A consultation by correspondence or in person
Unhurried, at the Lyon atelier by appointment or by email. There is no fee for the first conversation, no obligation to proceed.
Atelier de Bijouterie, Lyon — since 2009
Bespoke Commissions
Made to one brief, by one maker, in one atelier.
Begin a CommissionChapter I — The Brief
What a commission is, here.
A Liliana Gonin commission is a private correspondence between the studio and a single client. It begins with a conversation — usually about a wedding, an inheritance, a sculptural idea that has lived in a notebook, or a stone already chosen. From the first sketch to the final polish, the piece is shaped by one maker at one bench, under the direction of Liliana herself.
It is not bespoke as the wider market has come to use the word. There is no configurator, no choice of three settings and two chain lengths, no overnight fulfillment. The studio accepts a deliberately small number of commissions each season so that each one receives the eleven hours of bench work an average piece requires, the several rounds of sketches it deserves, and a single signature on its inside face.
What follows is a record of how the process works, what is included with every commission, and the way to begin one.
Chapter II — The Last Twelve Months
A range of briefs, drawn from one bench.
Bridal, gifting, editorial, and re-stone work — 147 commissions fulfilled in 2023, with the client's permission shown to the studio.
Six pieces, six briefs. Each client's name is held in the studio ledger and is never reproduced without written permission.
Chapter III
The Commission in Five Chapters.
A six-week lead time, measured from the first conversation to the moment a piece is signed and handed over. The studio closes new commissions six weeks before Christmas to protect the bench calendar.
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I.
Enquiry & Conversation
The brief is sent by email — a paragraph is enough, a photograph helps. Within seven working days the studio replies with a short note on whether the piece sits inside the workshop's vocabulary (brass, silver, gold, semi-precious stones, no synthetic stones, no plated base metals) and on the calendar. There is no charge for this first exchange.
Week 1 -
II.
Sketches & Quote
Liliana draws two or three directions by hand. The client chooses one — or describes a fourth. A formal quote, materials list, and a written confirmation of the six-week lead time are issued. A 40% deposit secures the bench slot.
Week 2 -
III.
Wax Sample & Stone Selection
A wax model is posted or photographed at 1:1 scale. Stones, if any, are chosen from the studio's small library or from the client's own. Sizing is taken in person at the Lyon atelier or by a printed ring-sizer sent by post.
Week 3 -
IV.
Fabrication at the Bench
Eleven hours of bench work on average, sometimes more. The piece is sawn, filed, soldered, set, and polished by one of the two in-house goldsmiths under Liliana's direction. A short progress note — and, where helpful, a photograph — is sent at the half-way mark.
Weeks 4 & 5 -
V.
Handover & Signature
The finished piece is hallmarked where required, hand-numbered in the studio edition, and signed on the inside face. It is delivered in a small linen pouch inside a craftboard box, with a typed certificate of provenance and the original sketches. The lifetime repair and re-finishing guarantee begins on the day of handover.
Week 6
Chapter IV — What is Included
Every commission is delivered with the same six inclusions.
The studio does not publish a price list; quotes are written per brief. What does not vary is what is included with every piece that leaves the bench.
Two or three hand-drawn sketches
Drawn by Liliana on tracing paper, posted flat, and returned to the studio archive once the piece is finished.
A wax sample at 1:1 scale
Posted or photographed, so the form and proportion can be agreed in the hand before any metal is cut.
Hallmarking & a hand-numbered edition
French hallmarks where required by the metal and weight, and a small engraved edition number inside the piece.
The maker's signature
Liliana's initials, lightly inscribed on the inside face of every commissioned piece, in the manner of the studio since 2009.
A lifetime repair & re-finishing guarantee
Covering the piece for as long as it is in your keeping — re-polishing, stone tightening, and small repairs returned to the Lyon bench at cost of materials only.
Practical boundaries: brass, silver, 9k–18k gold, and natural semi-precious stones. No synthetic stones, no plated base metals, no outsourced labor. The studio produces no more than 40 units of any given design per year, so a commissioned design is either one of one or a small named edition.
A Quiet Record
The numbers the studio is willing to be measured by.
bespoke pieces fulfilled in 2023 — bridal, gifting, editorial, and re-stone work, each one hand-numbered and signed.
of bench work on average per piece — sawing, filing, soldering, setting, and polishing by one of the studio's two goldsmiths.
across 412 verified customer reviews — collected since 2010, written by clients who have worn a piece long enough to have it re-polished.
d'Art
certified by the Chambre des Métiers et de l'Artisanat — registration number 69-2018-CM — since 2018.
Atelier Liliana Gonin — 12 Rue des Capucins, 69001 Lyon, France. Visits to the bench are by appointment only; please write to [email protected] to arrange one.
Chapter V — Begin
Begin a commission.
Send the brief in your own words. The studio replies within seven working days from 12 Rue des Capucins, Lyon. There is no fee for this first exchange, and no obligation to proceed.