They are rare professions of which we know almost nothing. Yet, they nourish French creativity…
Episode dedicated to à Hervé Obligi, lapidary sculptor.

Hervé first dreamed of being a cabinetmaker, but what he carves is much harder than wood. He is a lapidary sculptor; his palette is composed of lapis lazuli, opal, mother-of-pearl, fine marbles, green jasper.
"I wanted a material that fights back," he says with a twinkle in his eye, although the stones he uses soon surrender to his will. Whether it’s a table from the Château de Versailles, a Renaissance dresser or a contemporary pen, he’s interested in everything.
And his curiosity is contagious. For several years, he has been passing on his skill and passion to Camille Berthaux, whom he first took under his wing as an apprentice and who became his "official" student two years ago. Camille is so absorbed by the craft that, in addition to his work in the studio, he takes classes in gemology to broaden his knowledge.
As both a restorer and a creator of objects, Hervé Obligi is one of only a small number of people do be doing lapidary work in France today, and therefore all the more precious as a Maître d’art.
What fascinates both men is drawing, sanding, chiselling and creating new objects, which combine ordinary and more precious stones.
They draw their inspiration from the street: its sewer plates, graffiti and asphalt, and the marks left by millions of footsteps... every day. A mineral world that we no longer notice, which nonetheless shapes our imagination.
What fascinates both men is drawing, sanding, chiselling and creating new objects, which combine ordinary and more precious stones.
They draw their inspiration from the street: its sewer plates, graffiti and asphalt, and the marks left by millions of footsteps... every day. A mineral world that we no longer notice, which nonetheless shapes our imagination.