Before becoming a red brooch on a lapel, or lavender earrings worn on an ordinary Tuesday morning, the Pensée Viola passed through the hands of the artisans at Maison Ciléa; Stéphane, Cyril, Marie, Julie...
A handcrafted piece of jewelry is a declaration of love for French craftsmanship, and we are proud to represent its diversity.
→ Discover the Pensée Viola collection
Émaline: the material that starts it all
It all begins with a material you won't find anywhere else.
Émaline was invented by Stéphane Ravel in 1992, in a Parisian apartment that served as his workshop at the time. Inspired by Line Vautrin's Talosel, an iconic resin from the 1950s, and reimagined with enameling techniques, Émaline is an exclusive, registered resin developed solely in our workshop in Rennes.
What makes it unique? Its lightness. Its translucency. And its colors. Our dyes are made in-house, which is why the Pensée Viola comes in thirty shades that you won't see anywhere else. Deep burgundy, cherry red, Parma violet, sunny yellow, bottle green. Each shade is hand-mixed. Each batch is slightly different from the previous one.
This is why each piece is unique in its nuances.
The drawing: before the material, the gesture
The Pensée Viola doesn't start in a mold. It starts on paper.
Stéphane draws each piece before it exists. The shape of the flower, the depth of the petals, the position of the veins. This drawing work is the foundation of everything; it gives the Pensée Viola its presence, its volume, its sculptural character.
A handcrafted piece of jewelry is not a copy of nature but an interpretation. Larger than life, more saturated, more present. Stéphane has been drawing for thirty years. His technique has been refined. Today's Pensée Viola is the result of thirty years of this same gesture, repeated, corrected, and passed down.
Manufacturing: what we can show you
Some manufacturing steps remain confidential, the sole condition of our uniqueness. If we revealed everything, Émaline would no longer be exclusive.
What we can tell you is that each Pensée Viola passes through several pairs of hands before leaving our workshop. Stéphane. Cyril, the company's first employee, who has been there since the beginning. The team that has been working in Rennes for years.
Molding, coloring, finishing – each step is done by hand. Not machine-assisted. Not mass-produced. By hand, in the workshop, at the pace quality demands.
The veins: the detail that changes everything
If you look closely at a Pensée Viola, you will see its veins.
They are drawn one by one. Drawn, on each piece, individually. This is what gives the flower its depth, its botanical truth, its character as a unique piece.
Stéphane has been making them this way for thirty years. Over the years, he has improved the technique to achieve the lightness and transparency that he now passes on to the team.
The EPV label: the proof
In 2018, the French state awarded Ciléa Paris the "Entreprise du Patrimoine Vivant de France" (Living Heritage Company) label.
This label comes from a rigorous evaluation process that certifies the reality of exceptional artisanal know-how. For us, it confirms what our customers have known for thirty years: that Ciléa jewelry is handcrafted, with a unique material, in a workshop that passes on its expertise from generation to generation.
The Pensée Viola is a direct expression of this.
Made to last
A handcrafted piece of jewelry is not disposable.
The Pensée Viola is repairable for life, free of charge, in our workshop. If a clasp breaks, if a detail needs attention, we repair it. This is the logical consequence of handcrafting something we guarantee.
Customers have been wearing their Pensée Viola for fifteen years. They return to choose a new color, not to replace the piece.
The Pensée Viola is handcrafted in our Rennes workshop, using exclusive Émaline. Ciléa Paris has been awarded the "Entreprise du Patrimoine Vivant de France" label since 2018.
