As a designer, Rémy Rotenier “loves collaborating with good hands.” His own education as a bench jeweler began at age 19—“too old” by the standards of the École de la Rue du Louvre in his native France. During his first time at the bench he drove a diamond bur through his finger, an experience that influenced his decision to “stick with design.” That, and looking through the iconic Tiffany Blue Book: “I thought, ‘Americans are really wild, they design all these crazy things!’”

In this premier episode of For the Love of Jewelers, Rémy takes a break from a week of teaching at Creative Side to share stories from his journey in the jewelry industry, from “discovering” sterling silver as a young designer at Tiffany & Co., to his eponymous line for Bella Luce and JTV, to watching the “walls and ceilings disappear” around his students.