I’m taking advantage of my whirlwind visit to Hanoi (one week) to have a platinum solitaire ring made. I’ve known my current jeweler for several years, but this is the first time I’ve ordered a custom ring from him. Let me explain how it works. It all starts with the design. You need to have a more or less clear idea of what you want. In general, you’ll need to consider setting some precious or semi-precious stones (it’s my jeweler’s specialty. He has an incredible collection of high-quality natural stones). For me, I want a solitaire ring, but you can opt for earrings, a bracelet, a pendant… Usually, people come…

I’ve always had an obsession with small suitcases. When we lived in Paris, all my DIY tools were carefully kept in cardboard suitcases. I even sewed a suitcase (with a lot of difficulty, mind you) out of cotton. Since then, I’ve had huge respect for fabric suitcase makers. Last year, JB signed us up for the Journées Particulières at Vuitton , and and Moynat and we got to see how trunks and suitcases are made. It’s a tricky craft (and a dying one), still largely done by hand. While trunks don’t appeal to me, I fell for this little suitcase at Moynat. It’s tiny and looks completely useless (it holds…

Recently, seeing a huge hole in my tool bag (which I carry everywhere in case a DIY project comes up), I thought I needed a sturdier organizer that I could also use as a toiletry bag. Lots of thinking later, I have a rough idea of the bag I want. I get information from one of the Vietnamese leatherworkers I usually order custom products from. He tells me what can or cannot be done. I buy the leather directly from 3Q (a Vietnamese supplier), who ships the leather straight to the leatherworker. For the exterior, I went with Gochoki bull leather from Rémy Carriat, a French tanner. It’s nubuck with…