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The art of personalization

Personalizing everyday objects may seem very contemporary, but the desire to own individualized products is nothing new. As far back as the 17th century, the French aristocracy took advantage of the boom in the decorative arts to assert their tastes and status with furniture and tableware from the royal factories. Here's a look back at a tradition that is still very much alive, particularly in the jewelry industry.

A very French art

Louis Vuitton allows its customers to personalize their bags with stickers of places they've visited, or Lacoste to choose the color or embroidery of its sneakers or polo shirts: while this trend towards personalization is becoming more democratic and now affects mass-market products, it has long been reserved for the (very) wealthy and for precious objects.

Under Louis XIV, the founding of royal factories encouraged the emergence of the decorative arts, and nobles placed orders to distinguish themselves and assert their rank. Furniture inlaid with the family coat of arms, hand-painted miniature jewels, engraved fly boxes, fans or compasses bearing the initials of their owners... From tableware to textiles and interior decoration, these demanding customers appreciated the unique pieces produced by Gobelins or Sèvres.

A tradition still alive and well

4 centuries and an industrial revolution later, the desire for individualization is still alive and well. In 2022, for example, 90% of the cars produced by the famous Rolls-Royce automaker were customized to the tastes of their customers. 

But beyond the luxury sector, the trend today affects all types of goods and buyers who, surely in reaction to the consumer society that democratizes and standardizes everything, wish in particular to:

  • Giving value back to a product by setting it apart from the crowd.

    This is particularly true of clothing and fashion accessories, which, if not personalized at the source, are personalized after purchase thanks to various customization techniques (iron-on patches, pins or brooches, dyeing, embroidery...).

  • Turning an object into a souvenir. 

    This is the case, for example, with jewelry (engraved wedding rings, birth bracelets), which goes from being simple ornaments to vectors of memory.


The desire to leave one's mark on one's material environment continues, as medallions containing portraits or locks of hair from the Great Century have given way to today's necklaces displaying a first name.

Engraving your style, inscribing your memory

If there's one brand that has understood, since its creation 15 years ago, the interest of the French in jewelry that reflects their personality, it's L'Atelier d'Amaya.

The Bordeaux workshop of this company, whose name means “to love” in Basque, combines high standards of quality with traditional craftsmanship, offering a made-to-measure approach: choice of colors, stones and cords, options for bracelet sizes and necklace lengths, the possibility of inscribing a message or your own design thanks to engraving... 

Customers are sure to have a truly unique piece of jewelry to please themselves or others, the range going from pendants, ankle chains or earrings for women to necklaces for children to bracelets for men. 

A rich collection in 925 silver and gold-plated, continuing the no less rich history of the personalization of precious French objects. To find out more about this company created and run by a mother and daughter, visit the L'Atelier d'Amaya website.



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