Published on by Olivier Maupas-Sehikyan · Rings
Some commissions begin with nothing more than a small box placed on the counter. That day, a client walked into my workshop in Saint-Sébastien-sur-Loire, near Nantes, and took out an oval ruby that he had owned for several years. He had also brought some gold, which he wished to see reused. His request could be summed up in a single sentence: to turn all of this into a bespoke white gold ring for his partner, to mark a symbolic anniversary.
An oval ruby kept for years, a request full of meaning
I placed the stone on my work mat, under the lamp. Its red was intense and deep, and the stone had real character. The client explained that it meant a great deal to him. He had never had it set, as if waiting for the right occasion and the right person. This anniversary was both.
I did not need long speeches to understand. He was not looking for a catalogue piece. He wanted this ruby and this gold, which he had kept all this time, to have a second life, and for that life to be hers. We talked for a long while about his partner, about the way she wears her jewellery, and about what he hoped she would feel on receiving this ruby ring. This is always how a bespoke jewellery commission begins: by listening, long before the first pencil stroke.
Designing a ring around the ruby
When a stone has such presence, my first task is not to compete with it. The ruby had to remain the heart of the ring, and everything else had to support it.
I therefore proposed a closed setting. It is a choice that is both modern and protective: the gold surrounds the stone completely, holds it firmly and lets its colour speak without embellishment. For a piece meant to be worn every day, that security matters as much as the look.
Around this blazing centre, I drew two slender bands that intertwine. The image is simple, and deliberately so: two lines that cross, hold one another and move forward together, as a symbol of union and harmony. The choice of metal came almost naturally. 18-carat white gold offers a clean, light background that brings out the red of the ruby. After several sketches, the client chose this one, and I was able to move from paper to bench.
Casting the gold and hand setting in my workshop
Giving the client's gold a new life
Every stage took place in my jewellery workshop, within the shop itself. I began by melting the gold the client had entrusted to me. There is something special about watching a metal with a history become the material of a new piece. I then worked it with precision to achieve a balanced alloy and harmonious volumes. The two slender bands demanded great accuracy: too thick, they would have weighed the ring down; too thin, they would have lacked strength.
A setting made with patience
Then comes the moment I like best, and which I dread a little every time: the setting. The ruby was set by hand, with great care. The seat of the stone must be adjusted so that it rests exactly where it should, then the metal is closed around it, movement after movement, without ever forcing. It is this patience that guarantees both the strength of the piece and its beauty.
Polishing completed the work. It gave the white gold its soft lustre and made the red of the stone glow. This ring is shaped entirely using the traditional techniques of French jewellery making, where every gesture counts and nothing is done in haste.
The day of the presentation: a ring that tells a story
Giving a ring made from one's own materials lends the piece a deeply personal dimension. The ruby came from him, the gold too, and the design was born of the story they share. More than a gift, it was a gesture of devotion.
On the day of the presentation, the emotion was palpable. The client was moved to see his vision take shape before his eyes, to recognise his stone in this mount we had spoken about for so long. His partner, for her part, was overwhelmed by the thought behind it. I stepped back a little, as I often do at that moment: it is no longer my work that matters, but what it stirs in those who receive it.
This project reflects what I love most about my craft: to listen, to imagine, to create, and to give birth to pieces made to last. Every 18-carat white gold ring, every piece set with a cherished stone, carries a story within it, and it is a privilege to see them come into being in my workshop.
Let us talk about your stone, your gold, your project
Do you have a stone sleeping in a drawer, an old piece of jewellery whose gold could be put to new use, or simply an idea that is still taking shape? Come and see me at the workshop in Saint-Sébastien-sur-Loire, near Nantes. We will take the time to talk it through, with no obligation, over a coffee and a few sketches.
