Engraved on an oval amethyst dating from the end of the nineteenth century, this jewel is like a polished mirror drawing its authenticity from Auvergne's artisanal minerals. Through its own history, this ring has helped shape the history of this land of lakes, volcanoes and round mountains. It has even succeeded in renewing the identity of the entire Auvergne region around its stones.

At that time, the mines and quarries of crystallised quartz were condemned one after the other, under the combined effect of a reduction in the quality extracted and the fierce competition of semi-precious stones from the South American continent. Even Le Vernet-la-Varenne, whose bishop's stones had been famous since 1640 thanks to Queen Margot, was hit hard by the crisis.

A young worker in the making, Valentin had just been hired at the Pégut mine. Originally from another region of the Auvergne, he had settled in the village with the hope of getting closer to the prodigious treasures buried in the subsoil of the Livradois region. The closure of the mine meant the end of a promising opportunity that had brought him to this place... He found himself irreparably distressed.

View of the Puy-de-Dôme, Armand Guillaumin

When he was faced with a difficult situation, Valentin liked to take refuge in his devouring passion: the collection of dried plants and flowers, carefully arranged and classified in voluminous herbariums. In this way, he would grant himself indispensable quiet sessions outside of time, leafing through the plates of botanical collections that he tenderly called his treasures.

Now having unlimited free time to wander, Valentin rediscovered the same childlike pleasure of keen observation and meticulous harvesting of flowering or seed plants, ferns or mosses, freshly spotted around the village. And luckily, spring was just around the corner!

The following year, the exploitation of the deposits was unfortunately still at a standstill. Although the weather appeared gloomy for the inhabitants of the Livradois region, the spring sun managed to warm Valentin up. It led him on increasingly breathless botanical walks, even beyond the lands of Pegut.

But that day, Valentin had decided to stroll around the mine site, even though it was still forbidden. In the surrounding area, nature had reclaimed its rights. The ground was now covered with brambles and nettles. Nothing very exciting in terms of enriching his collection of dried plants and flowers...

Valentin went to the mine entrance anyway. A few steps away, he was completely surprised. The brambles and nettles were replaced by magnificent violets. The perennial gradations, ranging from pale mauve to dark purple, interacted harmoniously. He picked a few specimens and hastily put together an improvised bouquet.

Bouquet of violets and fan, Edouard Manet

Seized by a dazzling intoxication that sharpened his natural curiosity, Valentin slipped inside the mine. Plunged into deep darkness, his eyes took several long minutes to adjust. When he could vaguely make out a few shapes, he calmly walked into the mine's lair. Excited by the strangeness of the situation, Valentin grew bolder as he went. His fingers felt the misshapen rocks. He held on tightly to them so as not to lose his balance.

It seemed to him that the notion of time was gradually slipping away. Abruptly abandoning one wall for another, he slipped and fell down the slope he was trying to descend carefully. Slightly injured in the knees and elbows, Valentin did not get up immediately. Turning on his left side, he saw a sort of coloured trace on a granite gap. He was then amazed by a spectacle of bright purple crystals of unprecedented purity. Staggering back the way he came, he found the way out with terrible effort and physical suffering.

A few days later, his injuries were a bad memory. He returned to the mine, accompanied by another worker. Equipped, the two accomplices succeeded in extracting the fine stones quite easily. They were indeed of a rare and extraordinary quality. Valentin knew that he would make a good profit from them!

Having convinced a well-known jewellery store owner to join forces with him, Valentin had a yellow gold ring designed, the setting of which was magnified by the inlay of a stunningly beautiful amethyst. The Auvergne subsoil had not yielded such jewels for ages. Oval in shape, the divine fine stone revealed a delicate violet set with rose-cut diamonds in its centre.

Amethyst, gold and diamond ring

Seduced by the atypical and bewitching character of the purple violet with red fires of this crystallized quartz, the clientele of the jewellers gave an enthusiastic welcome to the model of ring presented in preview on the occasion of the Sainte-Fleur of the year 1890. Its success revived the excellence of the Auvergne stone, attracting the wealthy curists who came to "take the waters" in the region.

Text by Jean-Philippe Samarcq.