This two-hour BenchFusion session with Rémy Rotenier focuses on how to begin designing jewelry when you are handed a stone and a blank page. The class centers on round stones, pearls, and oval stones, and walks participants step by step through building a design around them with clarity and confidence. Rémy will begin with essential gemstone faceting and rendering, helping participants understand how to sketch the stone itself accurately. From there, he will demonstrate how to develop that stone into finished concepts, including a ring drawn in perspective, as well as coordinating earring and pendant designs. The process is practical and sequential, giving jewelers a clear starting point and a set of visual guides they can rely on when developing custom work.

This session is designed for jewelers who regularly receive loose stones from clients and need a structured way to turn those stones into strong design proposals. It addresses the common experience of staring at a blank page and not knowing where to begin. Participants will leave with a repeatable method for sketching more freely, presenting ideas more clearly, and communicating designs to clients with greater confidence.

About Rémy Rotenier

Rémy Rotenier was born and raised in Paris, where design, craftsmanship, and material sensitivity were part of everyday life. One grandfather designed lingerie, while his father and uncle owned a Paris based firm specializing in custom leather and fur outerwear. Surrounded by fashion, stones, and finely made objects from an early age, Rémy developed a deep visual and material literacy that continues to shape his work today.

He received his bachelor’s degree in jewelry design from BJOP Formation at the Écoles de la Rue du Louvre and earned a graduate degree in gemology from the National Institute of Gemology in Paris. After relocating to New York, he completed a certificate in diamond grading from the Gemological Institute of America.

Rémy began his professional career in Paris, where he trained in classical jewelry rendering and the design of jeweled objets d’art during an internship at Cristofol Frères. He went on to work with Alexandre Reza and Serge Bouder before being brought to New York in 1990 by John Loring, then Design Director of Tiffany and Company, as a staff designer. In 1994, Rémy moved to Albuquerque, New Mexico to serve as Design Director for Kabana, Inc., and in 2006 he became President of Rémy Design.

In 2013, building on his classical European training and lifelong study of gemstones, Rémy introduced a proprietary transparent faceted stone design known as the Rémy Cut™, inspired by the old European or Miner’s Cut. Known for its enhanced sparkle and depth, the Rémy Cut™ has been featured in the Rémy Rotenier for Bella Luce collection on Jewelry Television and is slated for broader availability through a major gemstone supplier.

Through Rémy Design, he has developed multiple jewelry collections including Rémy Rotenier for Bella Luce and Lutèce by Rémy, while also creating custom work for private clients. Alongside his design practice, Rémy is a highly regarded educator, teaching jewelry design, rendering, and drawing through private instruction and classes across the United States, including New Mexico, New York, San Francisco, Maine, Montana, and Texas. At the request of his students, he distilled his teaching approach into a series of in depth instructional DVDs focused on drawing, rendering, and painting techniques.

Rémy has drawn and painted throughout his life, studying painting in Paris in preparation for admission to the École des Beaux Arts and continuing his artistic development through advanced watercolor study in New Mexico. In addition to his work in art, design, and education, Rémy currently serves as the Honorary Consul of France in Albuquerque, reflecting his continued connection to French culture and public service.

His work and teaching are distinguished by classical rigor, clarity of observation, and a deep respect for craftsmanship, making him a trusted voice for jewelers seeking to strengthen both their technical and visual skills.