Setting the future in stone - École Saint-Eloi

How École Saint-Eloi Is Forging France's Next Generation of Jewellery Craftspeople

Nestled in the French Alps, a not-for-profit school is quietly reshaping who gets access to the jewellery trade.

An Unlikely Centre of Excellence

Surrounded by the mountains of the Haute Savoie, the charming French town of Faverges-Seythenex seems an unlikely centre of excellence for the next generation of jewellery craftspeople. Yet since 2021, the not-for-profit École Saint-Eloi has been forging the jewellery talent of tomorrow, with a focus on the skills demanded by the industry, both now and in the future.

Learning by Doing

In classes of 12, students mostly aged 15–18 learn by doing, as per the school's motto. Students studying for the CAP in jewellery (Certificat d'aptitude professionelle, a level 3 vocational qualification) can follow up with a BMA in jewellery arts (Brevet des métiers d'arts, an advanced craft qualification). They are thrown into real-life professional situations as early as possible, working on client orders for private clients and partner organisations, like ST Dupont and Precipro, both of which have sites near the school. Crucially, students pay no tuition fees for their schooling.

The Founders' Vision

"The jewellery sector is evolving fast, notably with the emergence of technologies that are opening up new creative possibilities," says Olivier Fruchard, who co-founded the school. From a working-class background, Fruchard is an alumnus of the highly selective École Boulle in Paris and is now a high jewellery stone-setter. His own professional journey taught him just how difficult it can be to access training and opportunities in the jewellery world.

The journeys of his students look likely to be more straightforward. "Paradoxically, technological evolutions have strengthened the need for highly qualified and specialised craftsmanship, especially in polishing and setting," he explains. Stone-setting is not easy to do without human hands, and while certain steps of the polishing process can be industrialised, more complex designs call for human skill. Both disciplines are looking strong for the future, as the big houses demand higher-than-ever levels of precision and finishing.

Success Stories

One such house is Cartier, which has recently taken on a Saint-Eloi graduate as a stone-setter. Like many of the school's students, Thibault was facing academic difficulties, and has now found his place in a highly skilled discipline with a solid future.

Zinedine, another former student, had not been to school for two years when he enrolled, studying for a CAP and then a polishing specialisation. He has now been offered a permanent contract with Precipro, a Swiss-based precious metal cutter serving the jewellery and horology industries.

Growth and Mission

The school opened with just 12 students back in 2021. Today, there are 50, at various stages of skills acquisition. "For us, the social link is important, we want to open the door and support young people," says co-founder Florian Wicki, who teaches design and gouache at Saint Eloi and is also an Executive Director responsible for creation, development, strategy and partnerships.

Wicki is dyslexic and describes his own school days as "complicated," until he came across the teachers who were able to set him on the path to a viable creative career. "We wanted to do something practical to help students who are better suited to skilled manual careers, as we ourselves were helped by our teachers and tutors. To give back what we received, and pass it on," he explains.

Funding the Free-Tuition Model

The school is mainly financed through public funding, sub-contracting to partner organisations in the industry, patronage, and sponsorship. "We're not looking to train large numbers," says Wicki, "but we want to continue to be able to train well and meet the needs of the jewellery industry." To maintain the founding principle of free training, the school is hoping to expand its network with new partners and patrons.

Student Voices

For Camille, a student who has made the most of the opportunity Saint-Eloi represents, the professional experience has been a real plus; she's currently on an apprenticeship at Erebor in Lyons, which is "going well. My cousin is a jeweller and I saw the school in a magazine," she says.

Her fellow student Maïlys says she found out about the school via a former student and moved from Montpellier to be able to attend. She's now an apprentice at Cegeor in Lyons, where she works as a polisher on orders for big houses. "I'd like to stay on," she says, as she shows some of her own designs. "I like being in contact with the clients and working on collections."

Closing Thoughts

The co-founders' commitment to jewellery education is built on strong conviction. "Métiers d'art and crafts should not be reserved for an elite, but accessible to all those who have the motivation to join, even if their path is not linear," finishes Wicki. In training on the job, passing on high levels of expertise, and creating real professional opportunities, the team honours that commitment every day.