From the bench: how a strand is born
The twelve steps from rough stone to finished strand.
Every strand begins with the choice of rough stone. Pieces that are cracked, hold traces of sand or do not hold their colour are set aside before they ever reach the bench.
The rough cut is made at low speed and under water; if amber heats up, cracks open on its surface.
Beads are drilled one at a time by hand. If the angle of the hole is wrong the strand will not hang straight, which makes this the most time-consuming step.
The rough shape is cut with a file, then polishing begins in three stages: coarse felt, fine felt and finally pure water.
No lacquer, varnish or coating is used. The shine you see is the surface of the stone itself.
At the last step the head and tassel are fitted, the strand is rested for a day and checked once more. Only then does it go into its box.
