Roland Schad, discreet jeweller, combining the rough with the elegant

For this article, we were fortunate enough to be interviewed by Erik Schaix, fashion designer and jeweller, close friend and patron of Roland Schad. He was kind enough to answer our questions about this little-known jeweller who left his mark on the jewellery world in the 70s and 80s, along with Jean Vendome, Andrew Grima and Gilbert Albert.

History :

According to Mr Schaix, Roland Schad was born in Lausanne between 1930 and 1935. He grew up with his stepfather, a jeweller, from whom he undoubtedly developed his interest in jewellery design.

When he came of age, Roland Schad left Switzerland to study for a CAP in jewellery in Nice. After completing his studies, he founded his own company, R. Schad, in Paris in 1963. He was in his thirties at the time and began to make a name for himself with a style that combined metals and stones with a very raw appearance, in stark contrast to the classical style.

It was not until 1969, with his 'Barbare' collection, which combined 'granite' gold work with the extensive use of raw minerals such as dioptase, opal, beryl and quartz, that his name became firmly established.

But Schad was not only a jeweller, he was also an exhibiting sculptor.

The most important exhibition of his career is probably the one called 'Storm Sculptures', organised by Erik Schaix.

This exhibition followed the storm that devastated the gardens of Versailles in 1999. A number of prestigious trees were destroyed in the storm and the Domaine National de Versailles decided to auction off the wood. 

Erik Schaix bought the Pépinière cedar, the Atlas cedar planted by Napoleon and the Marie-Antoinette tulip tree. He then asked his artist friends to create sculptures from these woods. Roland Schad created his masterpiece 'L'arbre et le Soleil', a tulip tree set with fine gold, citrines, sunstones, green beryl, carnelian and moonstone.

Roland Schad's work was inaugurated at the Orangerie du Trianon on 4 June 2004 by Renaud Donnedieu de Vabres, the then Minister of Culture, to great acclaim.

In addition to jewellery, Schad had a reputation as a connoisseur and a lover of large antique furniture such as sideboards and Norman wardrobes. Erik Schaix described him as a 'refined boor', a reference to his creations that combined elegance, raw minerals and granite gold.

Roland Schad died in 2017. But his expertise can be seen in Erik Schaix's creations, of which he says he pays tribute to his friend's work in a way by working with 'granite gold', which he also applies to silver.

Collaboration:

Roland Schad has always considered himself an independent and has never collaborated with the major jewellery houses of Place Vendôme, unlike Pierre Sterlé, who was one of his sources of inspiration. He has, however, collaborated with a number of players in the fashion world. One example was Erik Schaix's fashion show at the Plaza Athénée in 1992, where Roland Schad's jewellery was combined with the designer's outfits.

Towards the end of his life, he collaborated with Gem's Secret designer Sin Lee Lim.

Roland Schad never outsourced the production of these pieces. Almost all of them are unique. According to his long-time friend, he was a "true craftsman". His genius was not only in jewellery, but also in the creation of decorative objects such as boxes and paperweights in dioptase.

A special clientele :

Roland Schad was known to be very selective about his clients. In particular, he chose to exhibit in the designers' section of the Salon Porte de Versailles because, in his opinion, the clientele was more "hand-picked" than at other exhibitions. He also exhibited at the Léadouze gallery on the Avenue Matignon, at the home of Madame Nadine de Rothschild and at the Schaix gallery.

Roland Schad's clients included Madame Fenestraz, famous for her properties in Courchevel, Madame Berthillon-Chauvin and Edith Bongo, wife of the President of Gabon, Omar Bongo.

If you are interested in Roland Schad’s jewels, don’t hesitate to discover what Les Pierres de Julie offer in our store…

We are also available for any free expertise of your vintage jewelry, for that you can send an email with your photos to contact@lespierresdejulie.com.

Whether you're interested in buying a piece of jewellery or a stone, a free jewelry appraisal or jewelry resale, Pierres de Julie welcomes you to its Parisian boutique in the Village Suisse, a stone's throw from the Ecole Militaire and the Esplanade des Invalides.