Not everything in the shop comes from elsewhere. Some of our angels are born here, in the workshop: figurines cast and painted by hand, cameo jewellery assembled by hand, guardian-angel bracelets. Here is how.
The figurines, from mould to gilding
Moulding
Everything starts with a mould. Ours come from England and Northern Europe. Each figurine is cast in one, here, in the shop. We let it set, we take it out of the mould: the angel appears, ready to be painted. Our figurines are made of synthetic plaster.
Painting
Then comes the brush. Faces, wings, drapery: everything is painted by hand. That is why no two angels are ever quite alike.
Patina and polish
The patina gives each angel an air of times gone by. The polish makes it gleam softly. Two more steps, also done by hand.
Gilding
Some angels finally receive their gilding, applied by hand.
Our customers say it in their own words: angels “painted by hand”. That is indeed how they are born. Giving a figurine from the workshop means giving an angel with a story: that of the hands that made it.
Cameos, assembled here and nowhere else
Cameo jewellery is assembled by hand in the shop, and you will not find it anywhere else. The cameo, made of resin, is set on a mount with a genuine metal patina. They come in eight colours and are worn as a brooch, earrings, a ring or a necklace. The guardian-angel bracelets are born here too.
The shop in miniature
The shop also exists in miniature. 1:12 scale miniatures reproduce it: the “Salon des Puttis”, the “Salon des Séraphins”, the “Salon des Chérubins”. A music box in its image completes the family. Look closely: it really is the shop, in miniature.
Other hands
Not everything is made in the workshop. The shop also welcomes the work of other houses and other craftspeople, such as the anges quêteurs (collection-box angels) of the Bacci house in Tours.
Brigitte and the team at work
Brigitte de Cuyper opened the shop in 1996. She still runs it, with her team. Between customers, someone paints a figurine or assembles a bracelet, at the counter, right where you are welcomed. If you come at the right moment, you may see a cherub taking on its colours.
Where to find them
The workshop’s pieces are waiting for you in the shop, open every day. Some are also in the online catalogue.