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REPORTAGE

DESIGNED IN PARIS, CRAFTED WITH CARE IN PORTUGAL.

Jewelry making requires extensive knowledge, technical savoir-faire, expertise and precision.
It’s an art form, handed down from father to son in Joao’s family, established just a stone’s
throw away from Porto. His family-run, human-scale workshop handles casting, setting,
polishing, etc. to perfection.

Made in Europe under respectful and caring conditions, our jewels come to life in a family
environment, based on mutual trust. A partnership built to last.

CREATIVE PROCESS

Every piece of jewelry is the result of inspirations gathered on a day-to-day basis, the sum of
memories and encounters. A painting, a flower, an embroidery detail, etc. can be enough to
spark an idea and kick-start the creative process.

Discovering a new gemstone can also be immensely inspiring, like the forest-green sapphire
featured in the Ginger collection. Its square “princess” shape and the deep green with a
khaki tint caught my eye, and I’ve used it as a center stone in many of my designs since.
Inspiration can be fleeting, so I always carry a small notebook with me to scribble down
burgeoning ideas.

I then test colors, shapes and blends on PowerPoint to create the perfect design, in line with
what I have in mind.

GOLD SCULPTING

The design is then sent to Joao’s workshop, where the piece is modeled in 3D. Joao then prints a first draft in wax or resin, molding the gold into what we call the setting or structure of the jewel. Each piece is then entrusted to expert hands for filing, pre-polishing, small corrections and the many other steps required before moving on to the next phase.

SETTING STONES

The stone setter’s main task is to highlight color and evoke powerful feelings in every jewelry
piece. The whole process is carried out by hand to precisely handle the stone  a delicate
and meticulous work to reveal the gems’ beauty and brilliance. Once the gold setting is
adorned with stones, it brings relief to the whole piece, highlighting all its splendor.


THE GRAIN SETTING

We are especially fond of the grain setting, as the tiny gold prongs offer exceptional comfort and blend in perfectly with the stones. This technique allows us to create soft, delicate and enveloping designs.

THE PRONG SETTING

The prong setting consists of holding the stone in place with small gold claws. This technique lets a lot of light in, giving outstanding brilliance to the stone making it the most common setting in jewelry. You’ll find it mainly in our Gaia and Camelia collections.

THE CLOSED SETTING

The closed setting completely envelops the stone, covering it on all edges and surrounding it with gold to highlight the color’s density. This technique allows us to work with more delicate colored stones.


POLISHING

Gold is polished and repolished at every stage until the jewel is perfectly smooth and shiny.
It’s this delicate and inspired handcrafting that gives our creations their unique character.

OUR love STONES

One of the hallmarks of our jewelry house is the use of a wide range of colored gemstones, as we’ll always prefer the intensity of emerald, the charm of ruby or the various colors of sapphires to traditional white diamonds.

We work with small gemstones, mounted in intricate mosaics that reflect rays of light like stained glass. The many facets of these stones are meticulously polished and require the same exceptional quality and attention to detail as larger multi-carat gems.


The Sapphire

The Sapphire is often recognized for its blue stones, ranging from very light blue to the deepest blue. But while this stone is the hardest after the diamond, we love it primarily for the infinite palette of colors it offers: a rainbow ranging from pink to yellow, purple, or cognac.

The Ruby

The Ruby is the quintessential red stone, available in an infinite range of shades. The most sought-after are the deepest, most vibrant reds. In the past, pale or pinkish gems were set aside by the Burmese, claiming they lacked maturity. We love pairing them with pink sapphires and emeralds to bring light and modernity to our creations.

The Emerald

Each emerald is unique and possesses what are called « emerald gardens, » inclusions that create depth within the stone. We love this gem because it contrasts beautifully with the skin, regardless of the complexion.

The Tsavorite

This gemstone takes its name from Lake Tsavo in Kenya, where it is mined (though it can also be found in Tanzania and Madagascar!). Less renowned than sapphire or ruby, it is just as captivating. Its rare color, a soft green with yellow undertones, pairs harmoniously with yellow gold. Soothing and protective, it is even said to help its owner find their soulmate…

The Fine Pearl

The pearl is born from an accident: a grain of sand slipping into an oyster. A pure product of nature, unique and timeless. We love it for its old-fashioned charm, reminiscent of antique jewelry that greatly inspires Sophie. Round, lustrous, romantic, it contrasts beautifully with the translucent appearance of precious gemstones.

The Turquoise

These « little pieces of sky, » as named by Native Americans, come from deposits in the desert regions of Iran, Mexico, or the United States. Their incomparable, intense, and magnetic color boldly stands out and enhances our gemstones.

The Salt and Pepper Diamond

More casual than the white diamond and more original than the black diamond, the « salt and pepper » diamond is Sophie’s favorite. It naturally captures small inclusions during its formation. Each diamond is unique and has its own galaxy of inclusions. Its pearl-gray hue gives it that vintage charm we adore. It represents a more sustainable option than the white diamond as it requires fewer resources for extraction.

The Lapis Lazuli

Lapis Lazuli belongs to the family of hard stones. A crystal of pure, almost electric blue, speckled with pyrite inclusions resembling golden flecks. Also nicknamed the star sapphire, Lapis Lazuli is believed to possess numerous powers. The Romans even drank it, ground into powder, for its aphrodisiac properties… We love it cut in a Marquise shape and mixed with precious stones. Sophie uses it for its opacity, which contrasts beautifully with the brilliance of other gems.

The Black Diamond

The black diamond evokes mystery, with its origin based on various theories. It is believed to have formed in space and arrived on Earth through meteorite showers. We love it for its contrast and elegance. It allows for the creation of jewelry with more neutral tones yet equally original designs. Our diamonds reveal a deep black with unmatched brilliance.


Diamond quality is defined by the 4Cs:
Carat (weight), Colour (color), Clarity (purity), and Cut (shape).
This is an international grading scale for all white diamonds. For you, we meticulously select
diamonds of the finest quality, which are conflict-free certified under the Kimberley Process
Certification Scheme.

COLOR

The quality of a diamond is assessed according to its color on a 23-shade scale ranging from
D to Z, from the purest white to pale yellow. The whiter the diamond, the higher its quality.
Sophie d’Agon diamonds are ranked G-H, i.e. between Rare White + and Neutral White.

CLARITY

We also pay attention to clarity, i.e. the purity of our diamonds. The fewer inclusions a
diamond has, the purer it is. Like color, clarity is measured on a scale ranging from FL to P2,
from no internal or external defects visible with a x10 magnifying glass to inclusions visible to
the naked eye. Sophie d’Agon diamonds are graded VS1, which stands for very slightly
included, meaning inclusions that are difficult to see with a magnifying glass.

CARAT

Carat is used to express the weight of a diamond. One carat is equivalent to 0.2 gram. The
term comes from the seed of a Mediterranean tree called carob: the “kuara”. Known for its
highly consistent weight and shape, this seed was used as a unit of measurement in the gold
trade.

CUT

Diamonds can take on a wide range of shapes that enhance their brilliance. The quality of
the cut, whatever its shape, is the key factor in maximizing diamond brilliance. This is the
only one of the four criteria that depends on man’s craftsmanship.

our HALLMARKS

All our jewelry pieces bear two hallmarks: the 750 and the master’s hallmark. A third one is applied to jewelry weighing over 3 grams: the eagle’s head.

The 750 hallmark guarantees that the alloy used contains a minimum of 750 grams of gold per 1,000 grams of metal. This is commonly known as 18-carat gold.

The master’s hallmark is the signature of the craftsman who created the jewel, attesting to its origin.

The eagle’s head is a state hallmark required only for jewelry containing over 3 grams of gold.