Who was this man who taught you in Paris?
Claude Durant, who is a third generation glyptic master. His grandfather worked for Fabergé. I was about 25 when I arrived at his place. It was so interesting because we had so many conversations about the nature of stone and how to tackle it. It was a very rich experience which helped me a lot.
How do you use hard stone marquetry?
I have been working exclusively with stone for almost 15 years now. I restore some stone objects, but I'm increasingly moving towards creating objects – fine jewellery, watches, pens, for example. I like to create completely unique pieces most of the time.
© Hervé Obligi
Is there anything about your work that people don’t normally know?
When there is nobody in the workshop, usually in summer, I take my pebbles out into the yard and water them with a watering hose. It's a bit crazy as an idea but it refreshes my eye for all the colours of the materials that I have in my stock.
What do you like most about your work?
The moment I find and buy stones is very nice, and also when I try to marry the stone to an object. Will this stone work with the projects I'm working on? I find that very interesting. Also at the end, when you polish the stone and reveal all its colours and the quality of your work – that’s magical.