Laudate – jewelry praising life

A beautiful discovery made in May, jewelry brand Laudate is launching two first silver collections of 15 emblematic pieces, also available in gold upon request: Rubans Eternels (“Eternal Ribbons”) and Dentelle Précieuse (“Precious Lace”).

Laudate, more than a song of praise – this name evokes a sense of Proust’s madeleine, of a family garden party and above all, of sharing happy moments. It is a brand that praises life at affordable prices. From birth medals to emblazoned signet rings, as well as wedding rings and engagement rings, the brand is launching these two collections, with the infinity symbol to combine with either love or friendship, depending on your desires, and just to please.

Charmed by these collections, I couldn’t resist the urge to learn more and question the founder, Vianney d’Alançon:

Hello Vianney d’Alançon, can you tell us a bit about your background?

My career path is quite atypical since I started working at the age of 17, by creating my first company in the field of Web and communication. After working in a private bank for a short time, I created in 2010 the jewelry firm 10 Royale, where I collaborate with designer Kenzo Takada to create various collections. At the same time, still passionate about gemstones and jewelry craftsmanship, I created Laudate, whose 5^th anniversary we’re celebrating this year.

Well done, can you tell us about the creation of Laudate?

We created Laudate with Laure, my wife, in 2010, shortly after our wedding. The adventure began in our apartment on the banks of the Seine, computers on our knees, with an e-shop selling baptism medals. This precious object, a demanding birth gift because of the expertise it requires, inspired us as the starting point of our project: to create a jewelry firm for all precious moments in life. We soon opened our collections to gold and sterling silver jewelry, wedding rings and signet rings, but also to goldsmithery.

We opened our first store in Paris in 2011, near the Bon Marché and a second one in 2014 in Versailles. A third store is expected to open by the end of 2016.

How do you think Laudate represents a new vision of the jewelry world?

Laure and I are both from a world where family happiness is the corner “stone” of life. This is why we want Laudate to be a jewelry firm for precious moments in life: from birth to marriage, as well as birthdays and professional achievements.

Through our collections, and in particular our line of custom jewelry with engraving, we wish to celebrate the moment of gift-giving, a symbol of the emotional bond between two people.

All of our collections inherit the expertise of our workshops, which guarantees genuine quality while making jewelry lines affordable to all.

You launched your new collection in April 2016 – Rubans Eternels and Dentelle Précieuse, how was this collection born?

This new collection is the first jewelry line whose design and creation were exclusively made for Laudate. We were inspired by the motif of the ribbon because it suggests our brand identity: it can evoke the thread of life, which flows punctuated by happy moments, and it also symbolizes the bond of friendship or unfailing – and thus eternal – love that unites two people. In fact, the ribbon has always been at the heart of the Laudate stores because we tie it around our boxes to make precious gifts.

The Dentelle Précieuse line, with its refined design, illustrates the expertise of our workshops which have worked with “silver lace”: the pattern recalls the historical know-how of lacemakers working with silk thread. In fact, lace is usually found in the great moments celebrated by Laudate: birth, with children’s baptism dresses, and weddings too.

We’ve worked on this collection with a designer – Maison Poiray’s former Artistic Director – who guided us in the creation of these pieces, which we hope will be emblematic of our brand.

Is this the start of a new strategy?

As a matter of fact, we now want to offer an exclusive jewelry collection each year. Always inspired by what carries us and our identity forged around shared moments of happiness, and carried by the expertise of our workshops, we hope to present jewelry that has MEANING.

We like the idea that our customers know why they’re wearing Laudate jewelry: whether it is for a special occasion, a milestone, a moment they want to remember, or for the symbol it evokes, which they want to carry with them. This is why we will also be offering a new collection of custom jewelry with engraving next September.

How do you select your artisans?

We work with several workshops whose know-how is recognized in the jewelry industry. Our gold birth pieces are thus made according to a traditional and historical know-how of medal striking. They say you strike a medal like a coin.

Our jewelry is often the jewelry of a lifetime. We therefore look for workshops that meet this standard: the emblazoned signet rings are thus engraved by hand in a workshop specialized in heraldic engraving. Our wedding rings are also made by a French workshop and our tumblers or napkin rings come from prestigious Parisian goldsmith workshops.

Laudate is a committed firm since part of your sales revenue is donated to a partner organization. Which projects have you supported since the brand was created?

When creating Laudate, we wanted to integrate the dimension of giving into the brand’s identity. Since 2011, we’ve donated part of our sales revenue to support charities that help, for example, street children in Asia, young people who are struggling in tough neighborhoods in France, and people with disabilities.

In 2015-2016, we’ve supported the Fondation Espérance Banlieues by striking silver medals awarded to honor students in several subjects. We therefore salute the remarkable work of this organization.

This dimension of giving transforms the vision of the company according to a virtuous system where the wealth generated also favors the underprivileged.

What are the next steps for Laudate?

We hope for many! First, the opening of a third Laudate store by the end of 2016 in the countryside. Then, the launch of a second jewelry collection in September around a new theme that illustrates another aspect of our brand. And other events starting next September with our partners.

Thanks Vianney, we look forward to discovering it all!