Published on by Olivier Maupas-Sehikyan · Rings
Some projects begin with a simple conversation and stay with you for a long time. This one began the day a client pushed open the door of my workshop in Saint-Sébastien-sur-Loire, near Nantes, holding two precious things in his hands: a sapphire and some gold. He wanted to make a bespoke engagement ring from them, and he was not looking for just another piece of jewellery. He was looking for a piece with a story.
A Family Sapphire for an Engagement Ring
He had not bought this sapphire. It had been handed down to him, taken from a family jewel. When he set it down in front of me, I understood at once that we would not be talking only about metal and stones. Its colour had a rare depth, one of those blues you want to lean over, as though looking into a lake. But behind the stone there were, above all, generations, gestures and memories that I did not need to know in detail to feel their weight.
My client wanted this heirloom to become the symbol of a new commitment. Transforming a family jewel into a proposal ring is a responsibility, and I took it as such. The aim was not to erase the past, but to give it a new life, on the finger of the person he hoped to marry.
The Sketches: Searching Together for the Right Form
We began, as always, with paper. I draw a great deal, first for myself, then with the client, pencil in hand. A first line, a suggestion, a moment of hesitation, another line. Each sketch brought our two visions a little closer, and it was in this exchange that the ring took shape. Several versions followed one another before we agreed.
I remember this phase as a patient exploration. Should the mount be high or lower? A single sapphire or accompanied by other stones? A discreet gold or a more present one? We finally chose white gold, whose pale, cool tone answers the blue of the sapphire without competing with it. The design we settled on placed the family stone at the centre, surrounded by diamonds that accompany it without ever stealing the show.
Claw Setting and Bezel-Style Setting: Giving the Sapphire Light
This choice was far from incidental. For the centre stone, I chose a claw setting. This type of setting holds the stone securely, which matters enormously for a ring meant to be worn every day. But it has another advantage that I particularly appreciate: it lets light enter from the sides and pass through the stone. The sapphire gains depth, and its reflections seem to come from within.
Diamonds for a Halo of Brilliance
Around the sapphire, I wanted diamonds. They are set in a château setting on the body of the ring. Each stone is surrounded by a small rim of metal, which protects it and holds it with precision. Together, these diamonds form a luminous halo. Their white, sharp, clean sparkle highlights the colour of the sapphire, as a well-chosen frame enhances a painting.
The result, on paper, was already promising. It remained to bring it to life in metal.
In the Workshop: White Gold, Diamonds and Polishing
Making a white gold diamond and sapphire ring demands meticulous care, and I never like to rush it. Everything begins with the gold: it must be worked, cut and shaped so that the mount follows exactly the design we had agreed. These are slow, repeated movements, where the slightest approximation would show later.
Then comes the moment I like best, the setting of the stones. Each stone is positioned with care, adjusted, checked, then secured. The family sapphire, of course, demanded very particular attention: one does not handle a stone like that as one would any other. I knew where it came from, and I knew where it was going. The diamonds on the body of the ring were placed one after another, in their settings, so as to form a regular, lively line.
Finally comes the polishing. I continue this work until the mount reaches a mirror finish, smooth and luminous, without the faintest trace of the tool. It is a discreet stage, almost invisible to anyone looking at the finished piece, but it changes everything: the white gold gains its clarity, and the light glides over the ring without catching.
Every stage, cutting the gold, placing the stones, polishing, carried within it the importance of what the ring was going to represent.
A Ring Between Past and Future
When the ring was finished, I studied it for a long time before handing it over. It was no longer quite the sapphire of old, and yet it was truly the same stone, now the heart of a new piece. It carried a double memory: that of a family who had kept it, and that of a couple beginning their own chapter.
This is what I love about my craft. A bespoke engagement ring is not merely a beautiful and precious object. It brings together stories, hopes, and sometimes promises that one does not dare say aloud. This one linked what has been handed down with what remains to be lived: a symbol of love, commitment and continuity.
For me, the greatest satisfaction lies in a simple idea: this ring will accompany my client and the person who wears it for many years to come, gaining meaning with every passing day. I often think back to this project, and it reminded me why I have always drawn, set and polished.
Come and Talk About It at the Workshop
If you, too, have a family stone sleeping in a drawer, an old piece of jewellery, or simply the wish to imagine a ring for a proposal, come and talk to me at the workshop in Saint-Sébastien-sur-Loire, near Nantes. We will take the time to look at what you have, to talk about what you want to say through this piece, and to design what comes next together. There is no hurry: the finest ring is always the one you have taken the time to imagine well.
