The absence of a core designer had a significant impact on the Lacloche brand. Their original chief designer was a core member of their family, which meant they had no connections to fall back on in this regard.
What's more, such design masters are not as common as cabbages in a field that you can find just anywhere. Most designers already have their own established partnerships, making it difficult to find a suitable candidate.
After repeated searching, they realized that throughout Europe, only Liang En, a non-professional jewelry designer, met their requirements, as he had no fixed high-end jewelry collaboration partners.
Although Liang En had partnered with Indians to create his own brand, the fast-fashion luxury jewelry aimed at young people was not seen by the Lacloche family as a threat to their brand.
As for his collaboration with the Duris family, that was another matter. While the two had considerable cooperation, and Liang En's relationship with Joan could be easily discovered with a little inquiry, Liang En was indeed not a subordinate of the Duris family jewelry brand.
Especially for the Lacloche family, Liang En's collaboration with the Duris family leaned more towards an emotional connection rather than a commercial one. Therefore, this was the perfect opportunity to invite Liang En to provide assistance to their brand.
More importantly, Liang En's design style included both historical and Eastern Huaxia elements, and his paintings also reflected a true grasp of luxurious styles, which perfectly aligned with Lacloche's traditional brand aesthetic.
Thus, in the eyes of the brand, Liang En could be considered a top-level jewelry designer gifted to them by heaven, capable of perfectly interpreting the brand's design style.
As for why they were willing to offer 50% of the shares, it was because the brand was now almost forgotten, making it almost as difficult as starting a new brand. As a result, the brand's value was undoubtedly low.
However, only 15% of the so-called 50% of the shares were actually being gifted. The remaining 35% represented the upper limit of original shares that Liang En and his team were allowed to purchase with their investment.
The reason they were willing to accept the investment was also straightforward. After all, their family's tradition had always been to welcome investments from others, and this time was no exception.
"In fact, this jewelry brand is a very valuable investment." Elizabeth also had her own opinion on the investment, "So I personally suggest that agreeing to their cooperation proposal is more appropriate."
"Alright, I understand. I'll seriously consider this suggestion." After hearing Elizabeth's advice, Liang En hung up the phone and began to analyze the situation. The analysis results were consistent with Elizabeth's conclusion.
After all, Elizabeth was definitely a professional in this field, so there was no doubt about her analysis, at least compared to Liang En and Joan, who were amateurs.
Thus, three days later, after completing the final handover of artifacts in Russia, Liang En went to Paris to meet with Elizabeth. Together, they started negotiations with members of the Lacloche family.
The negotiations mainly revolved around numerous details, such as the obligations that Liang En would need to fulfill as a consultant. There were many aspects worth negotiating.
Although the financial part had been negotiated earlier, there were still many details that required thorough discussion and time.
Fortunately, the Lacloche family also understood that Liang En did not rely on jewelry design for a living and could not dedicate as much time as those professionals, so they made some concessions on the obligations he needed to fulfill, ultimately reaching an agreement.
According to the contract, Liang En needed to design two sets of complete jewelry or six individual pieces per year. The two options could be exchanged at a ratio of 1:3. Any designs exceeding these numbers would require appropriate remuneration for Liang En.
Meanwhile, apart from the brands designated by the Duris family, Lacloche had priority access to high-end jewelry designs and could offer suggestions for the design direction once a year.
This meant they had one opportunity each year to order designs from Liang En, though it was merely a suggestion. However, in most cases, people would generally agree to such requests. This was considered the service they should receive for paying such a high price.
"I'm glad we were able to successfully reach a cooperation agreement." After the three days of negotiations were completed, the young man leading the Lacloche team, named Benjamin, stood up and shook hands with Liang En. "May I ask if you're available now?"
"I do have some free time. At least from now until winter, I have no field archaeology plans." After thinking seriously about it, Liang En responded. "Is there something you need?"
"Ah, yes. In October, there will be an important exhibition in Paris. I hope we can use it as the venue for our first appearance in decades, but we currently lack a showcase product—"
For a brand that had been dormant for decades, even if it had once been on par with Cartier, it could now only be considered a shadow of its former self. To rise again, they had no choice but to start from scratch.
So, naturally, they placed great importance on this first appearance, hoping to make a splash at the exhibition. And for a jewelry company like theirs, the only thing they could showcase was top-tier jewelry.
"I see. You want to showcase a set of autumn-themed jewelry. This design might be challenging, but not too difficult—though you'd better tell me your budget." After hearing the request, Liang En thought for a moment and said.
"If you've done your background research, you should know that I don't usually pay much attention to the materials in my designs. But since you want to make a big splash at a top-level exhibition, the materials used in the jewelry naturally have to be of high quality."
"We are well-prepared for that. We have a complete set of top-grade multicolored gemstones from Sri Lanka, each with large carat weights, high clarity, and natural origins." Benjamin responded.
"If you're willing, we can send the gemstones over to you right now, and all you need to do is complete everything by the scheduled time."
Benjamin was well aware that Liang En was a dual master, not only a jewelry design master but also a jewelry crafting master. So, after hearing Liang En's words, he immediately realized that Liang En was willing to take on the entire process from design to creation.
Undoubtedly, this was a good thing. Compared to the usual practice of having a designer create a design and then having artisans craft it, having the same person handle both design and creation was the best way to ensure a perfect result. However, very few people possessed both skills.
Therefore, Benjamin immediately expressed that he would hand over all the raw materials to Liang En as soon as possible, making it easier for him to proceed with the design and crafting work.
Of course, this was not a common practice. Most jewelry companies would set various restrictions on the jewelers when they made jewelry, rather than simply handing over the gemstones to the maker with such trust.
However, Liang En's reputation was reliable enough, and even when compared to these century-old families, he was their equal. So, Benjamin chose to give the gemstones directly to Liang En, avoiding any offense and ensuring Liang En wouldn't feel insulted.
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