TFWA : découvrez le monde glamour du luxe
28 February 2024
Le salon TFWA (Tax Free World Association) à Cannes est
La bijouterie contribue au rayonnement international français depuis de nombreuses années. Mais comment s’est construit ce savoir-faire dans le passé ? Si aujourd’hui les secteurs de la bijouterie et de la joaillerie se portent très bien, avec de nombreuses créations d’entreprises dans ce domaine, cet artisanat n’a pas toujours été aussi présent sur notre territoire. D’abord symbole de prestige social, les bijoux ont mis beaucoup de temps à se démocratiser. Très tôt néanmoins, la France s’est vite illustrée comme un pays avec un fort savoir-faire, et cet engouement ne se tarit pas puisque les exportations françaises dans ce secteur restent très dynamiques.
The first discovered jewels date back to prehistory, but it's during the Middle Ages that jewelry starts becoming more common in France. It was first reserved to the gentry and clergy, as jewels were a marker of social status. It is only during the Renaissance that this art starts developing for real. It is also at that time that they become slightly more affordable, partly thanks to the invention of the rhinestones (a glass that is very shiny). It is now possible to use something different from regular precious stones.
As in many other sectors, it is only at the beginning of the Industrial Revolution in the 19th century that the jewelry industry grows significantly. Two main reasons explain this sudden growth. First, new production methods make it easier to produce high quantity, partly thanks to the electric gilding, or with the standardized production of rhinestones. Second, if jewels are still not really affordable for everyone, the higher production capacities result in lower prices, and it disconnects step by step the link between jewels and social status. Slowly, pins, rings, necklaces, are not the symbols of the elite anymore.
It is during that period of time that the first famous jewelers come to light, also in France. Thus, Tiffany has been created in 1837 in NYC, by Charles Lewis Tiffany and John Young. Far from being left behind, Europe also develops a true savoir-faire in that field, and France and Italy are already the most renown and famous on the continent. Louis-François Cartier created its jewelry eponymous brand in 1847, while in Rome, Sotirio Bulgari created Bulgari in 1884. It is in 1893 that Frederic Boucheron decided to settle the first jewelry Place Vendôme, in Paris.
The year 1900 is a true catalyst for the French reputation in jewelry. Indeed, Frédéric Boucheron, Gérard Sanox and René Lalique are part of the Universal Exhibition taking place in Paris. During these weeks, French jewelers are under international spotlights, undoubtedly accelerating French reputation in that area.
La démocratisation du bijou en France est liée aux deux Guerres Mondiales que traverse le pays. Les métaux précieux étant sollicités pour d’autres utilisations, les joailliers et bijoutiers apprennent à développer des bijoux avec des métaux et des pierres moins nobles : la bijouterie fantaisie est née. Les techniques d’industrialisation étant toujours plus performantes, le prix des bijoux baisse considérablement dans les années d’après-guerre, ce qui, couplé à une forte croissance économique, permet à la classe moyenne de s’en offrir et d’en porter au quotidien.
Nowadays, the jewel industry has a 2.9 billions turnover in France, in 2019. The French reputation in that field doesn't dry up, as French exports keep increasing, and the trade balance is in positive in that sector.
To understand the truth of French jewelry nowadays, it is important to see what savoir-faire are still available on our territory. Alix Barangé, the founder of Lune Bleue Bijoux, and Elodie Mégard, the founder of Neuf Juillet, share their experiences and feedbacks.
" One of the issue in France is the absence of factories for some elements required to make the jewels. So the factories have to find suppliers abroad, hopefully there are some in Europe. Taking these elements into account, my jewels are not 100% French, even if the law would allow me to brand them as Made in France. That would just be confusing for the customers. But even if we don't want to have suppliers abroad, we just don't have any other options. And the labor is very expensive in France, so these labor costs make it difficult to have an affordable range of jewels, while my goal was to sell affordable and made in France products. If I somehow manage to do so, it is only because I accepted to lower my profitability, but not everyone would agree to do that."
L’expérience d’Elodie corrobore cette idée, puisqu’elle indique « Je souhaitais des bijoux totalement fabriqués en France, mais pour des raisons de coûts, j’ai choisi d’avoir des chaînes provenant d’Allemagne. En effet, le fait de me procurer des chaînes en France aurait augmenté le prix de mes bijoux. »
The founder of Neuf Juillet explains that "launching a custom jewelry brand in France requires a strong determination to bring to light the savoir-faire and the people working every day to keep this industry in France. A lot of conviction is needed when one wants to launch a made in France brand, researches take weeks, the costs are always high, and there are so many questions that have to be answered. I did a lot of research before finding the workshop that would make my jewels. I find it really hard to find workshops in France, mainly for two reasons : it was hard to find websites where there would all be listed, or even to find their own website. I have the feeling that in France a majority of workshop work with precious metals and stones for luxury jewels, and very few accept to work for custom jeweler."
Did you know it ? In Ardèche there is a high concentration of savoir-faire in jewelry, to the point where it is now named La Vallée du bijou. As early as in 1868, a workshop settled in Saint-Martin de Valamas (where Neuf Juillet currently makes its jewels), because the workshops found there labor and the hydraulic power needed to make the jewels. Since then, a lot of companies settled there, like Font'Art Creations in 1999, the workshop working with Neuf Juillet. There is also a cluster of jewelers, that is named l’Atelier du bijou.
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