Jewellery for me is above all a story of passion.
My brand is the result of a life change. Ex-psychologist, I love the jewel, this little object full of meaning, emotions, intentions, images, …
I like to revisit the classic by adding authenticity and a contemporary touch in my collections. I offer you an intimate and delicate jewellery in gold and precious gemstones, half-way between classical and modern style.
My jewellery is handcrafted with love in my studio in Brussels. Authenticity, quality and passion is what drives me in my work.
To enrich my jewellery collection is a permanent pleasure for me; I live my passion through journeys, by discovering new horizons, creating with the inspiration of other cultures.
MY ETHICS
I am betting on a more responsible jewellery industry by not selling overproduction but at the right price jewellery that is made to last.
I commit myself to never stop questioning myself, to find solutions towards the best possible alternatives.
Quality first!
In collaboration with the best gemologists in Brussels and Antwerp, I select the most beautiful precious and fine stones. I work with the same suppliers since the beginning. They are mainly small structures with whom I have a relationship of trust.
Recycled gold
All my jewellery is handmade, which guarantees the quality of my creations. The gold used is 18 carats recycled gold. As there is already a lot of gold circulating on the market, gold from the mine is no longer necessary.
Recycled gold comes from the recovery of old, broken jewellery or other small gold objects. To a lesser extent, it is extracted from electronic waste. Once recovered, the gold is analysed to identify whether it is pure gold or an alloy.
The gold then goes through the refining phase, which is designed to extract and separate the precious metals, especially the gold, from the other metals present. From this I then make your jewellery ♡.
Handmade!
Recently, in order to have more time to receive you and create together the jewel of your dreams as well as to create new collections, I have delegated part of the poduction of my creations to a friend whose workshop is also located in Brussels and to a small family workshop in Portugal that I love. They both do an incredible job!
In full transparency
The diamonds are selected in accordance with the Kimberley Process, which aims to combat conflict diamonds and ensures that they are sourced from legitimate sources and not involved in conflict.
The hallmarks
All my jewels are handcrafted, which guarantees the quality of my creations. Moreover, each piece is engraved with two hallmarks: my master hallmark (recognised by the Royal Belgian Mint) representing my signature and the other indicating the title, the purity of the metal.
RECYCLE YOUR OLD JEWELLERY!
Did you know that I take back your broken or damaged jewellery, or that you no longer like it, to transform it into a new piece of custom-made jewellery? Don't hesitate to make an appointment by video or in person in my showroom in Brussels to discuss this!
TECHNIQUES OF JEWELLERY
THE PRECIOUS METAL
The choice of metal is an important step in the selection of your jewel. In jewellery houses like ours, 18 carat gold (75% gold in the total material) is preferred. However, it is also possible to order your jewellery in 14 carat gold (58.5% gold) or 9 carat gold (37.5% gold).
There are three main colours of gold. Yellow gold, white gold and pink gold.
Yellow gold
Yellow gold is the basic colour of mined gold. But contrary to what you might think, the yellow gold used in jewellery is never pure gold.
750/1000 (18 carat) yellow gold is a mixture of fine gold (24 carat) that is too soft to be worked, and other metals such as silver and copper that will harden the metal.
Yellow gold 750/1000 is made up of 75% 24 carat yellow gold and 25% silver and copper. Its colour is close to pure gold but the presence of other metals in its alloy makes it harder, and therefore more suitable for setting stones. Indeed, pure 24 carat gold is an extremely soft metal!
White gold
White gold 750/1000 (18 carat) is an alloy of yellow gold and several metals such as palladium and copper. In jewellery we call it "white gold" because its colour is more grey than white.
To give it its brilliant, sparkling white colour, white gold is coated with a thin layer of the rare metal rhodium.
The only drawback of white gold is that it tends to yellow over time. Over time, the rhodium layer will develop a patina, revealing a slight yellow/grey tinge. It is perfectly possible to rhodium plated your jewellery again. We recommend doing so every 5 years if necessary.
Pink gold
Pink gold 750/1000 (known as 18 carat gold) is a mixture of fine gold (known as 24 carat gold) which is too soft to be worked, and other metals such as silver and copper which will harden the alloy.
Pink gold is made of pure yellow gold, copper and silver. It is the copper that gives it its beautiful pink hue. There is also red gold. In this case, the percentage of copper in the ring is higher and the pink colour more pronounced. For our creations, we use a light pink gold.
Pink gold has the advantage that it goes very well with morganite and diamonds.
MY FAVOURITE GEMS ♡
Diamond
"Diamonds are the girls' best friends, right?"
Do we still need to introduce the diamond? This stone of unparalleled brilliance, brilliance and hardness. Did you know that the quality of a diamond is governed by four main criteria (the 4Cs)? The carat (weight of the diamond), the colour (degree of whiteness), the clarity (degree of purity), and the cut (quality of the cut).
Pearl
The freshwater cultured pearl has exceptional qualities in terms of luster. The Japanese are the pioneers in pearl culture.
Emerald
The emerald, this precious stone of a turquoise green so transparent as the Caribbean Sea has always made me dream!
The emerald naturally has inclusions, called the "emerald garden". This is what makes an emerald so beautiful and expensive. It is precisely the inclusions that make each emerald unique.
Pink sapphire
It is true that blue sapphires are the best known, but pink sapphires are beginning to make their mark in the jewellery world. It is the presence of chromium that changes the emission and absorption spectrum of the mineral, giving it its unmistakable pink colour.
Blue sapphire
This gemstone, which varies in colour from light to dark blue, is very popular in jewellery. Sapphire can also have other shades ranging from yellow to green to pink and even white.
Saphir vert
Le saphir vert
La tourmaline verte
La tourmaline verte
L'aigue-marine
L'aigue-marine
La tourmaline rose
La tourmaline rose
THE SETTINGS
The choice of metal is an important step in the selection of your jewel. In jewellery houses like ours, 18 carat gold (75% gold in the total material) is preferred. However, it is also possible to order your jewellery in 14 carat gold (58.5% gold) or 9 carat gold (37.5% gold).
There are three main colours of gold. Yellow gold, white gold and pink gold.
Bezel setting
The bezel setting is one of the strongest types of setting, in which the stone is completely surrounded by a metal mesh.
The stone is optimally protected against impact and appears visually larger because the precious metal mirrors its brilliance.
Prong setting
The prongsetting refers to the way the stone is held on the jewel. The famous claws are actually rods surrounding the stone.
In general, a claw setting surrounds the stone with three, four or six claws. Unlike the closed setting, the claw setting allows the stone to be almost completely exposed. It is a setting often used for solitaires.
Grain setting
The grain setting consists of juxtaposing several small stones and fixing them with micro claws resembling small pearls.
These are small metal shavings that the setter will raise with his stilt and then transform into micro-beads around the stone to fix it.
THE MAKING OF A JEWEL
1 Design research and prototype development
Once the idea has been discussed with the client, I propose a sketch or a 3D drawing. The basis of the work is the search for interesting shapes and lines that match your style and ideas.
The search is also based on the gemstones with which I will decorate the jewel.
2 Stone selection
The choice of stones is essential in jewellery. Their colour, quality, shape and intensity are the criteria for selection. I work with diamond dealers and gemologists based in Antwerp and Brussels.
All my suppliers source their stones in an ethical and responsible manner.
3 Alloying or remelting of old jewellery
Alloying consists of mixing solid gold (=24 carats) with copper and silver to obtain 18 carat gold (750/1000 pure gold) or 14 carat gold (585/1000 pure gold). If you wish, I can also recast old gold jewellery that you no longer like.
4 Metal shaping
Cutting, filing, texturing, grinding, folding, ... There are so many steps to the shaping of the jewel. Many tools are needed to create the shapes of the jewel's setting.
5 Soldering
This is a rather delicate step. It consists in assembling two pieces of metal together thanks to a small metal straw that is heated with a blowtorch and that will unite them forever!
6 Polishing
Before proceeding to the polishing stage, the part must first be cleaned. Emerging is an essential step in polishing. It is the most important step to have a mirror polished jewel (referring to the fact that you could see yourself in it). I coat the brushes with polishing paste which removes microns of metal to make the piece shine!
7 Setting
With the help of a microscope, the setter places the stone on the jewel's setting and fixes the stone by bringing metal over it.
This is a very delicate and meticulous step to avoid damaging the stone. Emerald is one of the most complicated stones to set because there are many inclusions (natural micro cracks) inside.
8 Finition
After the setting, it is necessary to polish once again to remove the traces of the setting file.
And of course, I inspect the jewel in every way to make sure it is perfect and ready to be handed over to the client.
