GL Bijoux once employed 400 — its successor's bet on luxury ended in a court sale

The jewellery workshops of Le Cheylard in the Ardèche have a long memory: GL Bijoux once employed more than 400 people there. L'Atelier de l'Eyrieux took over part of that activity in 2014 and rebuilt around it — manufacturing jewellery, including the Georgette pieces created and distributed by Altesse, and metal parts and accessories for luxury houses — from sites at Le Cheylard and Saint-Martin-de-Valamas. Between 2016 and 2019 the company grew double digits every year, reaching around €9 million in revenue.

Then the curve reversed. Activity fell 30% from its 2019 level: the slowdown in the luxury market meant the capacity the workshops had been built around was never filled, and no other growth relay took its place. At the same moment, gold and silver prices surged and jewellery consumption stagnated. On 20 February 2026 the company declared cessation of payments; four days later it asked the Aubenas commercial court for receivership, with its owner Groupe Renaissance saying several investors were already interested in taking it over.

The court process ran four months. On 5 July 2026 the Aubenas court approved a sale plan: Orline, a company from Chabeuil in the Drôme, took over the business with 40 of the 76 jobs, keeping manufacturing and the workshops' artisanal know-how at Le Cheylard, aimed at high-value-added luxury jewellery. The old company itself was liquidated as part of the cession.

The shape of the case: a subcontractor that sized its workshops for a luxury boom that cooled before the bills came due. The craft survived the procedure; the company that invested in it did not.