Meeting with Nel who makes magnificent Fumay slate jewelry. Discover his know-how.
Hello everyone !
New article on the blog. Today, I'm going to meet a Dutch girl named Nel de Vlieger. This charming lady and her husband Théo fell, so to speak, in love with the Ardennes 40 years ago and now own a holiday home in Fumay, a town of character with a heavy slate past.
The slate… let's talk about it! If I mention this to you, it is not without reason.
Nel de Vlieger has a particular talent related to slate. Indeed, she uses it as a raw material to create magnificent jewelry and other unique accessories, made from Fumay slate.
My meeting with Nel
We first meet in front of a verdeau in the heart of the town of Fumay. For those who do not know this term, it is in fact a name used by the Scailleteaux (miners) to describe a mound of waste. Indeed, the extraction and manufacture of slate produced a lot of waste.
About 80% of the extracted slate was thus dumped on heaps, locally called "verdeaux".
Nel therefore joins me in front of this verdeau which is today part of the Fumaçien heritage and reminds us of the importance of slate in the XNUMXth century.
Megane : "Hello Nel, how are you?"
Nel de Vlieger : "Very well, thank you, and you?"
MD : "Yes, very good, thank you. So Nel, could you tell us where you get your slates?"
NdV : "Oh, we find them here in Fumay, pretty much everywhere on the ground. I often walk with my back bent. Here in Verdeau, it's forbidden to collect slates. Even on our own property! We've had a small house here for almost 20 years, and even there I find them from time to time."
MD : "How do you choose them? I imagine not all slates are worth taking."
NdV : "No, they have to be two-colored slates. That's what characterizes Fumay slates. Normally, slates are grey, rather unappealing, but look here, there are two colours (green and blue-grey) and we can do something with them."
MD : "And how did you discover the town of Fumay?"
NdV : "Well, we've always traveled...with a tent. And by chance, we came here to the campsite 30, maybe 40 years ago. We immediately loved the region, the nature, the peace and quiet. And then we bought a holiday home in Fumay. The rest of the year we live in the city, where there's a lot of noise, so this is perfect for us. And the people of the Ardennes are friendly!"
MD : "Ah! That's important to clarify. So, getting back to the slates...would you be willing to show us a little of your expertise?"
NdV : "Of course, we're going!"
The making of jewelry
Nel picks up some slates before taking the road to the Vireux-Wallerand tourist office. I set up a table for her on which she puts all her utensils.
Nel shows me how she makes, step by step, her Slate jewelry.
- She chooses the shape she will give to her jewelry
- Then saw, file and sand the edges of the slate.
- She then covers it with a protective varnish and surrounds it with a pewter ribbon.
These are the steps to follow for a simple jewel but Nel also makes more complex accessories such as thimbles, butterflies, matchboxes and much more.
If you want to get one of his magnificent jewels, know that they are on sale in our shop at the Val d'Ardenne tourist office. We have brooches and pendants.
It is an original and above all symbolic gift idea of the Fumaçian heritage that will please your loved ones. Enjoy!
Themes
