Place Vendôme in Paris is home to countless luxury jewellers and designers, including names like Dior and Chanel. Now, one Parisian jewel...
Place Vendôme in Paris is home to countless luxury jewellers and designers, including names like Dior and Chanel. Now, one Parisian jeweller is embracing the future by offering custom-made jewellery with the help of 3D printing. Clients visit the Jaubalet office to talk through their ideas, which are then sketched out. They are then sent an exact 3D-printed wax replica before the piece of jewellery goes into production. “I couldn’t possibly make a choice and sign a cheque simply from looking at a picture on the internet,” says client Carine Pichon. “What if I buy something and it is not the size I want – what if it’s too big or too small? So I think that having something that is not the final product, but is close to it when it comes to size and shape, is important to reassure clients they’re making the right choice.” The company says business is doing well. Three quarters of their clients come from abroad, mainly from China, Central Asia, Russia and the Middle East. And, they say, they offer more competitive prices of up to fifty percent less than other big names on the market. “We have no showroom costs, all our products are made to order, we don’t have any stock, so our prices are lower, more accessible, and we offer exceptional quality,” says Patrick Barruel, Commercial Development Director at Jaubalet. For those who travel to France to buy luxury jewellery, it’s also about the experience as much as the pleasure of owning a unique product. The ultimate luxury is to have it handmade, and – even better – imagined and designed by the wearer. And that, say these innovative jewellers, is what they have to offer. A month after her first appointment, Pichon is back to pick up the final product and seems delighted with her 6,000-euro diamond ring. Less
