About us
My name is Maxime Voillot. A graduate of a gemmology school, I taught gemmology at ESG and Isefac. Today, I source precious stones for major houses, jewellers and private clients. Together with my father Patrick Voillot, we put more than 40 years of experience at the service of gem lovers.
A childhood among gems
From a very young age, I had the chance to accompany my father Patrick Voillot during the filming of some of his documentaries on precious stones. For those who have seen “The Giant Crystals of Brazil”, I was the little boy climbing a 7-tonne rock crystal. It was on these journeys that I met miners, dealers and great jewellers, and contemplated a great many gems that very few Westerners have ever seen.
The turning point
At 14, I visited the Kukh-i-Lal mine in Tajikistan, from which the Black Prince's Ruby was extracted — the stone that still adorns the Crown of England today. It was that journey that made me realise I wanted to work in the world of gems.
Growing up, I noticed that most gem dealers accessible to the general public sit at the end of an often long chain of intermediaries. The vast majority of good-quality precious stones never reach private buyers — or only at exorbitant prices. Yet that does not mean the miners are better paid. The multiplicity of intermediaries partly explains this price inflation. The absence of official price listings for coloured gems explains another part.
Our mission: selecting the finest precious stones for you at the fairest price
Maxime Voillot Gems was born from this observation: since 2011, I have been selling precious stones sourced by us directly at the mine. This allows us to significantly reduce the number of intermediaries and to better reward the work of the often colourful characters that miners and their representatives are. The quality of the contacts we have been strengthening for years also allows us to find THE stone of your dreams, on request.
Since 2016, we have also been organising gemmological journeys to take gemmologists and enthusiasts to the mines themselves. These expeditions are as many opportunities to discover the people of the trade, but also local cultures and customs. In the words of everyone we have accompanied, they come back delighted and often transformed.
Then, in 2018, we created Voillot Joaillier, to make jewellery crafted as close as possible to the gem extraction sites accessible to all, along with a bespoke jewellery creation service.
Sharing is one of our core values, which is why you can regularly find us on our Instagram account for live sessions, as well as on our YouTube channel: Voillot Patrick - YouTube
Want to go further?
Discover our latest stones, explore our sapphire collection or book an appointment at our Paris offices to discover the stones in person.