French Jewellers: Part I – The Queens of Colour

April 8, 2021

By Katerina Perez

8 min read

Don’t be blinded by the starry acclaim of Place Vendôme as there are many more French jewellers who are true ‘hidden gems’. These lesser-known, but no less sensational designers have their own signature styles, creating a spectrum of jewels from daring and avant-garde to classically elegant. Here, I’d like to shine a spotlight on five inspiring females, each at the helm of her own brand, using vibrant palettes of gemstones to tell their own stories unconstrained by the traditions of Paris’ ‘home of high jewellery’.

Any discussion of the history of jewellery, large diamonds and important coloured gemstones will always weave its way to France, specifically Paris and its illustrious Place Vendôme. That being said, it casts a long shadow and perhaps disguises many other jewellery design talents who deserve equal attention. I hope you agree that the women described below – and the jewellers mentioned in part two of our ‘French Jewellers Focus’ – continue the long and entwined history of France and jewellery design with great aplomb.

Brigitte Ermel – Big, Bold and Beautiful Gems

Founded in 1992, the house of Brigitte Ermel is recognised for its use of generously sized gems with the most saturated colours and refined cuts. Based at her atelier on Rue Saint-Honoré, Brigitte showcases her independent spirit and strong will, which she associates with her roots in Brittany, through her jewels that are evocative of “the sea, the stars and the natural world”. Brigitte designed her first original pieces at the age of 28 and since then she’s been at the helm of an eponymous ‘Creation Studio’ and high jewellery workshop. The House’s collections are transportive: Océane takes us to the depths of the sea with Paraiba tourmalines and aquamarines, while her Médaillons and Jardin Secret high jewellery collections burst with materials, including jade, chalcedony, Tahitian pearls and copper tourmaline.

Brigitte Ermel Amazonie necklace and earrings with Tahitian pearls and emeralds

Brigitte Ermel Amazonie necklace and earrings with Tahitian pearls and emeralds

 Brigitte Ermel high jewellery with sapphires and diamonds

Brigitte Ermel high jewellery with sapphires and diamonds

 Brigitte Ermel Précieuses collection ring with 20.19 cts aquamarine and diamonds

Brigitte Ermel Précieuses collection ring with 20.19 cts aquamarine and diamonds

 Brigitte Ermel Bambou Sacre medallion with Russian Jade, tsavorites and diamonds

Brigitte Ermel Bambou Sacre medallion with Russian Jade, tsavorites and diamonds

 Brigitte Ermel Ocean ring with Paraiba tourmaline and diamonds

Brigitte Ermel Ocean ring with Paraiba tourmaline and diamonds

 Brigitte Ermel Ocean cocktail rings

Brigitte Ermel Ocean cocktail rings

 Brigitte Ermel ring with 9.70-carat Sri Lanka natural sapphire and diamonds

Brigitte Ermel ring with 9.70-carat Sri Lanka natural sapphire and diamonds

 Brigitte Ermel Rose Poudrée ring from the Jardin Secret Collection. Pink gold, 407 diamonds and a copper-manganese tourmaline.

Brigitte Ermel Rose Poudrée ring from the Jardin Secret Collection. Pink gold, 407 diamonds and a copper-manganese tourmaline.

Isabelle Langlois – Reinventing Gemstone Pavé

As she is descended from a long line of lapidarists and gem dealers, it is unsurprising that Isabelle Langlois has emerged as a jeweller of distinction with a real soft spot for minerals in rainbow hues. Her signature is the tonal mixing of gems, creating canvases of autumn, rainbow and forest green shades in sometimes kaleidoscopic pavé arrangements. The jewellery collections that emerge from her workshop are inspired by petals, lotus flowers, butterflies and even the sugary sweetness of macarons, and set with large faceted gems, like blue topaz, citrine, amethyst and prasiolite, or suspended with smooth chalcedony drops, garnet domes and moonstone cabochons. Alongside Isabelle, her brothers and cousins are also continuing the family tradition of gem cutting, which dates back more than a century ago.

Isabelle Langlois Emotion Poire pendant with prehnite centre stone

Isabelle Langlois Emotion Poire pendant with prehnite centre stone

 Isabelle Langlois Emotion Poire ring and pendant with prehnite centre stone

Isabelle Langlois Emotion Poire ring and pendant with prehnite centre stone

 Isabelle Langlois Emotion Poire ring with prehnite

Isabelle Langlois Emotion Poire ring with prehnite

 Isabelle Langlois Emotion Poire pendant with fire opal centre stone

Isabelle Langlois Emotion Poire pendant with fire opal centre stone

 Isabelle Langlois ring with amethysts and pink sapphires

Isabelle Langlois ring with amethysts and pink sapphires

 Isabelle Langlois ring with multicoloured gems

Isabelle Langlois ring with multicoloured gems

 Isabelle Langlois Batik pendant with lemon quartz

Isabelle Langlois Batik pendant with lemon quartz

 Isabelle Langlois Scherazade ring with a rubellite tourmaline and multicoloured sapphires

Isabelle Langlois Scherazade ring with a rubellite tourmaline and multicoloured sapphires

Alice Fournier – Fascinating Settings

There’s a precision to the way Franco-Swiss jeweller Alice Fournier uses coloured gemstones in her designs, so much so that one can almost sense the thought processes the designer must have had when selecting, setting and finishing a piece! Raised on the shore of Lake Geneva, Alice studied gemmology at the Gemological Institute of America in New York and later moved to Paris to hone her jewellery-making techniques, from hand-drawing to manufacturing. Through her pieces she tells stories with two protagonists –coloured gemstones and unusual settings – which is especially notable in the Victoria ring with a deep green emerald, white gold rub-over and claw setting and smattering of champagne diamonds. The fan-shaped Toba earrings with Burmese red spinels, Akoya pearls and diamonds in 18k rose gold are especially evocative of the designer’s signature aesthetic: refined, feminine and proudly colourful.

Alice Fournier Padma earrings with Padparadscha sapphires, Akoya pearls and diamonds

Alice Fournier Padma earrings with Padparadscha sapphires, Akoya pearls and diamonds

 Alice Fournier Opotiki earrings with malachite and diamonds

Alice Fournier Opotiki earrings with malachite and diamonds

 Alice Fournier one-of-a-kind emerald ring

Alice Fournier one-of-a-kind emerald ring

 Alice Fournier rings

Alice Fournier rings

 Alice Fournier reversible pendant with trapiche emerald and diamonds

Alice Fournier reversible pendant with trapiche emerald and diamonds

 Alice Fournier Vallaresso ring with Akoya pearls and diamonds

Alice Fournier Vallaresso ring with Akoya pearls and diamonds

 Alice Fournier Toba earrings with Burmese spinels, Akoya pearls and diamonds

Alice Fournier Toba earrings with Burmese spinels, Akoya pearls and diamonds

 Alice Fournier Alba pendants

Alice Fournier Alba pendants

Hélène Courtaigne Delalande – It’s All About the Rings

Recognised for her dedication to the miniaturised art of ring-making, Hélène Courtaigne Delalande spent 10 years working in advertising at one of Paris’ most prestigious firms before setting a new course in jewellery design – her ultimate passion. Her trademark combination of matt gold and polished gold gives pieces a historic, talismanic quality, which is contrasted against the contemporary variety of gems in her arsenal and her unusual settings. Importantly, Hélène creates all her pieces herself, so their eventual wearer can be assured of her personal touch. And, for those who prefer maximalism over minimalism, this French talent can deliver with shapely and organic designs that confidently do away with compasses, rulers and strictly geometric forms. Within her new collection, jewellery lovers can choose from rings with slices of Australian opal, tourmalines, spessartite and ‘lychee’ garnets, and indicolite and Paraiba tourmalines.

Hélène Courtaigne rings in yellow gold

Hélène Courtaigne rings in yellow gold

 Hélène Courtaigne Babel Tower gold cuff bracelet with various gemstones

Hélène Courtaigne Babel Tower gold cuff bracelet with various gemstones

 Hélène Courtaigne emerald ring

Hélène Courtaigne emerald ring

 Hélène Courtaigne ring with an aquamarine

Hélène Courtaigne ring with an aquamarine

 Hélène Courtaigne opal ring

Hélène Courtaigne opal ring

 Hélène Courtaigne rings with spessartite garnet and green tourmaline

Hélène Courtaigne rings with spessartite garnet and green tourmaline

 Hélène Courtaigne cocktail ring with indigolite

Hélène Courtaigne cocktail ring with indigolite

 Hélène Courtaigne amethyst ring

Hélène Courtaigne amethyst ring

Hoehl’s – Exploring the Powers of Gemstones

Sophie Hoehlinger’s passionate belief in the spirituality and powerful properties of gemstones is what guides her fine jewellery creation and underpins the ethos of her brand, Hoehl’s. Her Genesis collection, for example, brought to life in collaboration with jewellery artisans Frédéric Mané and Jothi Seroj, contains pieces “aligned with every Energy Centre in our body: protection, energy, appeasement, harmony, creativity”. This manifests in rough crystals of tourmaline, Colombian emerald and yellow beryl, large boulder opals and even fragments of meteorites, set in dynamic pendant designs that would no doubt be conversation starters. These three-dimensional art pieces aren’t simply about beauty, they’re a homage to the earth encapsulated in gold and created to reinvigorate their wearer’s energy. No matter your personal beliefs, each piece is a miniature objet d’art that’s beautifully unique.

Hoehl's Imperial Energy pendant with Imperial Topaz and diamonds

Hoehl's Imperial Energy pendant with Imperial Topaz and diamonds

 Hoehl's Creativity pendant with opal and diamonds

Hoehl's Creativity pendant with opal and diamonds

 Hoehl's Creativity pendant with opal and diamonds

Hoehl's Creativity pendant with opal and diamonds

 Hoehl's Harmony pendant with aquamarine and diamonds

Hoehl's Harmony pendant with aquamarine and diamonds

 Hoehl's Harmony pendant with aquamarine and diamonds

Hoehl's Harmony pendant with aquamarine and diamonds

 Hoehl's Creativity pendant with aquamarine and diamonds

Hoehl's Creativity pendant with aquamarine and diamonds

 Hoehl's Creativity pendant with tanzanite and diamonds

Hoehl's Creativity pendant with tanzanite and diamonds

 Hoehl's Protection pendant

Hoehl's Protection pendant

These designers all speak the same language and yet the linguistics of their design styles are remarkably diverse. Herein lies one of the most exciting things about French jewellery making – it’s rooted in centuries of tradition and, yet, it still has the scope to surprise.

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