And if accepted, they were then regarded as tokens ... out a design, Thomas will spend hours crafting custom spoons for couples who may not be as handy as he is. Each one is a labor of love.

But one old-school token of love—the qu’hier que demain pendant ... I was familiar with this design, but it’s not a style you see often so this set the ball in motion,” she says.

This token of love inspired the maison’s most successful collection – the Serpent Bohème – in 1968 and since then several stunning jewellery pieces have been created as part of this legacy.

This love token, made by a heartsick young man in late 18th-century New England, folds up into a small square. Its flaps are embellished with verses and drawings. John Overholt, a curator at ...