Philippe Ferrandis

If you stroll under the Viaduc des Arts in Paris, along the arches of the former railway now filled with workshops and galleries, your eye will surely be caught by the Philippe Ferrandis jewelry atelier. This is not just a shop — it is a true workshop, where unique pieces are created from the very first sketch to the final polish.

Philippe Ferrandis has designed jewelry collections for fashion houses such as Balmain, Nina Ricci and Swarovski. For Guerlain, he created the famous golden ring that embraced the neck of the Cherry Blossom perfume bottle.

His pieces bring together an eclectic mix of materials: pearls and crystals, amethysts and smoky quartz, turquoise and rock crystal. Sometimes — an unexpected touch like rubber. His inspirations are just as varied: nature, history, civilizations, styles. Every six months Philippe unveils a new collection, and he likes to say: “I want people, when they see one of my pieces, to feel a thrill: ‘Wow, this is something new!’”

In 2011, his workshop received the Entreprise du Patrimoine Vivant (EPV) label — a prestigious French distinction awarded to houses of exceptional artisanal know-how.

Today, Philippe Ferrandis jewelry can be found in his three boutiques: one near the Louvre, another by Boulevard Saint-Germain and its namesake metro station, and a third next to the Le Bon Marché department store on Boulevard Raspail.

But it is the workshop under the arches of the Viaduc des Arts, near Place de la Bastille, that offers the chance to witness craftsmanship in its living Parisian context.