Published on by Olivier Maupas-Sehikyan · Pendants
Some commissions begin with an idea, others with a material. This one began with both. A client came to see me at my workshop in Saint-Sébastien-sur-Loire, near Nantes, with porcelain and gold that he wished to bring together in a single piece of jewellery. He was not looking for a showcase object. He wanted a piece that would hold the past and the present together, without one overwhelming the other.
A Request for a Porcelain and Yellow Gold Pendant at the Workshop
I remember that first conversation. We talked for a long time before a pencil was even picked up. My client wished to blend tradition and modernity in a single piece, and he left it to me to find how. That kind of trust is a gift, but also a responsibility, because one must first understand what a word like "tradition" means to the person who speaks it.
The porcelain and the gold came from him. So I held both materials in my hands before drawing anything. It is always how I work: looking, touching, turning the piece in the light of the workshop window. The idea of a porcelain and yellow gold pendant took shape at that moment, almost of its own accord.
Porcelain, a Material That Took Me Back to My Beginnings
I must admit that the porcelain moved me. It is white, pure, with a delicacy that commands respect. It reminded me of the very first emotions I felt in my jewellery workshop, when every gesture seemed fraught with consequence. Behind its softness lies a long history, that of a material worked for centuries by patient hands.
But it is fragile, and therein lies the whole difficulty. A porcelain jewel cannot be treated like a hard stone. It forgives neither excessive pressure, nor knocks, nor hesitation. Before choosing any metal, I knew that the mount would have to be conceived as a protection as much as a decoration.
A Material That Demands Time
I took the time to study its contours, its weak points, the way it would react in contact with the metal. Nothing was rushed. In this craft, slowness is not a luxury, it is a condition of success.
18-Carat Yellow Gold as the Setting, Diamonds as the Halo
To accompany this whiteness, I chose 18-carat yellow gold. Goldsmiths have worked with it for millennia, and it has lost none of its warmth or its resilience. Its golden hue brings out the porcelain with a softness that white metal would not have offered. In this pendant, it plays the role of a cocoon: it surrounds the porcelain, holds it and protects it, without ever hiding it.
One last spark was still missing, however. I suggested adding diamonds all around the central piece. Each one was carefully selected for its clarity, colour and brilliance, as consistency matters greatly when stones form a circle. Together, they compose a sparkling halo. The contrast is striking: on one side the tender matt finish of the porcelain, on the other the vivacity of the diamond.
From Wax to Polishing: The Making, Step by Step
The challenge came down to one sentence: making three very different elements, porcelain, yellow gold and diamonds, coexist perfectly. Each had to find its place without hindering the others.
It all began with the drawing. I made several sketches, adjusted the proportions of the surround, and sought the thickness of metal that would offer both strength and lightness. The form was then sculpted in wax, a stage I particularly enjoy, because one can still correct everything with the tip of the tool. This wax was then cast in gold, using the lost-wax casting technique.
Then came the setting, the most delicate moment. The diamonds were placed one by one around the porcelain. Each bead had to hold the stone without ever putting any strain on the central piece. I worked slowly, checking constantly, because the slightest tension could have proved fatal to it.
Finally, the polishing. It removed the last traces of the tool and gave the gold its depth. When the light first slid across the whole piece, I knew the balance had been found. This bespoke jewel now existed, and it resembled no other.
A successful jewel is a fragile material that at last feels safe.
Handing Over a Jewel Between Tradition and Modernity
I never tire of marvelling at the moment when a piece leaves the bench to be reunited with the person who imagined it with me. Here, it was less a commission than a collaboration: a meeting between his vision and mine, between age-old materials and a more contemporary voice. The pendant was born of this dialogue, and bears its mark in every detail.
What I hope is that this piece will stay with its wearer for a long time, that it will take its place in their life as a discreet and familiar landmark. To hold together ancestral craftsmanship and creative freedom is, for me, the essence of jewellery making. Every setting, every curve of this pendant simply expresses my devotion to this craft.
If you too have a material that matters to you, porcelain, gold or any other keepsake you would like to turn into a jewel, you are most welcome at my workshop in Saint-Sébastien-sur-Loire, near Nantes. We shall take the time to talk it through over a coffee, with no obligation. Sometimes, a beautiful story begins simply with a conversation.
