• Monture en étoile de la bague Gentiane, avant sertissage, à l’établi

    • The NAGOYA Workshop in Saumur: Craftsmanship and Transmission

    Written by: L'atelier NAGOYA

    NAGOYA was born in a workshop: the one in Saumur, in the Maine-et-Loire department, where our jewelry is crafted or finished by hand. There we bring several crafts together and make room for the jewelers of tomorrow.

    A workshop in Saumur

    Our workshop is at 44 rue de Rouen, in Saumur, France. We bring our craftsmanship together there to follow each piece closely, from the drawing to the jewelry box, with a small team. Our artisans trained in the tradition of French fine jewelry, and we combine these skills with today’s tools, such as 3D design.

    Our emblem comes from the region: the Gogane, the Anjou name for the snake’s head fritillary, a flower of the Loire Valley flood meadows. It gave its name to the Gogane collection.

    The crafts of the workshop

    Fine jewelry. The jeweler designs and prepares the gold settings that will hold the stones: sawing, filing, fitting and assembling.

    The star-shaped gallery of the Gentiane ring being worked at the bench
    The gallery of a ring, worked at the bench.

    Stone setting. The stone setter secures the stones on the metal, with prongs, beads, a bezel or a channel, depending on the piece. It is the setter who brings sapphires and diamonds into the light.

    Setting the diamonds of the Gentiane ring in the workshop
    Setting the diamonds of Gentiane.

    Polishing. The polisher removes the marks left by the previous steps and brings back the shine of the metal.

    Polishing a setting with a disc, at the bench
    Polishing a setting at the bench.

    3D design. It brings a drawing to its actual size, lets us study it from every angle and prepares it for making.

    Each piece is checked before it goes into its box. To follow a piece step by step, read From Sketch to Hallmark: The Main Stages of a Piece.

    Saumur, a town of jewelers

    Saumur is known for its château, its wines and its horses; it is less known that it also trains people in the crafts of jewelry, with the Institut de bijouterie de Saumur and the town’s apprenticeship programs. Many workshops work there discreetly. We want to make this craftsmanship better known.

    Passing it on

    Our crafts take a long time to learn, at the bench, alongside experienced artisans. We welcome students and apprentices to pass on the skills of fine jewelry, stone setting and polishing, and a love of work well done.

    These exchanges help us grow too: young artisans bring their own eye and creativity. Our wish is to allow each apprentice to design and make a piece of their own, from sketch to polish.

    Would you rather talk it over in person? We welcome you by appointment at our workshop, 44 rue de Rouen in Saumur, France, or you can write to us from our contact page.