Nico, a friend of us, is a jewelry maker based in Paris. He helps us resizes rings, but his real job is in fact jewel-mounting, which is a crucial step during the making of a ring, requiring both patience and accuracy.
Nico spends every day in his studio. We often find him sitting at the table with all those perculiar tools, some of which are known only to those with rich experiences. But you could still tell a thing or two, for instance, the needle-shaped tools are for gem setting. We saw him using them to mount the jewels a couple times.
Nico wears jeweler's loupe whenever he’s working, which tires his eyes much, so he could not work for too long a day as he must be at his best when working. Sometimes he spends days, or even weeks, to finish one simple work.
Nico works for famous jewelry brands, and loves his job immensely. He is fully concestrate the moment he gets his hands on the jewels. But when not working, he's amiable and talktive. Every time I step inside the studio, I would ask him about the jewel he’s recently working on. He would open the drawers, pulling out a small paper bag filled with shimmering diamonds and gemstones. Then, he would pick up the biggest one and tell me how it would eventually become a fascinating piece, with a dreamy smile.
As a jewelry lover, I really appreciate Nico’s devotion to the craft. He’s a magician who turns stones into masterpieces. When his rough fingers go through the gems, I am convinced that he's got the Midas touch.
Text by Angelique Shi, photograph © Licorne Unique. All rights reserved.
