no weariness from it, only a kind of happy concentration.
Polishing, the final gesture before delivery
Polishing brings the work to a close. It gives the yellow gold its depth, brings out the brilliance of the diamonds and lets the fire opal express itself. Before handing over a piece, I look at it for a long time, under every kind of light, with the loupe and then with the naked eye. If anything holds me back, I go over it again. A piece of jewellery is only ready when I would be proud to wear it myself.
A piece of jewellery to celebrate a shared story
The result is a ring that celebrates the love and devotion of a couple, but that also reflects their own story and the personal style of the woman who will wear it. The fire opal and the diamonds converse in the gold like two voices that have grown accustomed to one another over time. Nothing in it is decorative by chance: every choice answers the original request.
This project reminded me why I love my craft. Turning a vision into a real object, taking part in an important moment in someone's life: it is a privilege I never take for granted. Each time a client entrusts me with a date, an emotion, an idea that is still unformed, I appreciate the trust they place in me.
Let's talk about your bespoke ring project
If you are thinking of a wedding anniversary, a stone you love, or simply the wish for a bespoke piece of jewellery near Nantes, you are most welcome in my workshop in Saint-Sébastien-sur-Loire. Come with your ideas, however vague, or with a piece of jewellery lying forgotten in a drawer. We will talk it over quietly, over a coffee, and see what can be made of it.
