French high jewellery brands have entered the global spotlight in the luxury market by virtue of their meticulous craftsmanship, high quality and unparalleled designs. Behind this delicacy are the lapidary tradition and know-how over centuries, especially in Jura, a French region near Switzerland, which is known for the homeland of the world’s dexterous gemstone cutters.
Jura’s gemstone cutting industry has been closely connected with the Swiss watchmaking industry which posted significant growth in the 18th century. When local production was unable to meet the demand, Swiss watchmakers went to Jura, trained the people and opened up a new labour force to cut gemstones for watch movements. It made gem-cutting Jura’s first established industry. In 1920, an estimated 8,000 lapidaries were working in the heart of Jura Mountain.
Jura’s lapidaries started from cutting natural or synthetic gemstones for watch parts to cutting, polishing and setting of small precious stones for high-end jewellery and timepieces thanks to their high precision and efficiency. Skilled cutters from Jura invented many techniques and tools to perfect the cutting including the évention (or the mechanical baton) which is still being used in many gemstone cutting centres in Bangkok, Bogota, Tel Aviv, etc, said Emmanuel Piat, the third generation of Maison Piat specialising in gemstone cutting, setting and trading.
According to Piat, different from the industrialised German gem-cutting industry which is famous for fancy-cut semi-precious stones, Jura’s lapidaries are good at step cut with high precision, fitting the stones on jewellery in a stable and perfect way. One of the famous techniques in Jura is invisible setting that hides all metal support. Piat innovated in this traditional know-how to its patented invisible hexagonal setting, which was served as the basis of making a bracelet for a well-known Parisian brand at Place Vendôme.
Even though the scale of Jura’s gem-cutting industry has shrunk, from 3,000 lapidaries in the early 20th century to only 20 heirs currently, “the French high jewellery and Swiss watch industries keep forcing us to progress and maintain the excellence of products. This is why local companies take the initiative to apply for patents and the industry pays attention to the latest technology and ethical and social responsibilities,” said Piat.
“As long as the large brands continue to make unique fine jewellery, there will be a demand for Jura’s craftsmanship,” said Xavier Grospiron of Grospiron, another Jura lapidary which is claimed to be the largest precious-stone cutter in France. Established in 1931, the company houses 15 gemstone cutters in their workshops in Paris and Jura, and four of them have been awarded Meilleur Ouvrier de France, an authoritative distinction in France for gemstone craftspeople.
“Aiming to obtain as great a carat yield as possible from an irregular piece of rough, using various methods to squeeze one of several classic cuts out of the gemstone while bypassing – at the expense of symmetry – visible inclusions, a gem-cutter aims to give a stone a more or less finished look. Since each carat is real money, gem-cutters and sellers shut their eyes to optical defects,” commented Russian expert cutter Victor Tuzlukov on InColor.
Regarding this, some may think that the commercial value always prevails over the aesthetic quality, while Xavier Grospiron stated that it depends on whether it is a single centre stone or a small side stone. “In the first case, we do not consider much about size precision but rather stone enhancement achieved by French cut. We try to lose the least weight possible whilst keeping nice shape and proportion of a gemstone. In the second case, we look for accuracy and less weight loss,” he explained.
“Our first choice is to have a well-cut gemstone,” said Emmanuel Piat. “We recut facetted stones and improve them by losing around 20 percent of the weight. Most of the time, the first question we ask ourselves is the same: do I make a big yet inelegant or a small but nice stone? We always choose the second solution.” He also told Hong Kong Jewellery that neophytes look at prices and certificates when it comes to buying gemstones, whereas experts look at quality, as what happens in the wine market. The better cut it is, the higher price it will be. If a gemstone is in better cutting and faceting, the price could double, compared to an average stone, he added.
With main markets in Europe and the United States, Maison Piat plans to expand their network to other established markets, and develop new techniques while keeping the French cut know-how. Facing the unpredictable future, offering top-quality gemstones is the Jura lapidaries’ consistent pursuit.
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