The Rochet Bijoux story is a tale of passion that starts with an exceptional man — Joseph Rochet. After starting out as an apprentice in a Paris jewellery workshop at the age of 13, Rochet quickly rose up through the ranks to become a professional jewellery craftsman just two short years later, in 1904
In 1907, when he was only 18, he became a master craftsman in Geneva. In 1909 he entered into partnership with Edmond Zuccolo, and the pair launched their own creation.
At the age of 20, Joseph Rochet had already acquired unique, acknowledged know-how in the manufacture of chains made of precious metals (gold, platinum, and silver), and spent the better part of the next forty years creating innovative, high-quality jewellery. Soon, the industrial era would lead to the wide spread use of more common metals (brass and copper), with which Rochet created world-famous collections of rings, necklaces, pendants, and bracelets.
The Rise of Steel
The two partners, with a keen new interest in new trends, had now become manufacturers of jewellery on an industrial scale. They set about modernising the plant they had opened in Annecy in 1919, and made increasing use of steel. Thus, after reigning supreme for millennia, gold and silver were faced with competition from steel in the 1950s — competition which has increased considerably in recent years.
Steel is difficult to work, and steel jewellery takes more time and money to develop, and is a "headache" for technicians whose job it is to breathe life into designers' creations. It was bu no means a foregone conclusion that it would "carve out" a place for itself in the exclusive world of jewellery.
Yet that is just what it did. After painstaking research, Rochet Bijoux learned how to work with steel before making a further technological leap which made it possible to "shape" the steel as it was done with the more malleable gold and silver. They could now offer consumers the wonderful properties and aesthetic appeal of steel — brighter, more durable and, above all, 100% compatible with skin.
100 Years of History
The family has unfailingly passed on this know-how and passion to each new generation. With 100 years of history behind it, Rochet Bijoux is now one of the most innovative brands in the world. It has presented what no one before it would have dared present – a complete stainless-steel collection, set off with traditional gold & diamond and other precious and semi-precious stones and with high-technology materials such as titanium, tungsten and more recently carbon…
The Manufacturing Expertise
Coming down from secular tradition, Rochet jewels are fashioned using the noblest of materials (stainless steel, titanium, gold, tungsten, diamonds, and other stones. Crafting a piece of Rochet jewellery requires the finest know-how, from hand polishing to steel-setting and precision assembly.
All of the components must meet extremely high standards, so as to guarantee the authenticity and perfection of the production process.
Therefore, all Rochet jewels carry an international warranty covering all product defects for a 3 year period.
The Materials Used
Material quality is strictly controlled.
Rochet is always seeking perfection when researching our products. Our constant research and tests performed at the CETEHOR in Besançon (French Jewellery Laboratory)give us constant and reliable information on our jewellery quality.