From cabinetmaker’s offcuts to unique wooden jewellery – L’Atelier Chêne & Fer

 

Some pieces of wood are simply too beautiful to throw away.

At L’Atelier Chêne & Fer, our wooden jewellery is created in a rather unusual place: my husband’s workshop.

Having worked as a cabinetmaker for decades, he knows wood like the back of his hand. Oak and other magnificent timbers are carefully selected for making furniture and bespoke joinery projects, but even the best-planned project leaves behind small offcuts.

And that’s where another story begins.

Over the 40 years we’ve spent together, I’ve gradually been influenced — and perhaps swept along a little — by my husband’s passion for all things wood.

So, when a change in my professional life gave me the opportunity to take a new direction, setting up a wood-based business seemed like a natural choice.

My husband’s workshop is often full of beautiful offcuts from his bespoke furniture and joinery projects — pieces far too precious to simply throw away. Together, we select those with interesting grain, colour and character, and give them a new lease of life.

We transform these small pieces of wood into our collection of handmade wooden jewellery — each piece unique, shaped by the natural beauty and history of the wood.

Each pendant is shaped and finished by hand, with its design often inspired by the wood itself. The natural grain, knots and subtle variations are not imperfections to be removed: they are what make each necklace unique.

This means that no two pieces are ever exactly the same.

For us, this is what craftsmanship is all about: respecting a beautiful natural material, making the most of what we already have, and creating pieces designed to be worn and cherished for years to come.

From offcuts of wood to unique, handcrafted wooden jewellery made in France, very little material goes to waste at L’Atelier Chêne & Fer.

Discover our collection of handmade wooden jewellery here:

atelier-chene-et-fer.com

Helen