Gouache: an artform in itself.
The soul of Jewelry.
Haute Joaillerie is one of the few vanguards left of this artform.
In many industries the need for paint and paper has been eradicated by computer-made design (CAD). The precision of a computer made “drawing” is immensely helpful in most trades. It eliminates manufacturing mistakes and saves time. However, it does have restrictions that cannot always convey the intricacy of a creative idea or a detailed nuance in color, like the ones we see in gems.
Gouache, a method of painting, has been used for decades by the finest maisons in Place Vendôme, most of them uniquely still incorporating this highly skilled technique to its daily artistic process. It provides one of the special steps we only see in the High Jewelry world, adding an exceptional artisanship which these jewelers still represent.
The paint used is made from a water-soluble binder, so like watercolors it dries quickly but can be reactivated with water and altered after it dries. Since the binder has chalk added to it, gouache is opaque, like oil paint. Most designers paint on vellum tracing paper or colored Ingres paper. The stones are painted in various washes and intensity. This creates a perfect combination and balanced feel of lightness and delicacy, sometimes leaving unpainted areas to enhance the interpretation of brilliance and fire of a gemstone.
The process of putting an idea to life with pencil, paper and paint can take anywhere between a few hours to several days for more elaborate pieces. As part of the creative journey one of our designers, Nino Zaridze, shares that the beauty of playing with the gemstones triggers her creative side. “I feel like the gems talk to me.” Nino’s natural artistic and highly skilled talents comes to life during the beautiful handmade process of creating a gouache, showing inspiration drawn from her ties to Europe and the Middle East. Nino adds, “I notice when I let the pencil speak and put everything else aside, my best work transpires.”
This traditional process provides a special experience to our clients, and so a gouache drawing is presented as the final design when a bespoke piece is commissioned. It is, however, not the only purpose of the jewelry painting. Equally important, the rendering is a detailed map for our goldsmith and setters. The workshop uses the drawing during manufacturing, constantly referring to it to ensure we achieve the desired result for our clients.
Due to the amount of detail and time that is put into each piece, it is fair to say that gouache are desirable artworks in their own right.” The art of drawing jewelry is certainly valuable on its own.” With that in mind, we have a private selection of gouache in our archive by several designers with whom we have collaborated or commissioned from over the past 60 years.
