LES FEMMES

LES FEMMES part 1: 

We're so proud to finally be able to share our newest Les Bonbons design with you, we've been working on this project for a while now and we couldn't be happier with how it turned out - welcome LES FEMMES!  

Our Les Femmes rings are all made with recycled 18k solid gold and carefully handpicked unique sapphires, all untreated and cut to preserve their original shape. Aside from adding a little sparkle to your everyday look, our hope is that these pieces will also remind you to celebrate your own unique nature, quirks and brilliance. Because when wearing a piece from our Les Femmes collection, you are guaranteed to wear a gemstone like no other, with a shape as special and beautiful as yours.

With our new one-of-a-kind Les Femmes rings we want to celebrate the original character and unique shape and color of each individual sapphire, just the way it was formed in nature. To our knowledge, Les Femmes is in fact the first jewelry collection, ever, that does this and truly lets you see how each colored gemstone originally looked when found in nature. How wonderful isn’t that?

We do, however, suspect that you may be curious to learn more about the story behind Les Femmes. Where do these sapphires originate from? How are the magical colors and shapes formed? Don’t worry, we’ve got you covered. With some help from our favorite sapphire-expert Johannes (he is our rock, kind of literally) we’ve compiled some fascinating facts for you to dive into. And yes, this is only part 1, so even more details are soon to come! 

Firstly, let’s make sure we are all on the same page when it comes to the jewelry lingo:

• Les Femmes: “The Women” in French. In Caroline Hjerpe language; our newest collection of our beloved Les Bonbons rings.
• Sapphires: One of the hardest substances on Earth, making these gemstones very suitable for everyday wear. Perhaps in the form of an unique engagement ring? Or a commitment to yourself?
• Nature-Shaped: Gemstones whose shapes are fully formed by nature.
• Heat treatment: Is used to change the color and clarity in rough sapphires, primarily into more “standard” colors. Heat treatment is routine in the market and about 95% of all sapphires have been heat treated before they are set in jewelry.

Now that we’ve clarified that, let’s move on to the details behind the sapphires of our collection in particular. The sapphires used for Les Femmes originate from Sri Lanka and southern Madagascar. Over a period of about 500 million years rivers there eroded the mountains and ground, eventually uncovering and washing away sapphire crystals previously hidden inside the rock. Tumbling around in the water, the crystals were rounded and polished by nature’s own forces before they reached the hands of our goldsmiths. To bring out the brilliance from each sapphire pebble, Caroline decided that we would preserve the natural shape of these water-worn pebbles and adapt the cut and design for each individual one by hand. With that being said the sapphires in the Les Femmes collection is either completely untreated or (just a few) only mildly heated through traditional heating in Sri Lanka. You can view the details for each gemstone in the description for each particular Les Femmes ring when they reach the web shop. This is surprisingly rare in the world of gemstones, and so we are especially proud of our work with these pieces.

For you to truly get an insight into how each sapphire has transformed by the touch of Caroline Hjerpe, each sapphire comes with a photo of how the rough crystal looked before. We hope that this can function as a reminder of your own ability to bring out your own brilliance and beauty by celebrating your true self and showing up just as you are, freckles, scars and all!

Each of these sapphire has been closely examined and certified by a GIA-trained gemologist and comes with a certificate from a gemological laboratory located in Rathapura city – the oldest sapphire hub in Sri Lanka.

Here's some example of the raw sapphires from the Les Femmes collection

Don’t hesitate to reach out to us if you’re curious to learn more about our work or the Les Femmes collection, through our social channels or perhaps by visiting our shop in Stockholm or Malmö. Make sure to sign up for our newsletter to get a notification when Part 2 is published. And most important - don't wait to long to place your order for your favorite Les Femmes ring in the web shop tomorrow, when they're sold they're gone! 

Love, team Caroline Hjerpe