L'Instant d'Apprêts is a story of one woman's eye for the original. Drawn to jewellery but frustrated that everything looked the same, Gaëlle Griffon — creative and full of ideas — taught herself the craft from scratch, inventing her own signature maille: a coloured, varnished copper wire she twists and shapes entirely by hand. What began as a round of markets and exhibitions — the Estivales, the Hivernales, the Thursday markets of Nîmes — eventually found a home of its own, first in a little street in the centre of Montpellier and, since 2014, just a few metres away in a larger, livelier spot on rue du Four des Flammes, a stone's throw from the Saint-Roch church.
More than a jewellery shop, it's a genuine lieu de vie — a family business built on anecdotes and happy memories, where neighbours stop by to chat over a coffee and the talk flows as it would in a small village set right in the heart of the city. Over the years, vernissages and fashion shows have woven themselves into the boutique's story, all of it driven by the same wish: to stay close to the customers and look after them well. Creation, personalisation, and repair sit at the core of the offering, for women, men, and children alike, and Gaëlle still loves to craft her pieces under the kind, attentive gaze of those who drop in.
Alongside her own work, the boutique champions a thoughtfully chosen line-up of mostly French and artisanal brands, each with its own character. There are the made-in-France bracelets of Le Vent à la Française, mixed and adjustable thanks to their lifetime-guaranteed, water-resistant screw cords, in plated gold or silver (roughly €35–45, with the charming Petit Prince range from around €19.50). There's the colourful, carefully made French jewellery of Clo&Lou (bracelets from about €36, necklaces around €49–69), the playful, asymmetric "boucles d'oreilles dépareillées" designed to be mismatched on purpose — some with stones you choose yourself, or even made entirely to measure — and the graphic, soulful pieces of Nataraj Collection (earrings from about €18, sautoirs up to €60). For bags and accessories, the eco-conscious Hindbag brings its zebra, leopard, teddy, and velvet motifs and its practical multipocket Émile (around €16–89), joined by the colourful, functional toiletry pouches and laptop sleeves of La P'tite Cachottière (€30–39), the leather goods of Spikes & Sparrow (€54–90), and the supple leather wallets and satchels of Kaszer, a house going since 1960 (from €15 up to around €205).
Faithful to her values and still relishing each new challenge, Gaëlle has turned L'Instant d'Apprêts into a warm, human, ever-evolving space — and if you can't make it in person, there's an online shop to browse from home. Original, colourful, and full of finds, it's a delightful place to dare to be different and pick up a truly unique, locally made treasure in central Montpellier.