Laura Gallon: A Legacy And Love Story

Paris born and raised designer Laura Gallon shares a love story of her great-grandparents, her family heritage and her passion for jewelry. And what better time to share her heartfelt tale than pre-Valentine’s Day.

The brand Laura Gallon Joaillerie officially launched on January 1, 2022. She named her first collection after her great grandmother Alice, inspired by the “constant love her great grandparents had for each other, living and working side by side as fine jewelers in the French city of Orléans not far outside of Paris,” She continues, “As the story was told to me, my great grandfather Georges wanted to create a really special piece for his and Alice’s 10 year wedding anniversary. It was during the Art Deco period and he designed a pair of fan shaped diamond earrings with small diamonds in each fold of the fan, which spread out from a round bezel set center diamond.” Gallon’s great-grandmother cherished the earrings and wore them with love for her husband and pride and admiration for the dedication he always had to create jewels that were imbued with character, were expertly detailed and crafted but still easy and comfortable to wear.

Original Earrings Laura’s Great-grandfather Georges made for her great-grandmother Alice

Laura eventually inherited the earrings. She explains, “they were first handed down to my father who was born in the apartment above their store in Orléans and grew up there and was extremely close with his grandparents. When I was born, my father gave the earrings to my mother who wore them at weddings and other special events and my mother gifted them to for my 20th birthday.” 

Designer Laura Gallon

She continues, “Not only have they inspired the Alice collection, they are part of the story that brought me back to my jewelry heritage after spending my early years in Paris and New York in fashion marketing and public relations.

But every time she wore the earrings, she was reminded of her family’s business which ended when World War II forced her great-grandparents to move to Paris. Without a successor, the business closed.

To bring her family’s legacy back to life she attended the Gemological Institute of America (GIA). She describes her studies with jewelry as “love at first sight,” and obtained he Graduate Gemologist degree and a certificate in jewelry design. She was hired by a jewelry manufacturer in Los Angeles where she worked in design and production, gem sourcing, managing the website and social media, learning everything she could before launching her first collection, “but it just didn’t feel right –it was based on my time spent in fashion and although fine jewelry—it didn’t evoke the same passion that Alice’s earrings did.”

Laura Gallon Joaillerie 18k gold fan-shaped pink sapphire ombré earrings with two bezel-set pink sapphires. 

She revamped the collection and began to focus on inspirations from Art Deco designs and the time in which her great grandparents designed and lived and re-invigorate them for the modern collector of jewelry. The fan earrings are the main influence but but they too have been re-imagined in sapphires as well as diamonds. They are a classic that have withstood the test of time. Other pieces are set with colored gemstones or mother of pear inlay. Pieces range from the geometric and angular to more fluid silhouettes that evoke the feeling of 1920s and 30s Paris—from architectural details to the new freedom that women had as they danced the night away in raised hemlines and dresses that moved and flowed with the wearer.

Laura Gallon Joaillerie Premiere Danse Bracelet in 18K yellow gold with white diamonds

 All the pieces are delicate and seemingly unstudied in their approach to design and are crafted in France in historic ateliers known for their artisan details in 18K yellow, white, and rose gold.

Laura Gallon Joaillerie Hirondelle earrings with pink sapphires and graduating diamonds complement each other in these earrings which feature a cut-out negative space following the curve of the ear lobe. 

Laura Gallon Joaillerie Ange Necklace in 18K yellow gold in mother-of-pearl and white diamonds

“This new collection is a tribute to the love of my family’s legacy and to Georges and Alice who that were able to find true love in each other and in the jewels they designed.”

Laura Gallon Joaillerie Galaxie necklace in 18K white gold mother-of-pearl with blue sapphires