Laura
Jewelry model-making artisan

Upon approaching Laura's workbench in our High Jewelry workshops, one would think one was discovering a veritable treasure trove of sparkling and colorful objects. But make no mistake, the abundance of fine jewelry masterpieces to be found there are in fact no more valuable than imitations made for opera costume jewelry! A luxury jewelry model-making Artisan exercising her talents in our workshops since 2018, Laura shapes these models using pewter and crystals. They will guide the work of the other Artisans in crafting the actual model from gemstones and precious metals .

[MUSIC PLAYING] LAURA JEWELLERY MODEL MAKER: We often say that jewellers have "hands of gold".


LAURA JEWELLERY MODEL MAKER: You could say I have "hands of tin".


LAURA JEWELLERY MODEL MAKER: I'm a jeweller model maker at Chopard.


LAURA JEWELLERY MODEL MAKER: I've always drawn, I used to paint with my Mum.


LAURA JEWELLERY MODEL MAKER: I'd show her my paintings and ask: What do you think?


LAURA JEWELLERY MODEL MAKER: And it was in her studio that I was inspired to draw like her.


LAURA JEWELLERY MODEL MAKER: It was quite natural for me to use tools, I wasn't nervous because at my grandfather's house, I used to play with nails, little boats.


LAURA JEWELLERY MODEL MAKER: To be a good model maker, you have to listen.


LAURA JEWELLERY MODEL MAKER: I think you have to have an artistic temperament and sensibility.


LAURA JEWELLERY MODEL MAKER: It's something I feel compelled to do to express my artistic flair.


LAURA JEWELLERY MODEL MAKER: I think that through lots of observation the eye educates itself and will then guide us on what is beautiful, and what isn't beautiful.


LAURA JEWELLERY MODEL MAKER: I never think I'll get it right first time.


LAURA JEWELLERY MODEL MAKER: It gives me a small thrill to say: How am I going to do this?


LAURA JEWELLERY MODEL MAKER: Because it isn't by looking once, but a hundred times, that you find that little spark that will change the volume, that will tell you whether it's something you really like, when you feel the piece coming to life and has a new kind of strength.


LAURA JEWELLERY MODEL MAKER: We're always inspired by nature in jewellery making.


LAURA JEWELLERY MODEL MAKER: If the gouache design depicts a rose, I will draw inspiration from books with roses inside or photos that I've taken, and I thus try to find what might go together.


LAURA JEWELLERY MODEL MAKER: I feel really lucky to be able to do this work because I think it's unique and because, at Chopard, I have the chance to add my own personal touch.


LAURA JEWELLERY MODEL MAKER: I've always liked the Maison for its colourful, feminine side.


LAURA JEWELLERY MODEL MAKER: We don't know why exactly, but we're naturally a bit magical, all of us, and we often forget that.


[MUSIC PLAYING]

"As a child, I loved nothing more than drawing and playing with the tools in my grandfather’s workshop. This learning process is extremely valuable to me today in sculpting my pewter models."

Laura, Jewelry Model-Making Artisan

Laura, jewelry model-making artisan

"""My mission is to recognize beauty, a skill which enables me to reveal the magic that lies within is all, and that we too often forget.""

Laura, jewelry model-making artisan

Trained in drawing from a very young age, our luxury jewelry model-making Artisan is an interpreter of beauty. Her mission is to give shape to the jewels sketched by the designers in order to create their first three-dimensional representation. There are no gold and diamonds for Laura, as she works with pewter, an extremely malleable metal that she can fashion more swiftly according to her ideas and her interpretation of the model. Unlike the fine jewelry-sculpting Artisan who uses wax, she has the option of enhancing her model with white or colored crystals, which simulate precious stones and give a rough idea of the brilliance and colors that the real jewel will have. This is extremely useful for

those who will have to select the stones used according to their size and color for the original model.

This model will be used by the workshop manager, lapidaries, jewelers and gemsetters to understand the shapes and specific characteristics of the piece of luxury jewelry to come during its production. Such important preparatory work saves a lot of time for the entire workshop and makes the project much easier to visualize, since they will follow the three-dimensional ‘template’ that Laura's expertise has enabled her to prepare with the utmost precision.

Artisan of emotions
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