Maison Augis, founded in Lyon in 1830 by Charles Augis, then a jewelry retailer, has specialized for nearly 200 years in the creation and manufacture of medals and symbolic jewelry.
A savoir-faire that is passed down from generation to generation in its French workshops...
The story begins in Lyon in 1830 with Eugène Coquais, a jeweler, who opened his first jewelry store. A few years later, one of these daughters married Charles Augis, a watchmaker, who joined the family adventure by taking charge of the point of sale. But it was above all their son, Alphonse Augis, a true businessman, who took charge of the destiny of the House in 1894, even leaving it his name.
In 1907, Alphonse Augis had the wonderful idea of creating a gold medal, engraved with the verses of a poem by Rosemonde Gérard, wife of the famous writer Edmond Rostand : « Car vois-tu chaque jour je t’aime davantage, aujourd’hui plus qu’hier et bien moins que demain ». He transforms these verses with the symbols “+ than yesterday and - than tomorrow”.
The « Médaille d’Amour » enjoys dazzling success and is exported all over the world. The reason for its success can be explained by its symbolism, which indefinitely touches each generation of lovers, but also by the constant innovation of the House, which has been able to vary patterns, backgrounds and surrounds to make it a jewel adapted to its time. .
Maison A.Augis was taken over by Franck Augis, Alphonse's son, in 1930. He enlarged and modernized the workshops by equipping them with state-of-the-art tools and developed the manufacture of symbolic and religious medals.
The economic crisis of the 1930s and then the war of 1939 made gold impossible to find, so he decided to diversify production by creating souvenir, company or advertising badges and sports badges. It was from 1945 that he rebuilt his jewelry stocks and developed new collections, while maintaining his new activities.
Strengthened by this reputation, Maison Augis multiplies advertising campaigns, highlighting communication methods well ahead of its time. In 1960, it had the largest advertising budget in the jewelry sector in France.
Guy Augis took over as president and built the modern factory for which his father, Franck, had designed all the plans but was unable to realize it, following his sudden death in March 1970.
He adds to the collections of symbolic or religious medals, a collection of jewelry called “Les Petits Riens”, signed with the stylized “A” of A.Augis. The “A” which he declines in chain patterns, clasps, bracelet links and necklaces. It quickly became a reference, synonymous with creation and quality, allowing the House to continue its rise.
Maison A.Augis, now Maison Augis, is now part of the Chevalier group. Strengthened by this alliance, it retains its ancestral and family know-how, while continuing to create and manufacture symbolic medals “made in France”.
The Augis brand is now available in several collections of secular or religious medals, in white gold and yellow gold, made by its expert craftsmen. The emblematic “La Médaille d’Amour” pendant, which has stood the test of time and fashion, is still made in our workshops.
Nearly 200 years after its creation, Maison Augis still shines on the place of medal jewelers, driven by its passion for the profession and its expert savoir-faire.
Story to be continued …
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