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Guillemette l'Hoir jewellery
 François SCHOENLAUB first discovered Galalith (or French bakelite ) in 1976.
A batch of Art Déco jewellery arrived from a shop in Spain, and included certain pieces
signed Auguste Bonaz. Others were a mix of chrome metal and GALALITH. He learnt that they were of German origin.
He was immediately enchanted by this jewellery, and travelled to OYONNAX (France) to find out about Auguste Bonaz. He found that the factory had virtually stopped production. He was quick to understand the possibility of using this material for contemporary jewellery.
14 years in advertising had given him a certain creative astuteness. He contacted a French factory which still produced GALALITH and set up the company GUILLEMETTE L'HOIR - PARIS (named after his companion of the time).
He designed and produced his first collection of jewellery - refined and minimalist in style, with instant success.
He mixed GALALITH with other materials - precious wood, plexiglass, horn, black rubber - each piece cut and crafted by hand and then polished. He invented subtle ranges of colour, taking inspiration from the major creative trends of the time, notably the Memphis group, resulting in eye-catching jewellery.
He was asked by the Museum of Decorative Arts in Paris to make jewellery to add to their basic collections.
Nearly 30 years have passed, and the aim of this site is to reference, present and make known these creative works, and also to promote the use of a material which has almost disappeared.
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