What are French Love Medallions?

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A Evermine medaillon beneath the Sainte-Victoire, the mountain that has inspired our creations in Aix en Provence

The Timeless Romantic Tradition Behind Evermine

Some pieces of jewelry are more than beautiful objects—they become memories, symbols and family treasures.

For more than a century, French Love Medallions have represented devotion, timeless romance and meaningful relationships. Worn close to the heart, these precious pendants have been passed from one generation to another, carrying stories of love that never fade.

Today, Evermine proudly continues this French tradition from Aix-en-Provence, creating handcrafted gold medallions inspired by one of France’s most romantic jewelry heritages. Every piece is designed to celebrate love, elegance and the beauty of lasting memories.

A Tribute to the Coquais & Augis Family

The story of the French Love Medallion begins in the Lyon region, one of France’s historic centers of fine jewelry.

Around 1830, Eugène Coquais established a workshop specializing in the creation of religious medals and military decorations. His exceptional craftsmanship laid the foundations of a family tradition that would endure for generations.

A few years later, one of Eugène Coquais’ daughters married Charles Augis. Their son took over the family workshop, expanded its reputation and eventually gave the business the name that would become renowned throughout France: Augis.

By the beginning of the twentieth century, Alphonse Augis, representing the third generation of the family, sought to create something profoundly different. After years devoted to producing military medals, he envisioned a jewel that would celebrate life instead of remembrance, hope instead of loss, and love instead of war.

The Poem That Changed french Jewelry

Alphonse Augis found his inspiration in one of the most beautiful declarations ever written in the French language.

The poet Rosemonde Gérard dedicated these unforgettable words to her husband, the playwright Edmond Rostand:

« Car, vois-tu, chaque jour je t’aime davantage,

Aujourd’hui plus qu’hier et bien moins que demain. »

Rather than engraving the complete verse, Alphonse Augis transformed its closing words into a timeless symbol of growing love.

The Birth of the French Love Medaillon

In 1907, Alphonse Augis introduced what is widely regarded as the first modern French Love Medallion.

Instead of reproducing the full poem, he created an elegant visual language using the plus (+) and minus (–) symbols together with precious gemstones to express the famous words:

“Plus qu’hier, moins que demain.”

This poetic creation became one of the most recognizable icons of French romantic jewelry and has inspired generations of couples ever since.

The Meaning Behind the Symbols

At first glance, the French Love Medallion appears remarkably simple. Yet this simplicity is precisely what has made it timeless.

More than a century after its creation, its message remains universal. It speaks every language because it speaks directly to the heart.

The rebus imagined by Alphonse Augis has no beginning and no end. It does not tell the story of a single moment in life, but of a love that continues to grow beyond the passing of days.

The plus (+) and minus (–) signs are more than decorative elements. They express an idea that every generation can understand: love is never fixed. It evolves, deepens and grows stronger with time.

This is why the French Love Medallion has endured for more than a hundred years. Its beauty lies not only in its craftsmanship, but in the timeless message it carries.

In this rebus, there is no beginning and no end. Only love continues to grow, beyond time and beyond matter.

For Evermine, this is the true meaning of the French Love Medallion. It is not simply a jewel to be worn, but a symbol of a promise that becomes stronger with every passing day.

From Heritage to Evermine

The French Love Medallion has crossed generations because its message is universal.

It reminds us that true love is never frozen in a single moment. It evolves, deepens and becomes stronger with every passing day.

Where time ends, love continues.

This timeless idea became the starting point of Evermine.

Rather than recreating the past, Evermine was born from the desire to continue this remarkable French tradition through a new artistic expression, inspired by Provence, contemporary craftsmanship and meaningful design.

Our signature creation, “Toi & Moi Toujours”, was imagined as a tribute to enduring love.

At its heart, the intertwined T of Toi and the M of Moi become one inseparable symbol.

No letter dominates the other.

Neither exists without the other.

Together, they form a single, harmonious design, expressing two lives united by the same promise.

Just as the original French Love Medallion transformed poetry into jewelry, Toi & Moi Toujours transforms two words into a symbol of everlasting devotion.

It is not only a pendant.

It is a reminder that the strongest love stories are not measured by time, but by the bond that grows stronger every day.

Where time ends, love continues.