Published on by Olivier Maupas-Sehikyan · Signet rings
Some commissions begin with a sketch, others with a glance. This one began with a sentence, spoken on the threshold of my workshop in Saint-Sébastien-sur-Loire, just south of Nantes: “I don't want a signet ring like everyone else's.” I knew at once that we would get along. This is the story of this men's fire opal signet ring in 18-carat white gold, made entirely by hand.
A client, and a men's signet ring that reflects him
My client is an entrepreneur in a creative field. He walked in with a clear idea, almost a conviction. No initials engraved on a smooth face, no discreet solitaire apologising for its presence. He wanted a piece that asserts character, both intense and rigorous, just as his profession demands him to be.
We talked for a long time, seated at the bench, without looking at the clock. He loves sculpted relief motifs, bold graphic codes, the aesthetic of the Knights Templar. He also loves stones that leave the beaten track: neither sapphire nor emerald, something less expected. I listened, and I understood that the bespoke signet ring in Nantes he had in mind should be medieval in its inspiration, yet resolutely contemporary in its look.
Fire opal, a stone of passion from Mexico
As I am also a gemstone dealer, I laid out several gems from my personal selection in front of him. His gaze stopped dead on an oval fire opal measuring 10 by 8 mm, a blazing orange, chosen at source in the Magdalena mines in Mexico. He could not let it go. To him it evoked passion, transformation, creative energy.
I understand why. Fire opal is one of the most alive gemstones I know. Unlike white or black opals, it does not necessarily seek a play of colour: its strength lies in its hue, which ranges from golden yellow to orange, from cherry red to deep vermilion. This sun-drenched colour comes from traces of iron oxide, trapped during its volcanic formation.
Mineralogically, it is an amorphous hydrated silica containing between 3 and 21% water. Mexico, and the state of Jalisco in particular, remains its great homeland, although Ethiopia has also supplied fine examples since the 2000s. The Aztecs are said to have revered it already, comparing it to the shimmering plumage of the hummingbird. It is also credited with an affinity with those born under Aries, Leo and Sagittarius. I am no astrologer, but the stone suited my client's temperament like a glove.
From sketch to wax model
I opened my notebook and the lines began to flow. Several ideas were drawn, then just one was retained: the opal set at the centre of a raised oval bezel, framed by two shoulders adorned with a relief design. The motifs interlace and recall the crosses of medieval knights, symbols of commitment and strength.
So that my client could judge the effect, I then produced a 3D rendering of the ring. He went through every detail on screen: the height of the bezel, the depth of the reliefs, the curve of the shoulders. Once everything was approved, the project took shape in a wax model, submitted for his final approval. Holding the signet ring in your hand, even in wax, changes everything: that is where you feel whether the piece is right.
18-carat white gold and closed setting: a casket for the flame
The choice of metal was made without lengthy hesitation. 18-carat white gold, an alloy of 75% pure gold enriched with palladium, offers a noble and lasting setting. Its cool, luminous brilliance brings out the warmth of the opal by contrast. A flame set against a pale background: that was the effect I was after.
The stone itself demanded care. With a hardness of 5.5 to 6.5 on the Mohs scale, fire opal is vulnerable to knocks. For a piece worn every day, a closed setting was therefore the only sensible answer: a continuous band of metal wraps around the stone and protects it all the way round.
Lost-wax casting
From the approved rendering, I sculpted the wax model by hand, patiently reworking each motif on the shoulders to refine the hollows, the edges and the depth. It is painstaking work, but it allows the result to be adjusted before the metal is cast. The wax was then transformed into white gold by lost-wax casting, a technique inherited from Antiquity that faithfully reproduces even the most complex motifs. The molten metal is poured under pressure into a refractory plaster mould.
Finishing by hand
Once the raw ring came out of its mould, it was cleaned and then reworked entirely by hand. I revealed each interlacing with a needle file and a burr, then the chasing established the final contrast between recesses and raised areas. The central mount, an oval closed setting, was shaped to the exact dimensions of the stone.
Setting and polishing
Then comes the moment I both dread and love: the setting. The opal was placed in its bezel, then the fine band of gold was folded down over the girdle with my burnisher, with a gentle, gradual pressure. With a gem this sensitive, the slightest rough movement could have cracked it. Breath held, hand steady, I closed the setting one gesture at a time.
The ring was then sanded, polished with felt and cotton, and rhodium-plated to achieve a mirror-white finish. Placed under the bench lamp, the opal seemed to burn within its frame of pale silver.
The handover: a smile that said it all
On the day my client came back, I let him open the case without a word. He took the signet ring, turned it for a moment in the light, then slipped it onto his finger. His smile said it all. He had no need to comment on the relief of the shoulders or the colour of the stone: at last he was wearing a piece of jewellery that reflected him, conceived for him, made to last.
This is what I strive for each time a client walks through the workshop door: that they leave with a piece that has meaning, not a showcase object. If you dream of a bespoke men's signet ring that stands out from the ordinary, whether with a fire opal or another stone that speaks to you, come and discuss it at my workshop in Saint-Sébastien-sur-Loire, near Nantes. We will take the time to look at stones, sketch a few ideas, and imagine your next piece together.
