France has a long-standing, distinguished and highly influential history of jewelry making. The exhibition Designing Jewels: 200 years of French Savoir-Faire (1770–1970), along with its accompanying catalogue, explains individual achievements by showcasing the culture of developing jewelry designs from initial drawing to gouaché to masterpiece.

In its essays and object entries, the book highlights the importance of drawings as both a medium for conceptual development and a technical tool for the creation of sought-after works of art. The drawings also serve as records of knowledge transfer, and an inimitable style that evolved significantly between 1770 and 1970, forming the cultural foundation of both be spoke and mass-market designs.

This project presents a wide range of graphic works that demonstrate the various steps of the design process, using resources from private collections in Hong Kong and the VCA Patrimony department in Paris. Line and color drawings are among them; these are also a part of the long history of exquisite craftsmanship in the design and production of jewelry in France.