Jean Claude
Design Drafting Artisan

There is so much know-how involved in creating luxury jewelry! At Chopard, every piece of jewelry is an accomplishment born of emotion, intuition, desire, and little by little, one operation after another, as artistic men and women, like Jean-Claude, transform this idea into a jewel of unique beauty. Before a model can come to life, it must be transferred from thought to matter, from an idea to its two-dimensional expression. Jean-Claude exercises his craft in the design drafting workshop. There is always a creation in progress at Chopard, a wonder in the making, with several stories being told simultaneously. The only requirement is that these stories must be filled with emotion!

[A sustained note in the background] 


(On-screen text: Chopard presents) 


(Jean-Claude puts sheets of paper covered in pencil drawings onto a desk and begins to sketch ideas, including a facetted heart shape surrounded by teardrop-shaped jewels. He briefly holds up a sparkling piece of jewellery made from his design.)


In the early days I wanted to design advertising graphics. But the meanders of life led me to begin designing jewellery.


(On-screen text: ART, from the Latin ARS, ARTIS. Talent, skill, dexterity.)


[Soft piano music plays]


(On-screen text: The word ART becomes ARTISAN.) (On-screen text: From expertise to emotion. Chopard)


(A black and white graphite sketch of the palm of a hand, surrounded by the words EXPERTISE, CREATIVITY, EMOTION.)


The hand is a prodigious tool.


(A portrait of Jean-Claude.) 


(On-screen text: Design Drafting Artisan)


It is an extension of the soul.


(Jean-Claude sits at his drawing board, sets up his equipment and begins to draw.)


I started working for Chopard 18 years ago.


(On-screen text: Sketch the future jewel) 


(Jean-Claude begins to trace out lines with a mechanical pencil that transform into floral shapes and begin to take on the form of the heart-shaped piece of jewellery.)


My work is driven above all else by a passion for drawing. A design often begins with a research stage, making sketches. We tend to say that we are like sponges, we feed on everything. It can be a small architectural detail, or the exhibition we're going to see, it can be a stroll, autumn leaves underfoot… And then one shape summons another. And then at some point, we are drawn to a composition, and begin to develop it.


(On-screen text: Inking the final drawing) 


(Jean-Claude traces over the outlines of his drawing using a black liner.)


Our mission, is to create designs that are relevant, in other words, that satisfy me from an aesthetic point of view.


(On-screen text: Adding colour)


And these designs encounter a sense of belonging in others, they stimulate emotion, leading to the purchase.


(Jean-Claude uses ink pens in different shades of blue and purple to colour his design, adding glints and reflects with white gouache paint.)


At that moment I feel that I have succeeded in my mission. On a more personal note, what I like about a piece of jewellery, is when there's a little touch of humour, of mischief. The emotion that I sometimes feel, is when the hand has finally succeeded in accurately translating the idea that I had in mind.


(Jean-Claude holds up the finished piece of jewellery next to his original design and studies it proudly.)


I consider myself a craftsman. To me, drawing is like words, it's a means of expression, it's a language, it's my language anyway.


(On-screen text: Chopard - The artisan of emotions - Since 1860)

"I submit my ideas and sketches to Jean-Claude and the other Design drafting Artisans, often entering their offices bearing precious stones with which I have fallen in love, but it is up to them to figure out the best way to pay tribute to these exquisite precious gems."
-
Caroline Scheufele, Chopard Co-President

Jean Claude, Design drafting Artisan

The most precious and difficult technique to master is gouache painting

A piece of luxury jewelry is first born in the mind of Chopard Co-President, Caroline Scheufele who takes sole responsibility for dreaming up a collection, a jewelry set, a one-of-a-kind model, a special order. The whole process begins with a drawing, the first graphic representation of a masterpiece to come. Like an architect's plan, this serves as a reference document for all the craftsmen who work on it. Once approved, the drawing is inked and then coloured and everything is enhanced with gouache painting to give it more light. The artist who created the drawing also does the gouache painting and follows-up on the project all the way through subsequent ateliers. Depending on what the draftsperson wishes to express, on where he wants to place the emphasis, several techniques may sometimes be used in the same drawing. A felt pen will not convey the same message as a crayon and the shade will be more strongly defined, while watercolour will add a certain sense

of transparency. A piece of luxury jewelry is always represented on a 1:1 scale and it is assumed that the light comes from the left, at a 45-degree angle. It is the rendering of light that gives the illusion of the third dimension. The shading is first done using a black pencil before washing. Applying the alternating areas of shade and light creates the illusion of volume, while colouring provides indications regarding the materials used – the colour of gold, the nature of the precious stones, their size, etc. Lined up on one of the workshop walls, large tan leather-bound works contain the original gouache paintings of previous collections, including several volumes dedicated to the Maison’s 150th anniversary luxury jewelry collection. Like portraits of a jewel, these treasured miniature paintings are carefully preserved and protected from the light.

Artisan of emotions
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