Published on by Olivier Maupas-Sehikyan · Earrings
Some creations have no need to make a noise. These 18-carat white gold earrings, each set with a natural blue sapphire and a halo of small diamonds, are proof of it. I designed them and then made them entirely by hand in my workshop in Saint-Sébastien-sur-Loire, near Nantes, for a client who wanted a piece of jewellery made to be lived in, not tucked away in a drawer. Let me tell you how they came to be.
A client with a precise wish: earrings to wear every day
It all began with a visit to the workshop. My client walked in with a very clear idea: she had been searching for a long time for a pair of bespoke earrings that she could keep on permanently, from the office to more formal occasions. A robust, discreet piece, yet never ordinary.
She had tried many designs. Some seemed too imposing, others too restrained. And then there was that worry, almost a small anxiety: losing an earring while handling it, with a conventional clasp. She confided it to me quite simply, the way one admits to a discomfort carried for years.
We talked at length. She loved classic lines, but wanted a touch of colour, without excess. The blue sapphire, her favourite stone, imposed itself almost on its own as the conversation unfolded.
Natural blue sapphire and white gold: choosing the materials
I am both a gemstone dealer and a designer jeweller, which allows me to select my gems at the source. During a recent sourcing trip, I had set aside two natural blue sapphires, perfectly matched in size and cut, of a deep, velvety blue. When I placed them on the counter in front of her, it was love at first sight. I say it plainly: some stones are recognised at a single glance.
The sapphire belongs to the corundum family, like the ruby. Together with the diamond, the ruby and the emerald, it is one of the four precious stones. Its hardness, 9 on the Mohs scale, just behind the diamond, makes it a reliable companion for a piece worn without interruption: it withstands friction, water and cosmetics. Its blue, sometimes tinged with violet, comes from traces of iron and titanium in its crystal structure. I favour stones from Sri Lanka and Madagascar for their colour, and this direct relationship allows me to know the history of each stone.
The sapphire is also rich in symbolism. Since antiquity it has evoked fidelity and wisdom, Lady Diana chose one for her engagement ring, and it is the birthstone for September. Around each sapphire, I planned a halo of small diamonds, selected under a x10 loupe, to make the blue shimmer without overpowering it. The metal, for its part, had to remain understated: 18-carat white gold, that is, 75% pure gold alloyed with palladium, finished with a rhodium plating that heightens the whiteness of the diamonds and the contrast with the sapphire.
The Alpa clasp, so she need never fear losing an earring again
That left the question that concerned my client most. I suggested the Alpa clasp, a patented system developed by a French manufacturer and prized in high jewellery. Its principle is simple: a small movable post slides into a receiving cone, then a discreet screw thread locks the whole thing in place. It is impossible to open by accident, even during sleep or a workout.
I saw her smile as she realised she would no longer have to keep checking her ears. This technical detail, invisible once the earrings are worn, changes everything in daily life: it is what turns a pretty piece of jewellery into one you forget you are wearing, in the best sense of the phrase.
I then took out my notebook and drew several sketches. The design we chose: each sapphire in a four-claw setting at the centre, surrounded by a crown of small diamonds in grain setting, all mounted on a rhodium-plated white gold Alpa clasp. She approved the design on the spot.
From molten gold to diamond halo: making them in the workshop
Then comes the time at the bench. Everything was made on site, by hand, in my jewellery workshop in Saint-Sébastien-sur-Loire, south of Nantes.
The metal and the plates
I began by melting the white gold to obtain a clean ingot. The metal was purified with borax, cast, then rolled into sheet and drawn on the draw bench to obtain the sections I needed. With a piercing saw, I cut two identical round plates to receive the halos. Consistency between the two earrings matters enormously: on the ear, the slightest asymmetry would be noticed at once.
I then built the two central mounts from white gold wire. Each carries four claws, fitted one by one with a needle file, so that the sapphire is held firmly without looking encumbered.
The setting, the most delicate stage
This is the moment when one holds one's breath. Each diamond seat was cut with a conical bur, at a perfectly even rhythm around the centre stone. A single misplaced seat, however tiny, and the symmetry of the halo would be lost. The posts of the Alpa clasp were soldered to the back of the plates, with very precise heating so as not to distort anything, then fitted to their cone and tested several times to confirm the locking.
Each sapphire was then secured in its claws, which were closed over with a pusher. The small diamonds followed, grain-set with a graver and a beading tool: they form those luminous crowns that frame the blue. Finally, the earrings were sanded, polished with felt and then cotton, before their rhodium bath.
The handover: earrings she will never take off
The day my client came back, I placed the jewellery box in front of her without a word. She put the earrings on, checked the clasp with her fingertips, then gazed at her reflection for a long moment. She understood at once that she would never take them off. This is not a piece that shows off: it accompanies, it lights up the face, it makes itself forgotten while still being there. It is exactly what she was looking for, and I confess that this kind of silence, at the handover, remains for me the finest reward.
If you too dream of a pair of white gold and blue sapphire earrings, or of any other piece designed for your everyday life, push open the door of my workshop in Saint-Sébastien-sur-Loire, near Nantes. We will take the time to talk it through, simply, over a few stones and a sketchbook.
