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Inès Hamaguchi

  • Enameller
  • Travers, Switzerland
  • Master Artisan
Inès Hamaguchi Enameller
Contact
French, English
Hours:
Monday to Friday 08:00 - 18:00
Phone:
+41 218411664
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Taming a capricious craft

  • • Inès taught herself enamelling techniques
  • • It may take hundreds of hours to decorate a few centimetres of metal
  • • She seeks a balance between technical mastery and aesthetics

Inès Hamaguchi studied jewellery at the Ecole Technique de la Vallée de Joux, the valley renowned for being the cradle of the Swiss watchmaking industry. During her apprenticeship, she discovered the works of René Lalique, whose plique-à-jour jewellery was a real fascination for her. “The works of Lalique became a powerful engine to help me overcome the difficulties and ‘tame’ enamel. Little by little, I acquired the much coveted technique of plique-à-jour, then those of cloisonné, ronde bosse, flinqué and champlevé.” Her in-depth expertise and long years of working in fine jewellery and watchmaking make her a sought-after collaborator for projects involving the enamel decoration of luxury objects.

Read the full interview

Works

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La Bien-Aimée d’Erté (Erté’s Sweetheart)

Inès drew her inspiration for the cloisonné enamel design on this gold ring from the works of the Russian-born French artist and designer, Romain de Tirtoff (1892–1990), commonly known as Erté. Many of Erté’s works, in the Art Deco style, featured stylised representations of women like the one adorning this ring. Cloisonné consists in placing the enamel in small areas enclosed by copper or bronze wire.

Diameter 9 mm

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Clochette (Bell)

These silver earrings have been meticulously decorated with a gradient tone of enamel. The earrings, finished with yellow diamonds (faceted balls), have a fantastical quality.

Length 6.7 cm

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Clochette (Bell)

These silver earrings have been meticulously decorated with a gradient tone of enamel. The earrings, finished with yellow diamonds (faceted balls), have a fantastical quality.

Length 6.7 cm

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Evocation d’un paon (Evocation of a Peacock)

This creole earring has been decorated with a translucent polychrome plique-à-jour enamelling technique. Inès drew her inspiration from the emblematic multicoloured peacock feathers, which are believed to ward off negative energy.

Diameter 3.2 cm

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En Hommage à Georges Fouquet (Tribute to Georges Fouquet)

This necklace, decorated with translucent polychrome plique-à-jour enamels of falling maple tree pods, was inspired by the work of Art Nouveau jewellery designer Georges Fouquet (1862–1957). Inès pays tribute to Fouquet’s synthetic geometric forms and natural designs by playing with the natural forms of maple pods to evoke the overall image of a flying bird.

Height 8.6 cm
Length 6.6 cm

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