What Are the Steps in Making a Piece of Fine Jewelry?

Between the idea of a piece of jewelry and the piece you wear, there is a sequence of steps, each entrusted to a precise gesture. To describe them, we follow Gentiane, a ring made by hand in our Saumur workshop: an Auvergne sapphire at the center, an eight-pointed star-shaped head and two surrounds of diamonds.

1. Drawing

Everything begins with a drawing. It sets the look of the piece: its proportions, the place of the stone, the way the piece will sit on the hand. This is the stage where the materials are chosen and anything that would not serve the whole is set aside.

For Gentiane, the idea comes down to three elements: an Auvergne sapphire at the center, an eight-pointed star to hold it, and two crowns of diamonds around it.

2. Model

The drawing gives an intention; the model gives measurements. The technical drawing specifies every dimension: the diameter of the band, the thickness of the metal, the height of the head, the seats for the stones. Depending on the piece, the volume is then carved in wax or modeled in 3D, which makes it possible to judge the proportions before working the metal. A wax model can be used for casting, known as “lost-wax” casting; other elements are built directly in the metal.

For Gentiane, the technical drawing shows the star-shaped setting in several dimensioned views.

3. Making

Next comes the metalwork, at the bench. The elements are cut with a saw, then refined with a file until they reach the intended shape. The different parts are finally joined by soldering: in the flame, a gold solder unites them into a single piece.

For Gentiane, the star-shaped gallery is cut with a saw, then refined with a file to draw each of its eight points. The star-shaped head and the band are then soldered together, and the ring goes into the bath, which clears away the residue left by the heating.

4. Polishing

Polishing removes the marks left by the file and the solder, and gives the metal its shine. It comes before setting: once the stones are in place, some surfaces become hard to reach without risking touching them.

The Gentiane setting is first adjusted with a small rubber wheel, then polished with a disc and on the polishing motor.

5. Setting

Setting means securing each stone in the metal. The stone setter prepares the seat for the stone, places it, then pushes over the metal that will hold it: prongs, beads or bezel, depending on the design.

On Gentiane, the setter places the eight 1.8 mm diamonds of the first surround one by one, then the thirty-two 0.9 mm diamonds of the second. The Auvergne sapphire goes in last, into its prongs. The diamonds are natural or lab-grown, as you prefer.

6. Inspection

Before it leaves the workshop, the ring is inspected: the hold of each stone, the size of the band, the evenness of the finishing, the comfort when worn.

Gentiane then goes into its jewelry box. Like all our rings, it is made to order, in the size you choose.

Six steps, then, and as many gestures that answer one another: the drawing guides the model, the model guides the making, and each step prepares the next. To see the finished ring and its gold and diamond options, visit the Gentiane product page.