Maman et Sophie in France: the Italian House Behind the French Name

People searching Maman et Sophie in France usually assume they are looking for a French brand. The name says mum and Sophie, the lettering is French, and then the parcel turns out to leave from Italy — because the house is Florentine, and has been from the start. Here is what it makes, which pieces are worth knowing, and what a delivery to a French address actually involves.

Why Maman et Sophie in France means an Italian parcel

The workshop is in Florence, the gold is Italian 18-carat, the silver is 925, and the stones are natural. What the French name announces is the register rather than the origin: this is jewellery built around affection — hearts, amulets, little pieces that mark a birth, a reconciliation, a birthday — and it is meant to be worn daily rather than kept for ceremonies. Our catalogue carries over twelve hundred references from the brand, from about 50 € in silver up past 1.500 € in gold with diamonds.

The recurring signature is a small pierced heart that closes a chain or finishes a bracelet. Once you have seen it you spot the brand across a room, which is the whole point of a signature.

Five pieces to know if you are buying Maman et Sophie in France

• CLNUVMXR, 1.145 € — a composite piece: a short choker and a bracelet sold together, priced below the two bought separately, and they detach to be worn apart. The most practical single purchase in the range.
• BRBRL2R ruby heart bracelet, 645 € — 18kt yellow gold, a 10 × 10 mm heart set with rubies, adjustable at 16,5, 17,5 and 19 cm.
• Battito pendant with London blue topaz, 169 € — an 8 × 8 mm gold heart holding a natural stone, with a nylon cord included so it can be worn the day it arrives.
• ORCRP71 koi earring, listed 169 € and 143,65 € as we write — a single hook earring in 925 silver with rose-gold plating.
• And the Pietre Nude chokers, where the gemstones hang with no setting at all: the line that gets found most often outside Italy.

Ring sizes: the one thing worth checking twice

Italian sizes count the inner circumference in millimetres and then take forty off it: a finger measuring 52 mm is a French 52 and an Italian 12. Germany, Austria and Switzerland quote the inner diameter instead (16,5 mm is about an Italian 12), and a British N lands around an Italian 13. Our ring size guide has the full conversion table, and if you are between two numbers write to us before ordering: it is a two-minute answer, and it saves a return.

What delivery to France involves

Nothing exotic. France and Italy are inside the same customs territory, so there is no duty, no clearance fee and nothing to pay at the door; VAT is settled at checkout against the delivery address. The parcel goes out insured, tracked and anonymously packed, and our shipping page quotes two to seven working days for Europe with the exact cost displayed before payment.

Returns, warranty and the bits people forget

Fourteen days to withdraw, twenty-four months of legal warranty of conformity that applies in France exactly as it does in Italy, and the maker's own warranty card inside the box. Necklaces in this range are adjustable across three lengths, which removes the most common reason a jewellery gift has to go back.

Ordering from Italy: what a European buyer actually gets

Cicala Gioiellerie is a jeweller in Genoa, on the Italian riviera. We opened in 1950, we still sell out of a real boutique with a goldsmith's bench behind it, and sending a parcel to Paris, Munich, Vienna or Rotterdam is ordinary Tuesday work. Inside the European Union the mechanics are simpler than most people expect.

• No customs, no clearance fee, no paperwork. Italy and the rest of the Union are one customs territory: the parcel travels as if it came from a shop in your own city.
• VAT is already in the price and is calculated at checkout against the delivery address. Nothing is added at the door, and nothing is hidden before it.
• Insured, tracked, and packed anonymously. Nothing printed on the box says what is inside. The exact delivery cost appears before you pay — see shipping and costs — and Europe is quoted at two to seven working days.
• Two years of legal warranty of conformity, valid across the Union wherever you live, on top of the maker's own warranty card that travels in the box: warranty page.
• Fourteen days to change your mind under the returns policy, with card, PayPal, Apple Pay, Google Pay or bank transfer at checkout.
• A workshop, not a warehouse. What we sell we also repair, in our own workshop — and we answer e-mail in English.

See the Maman et Sophie collection →

Frequently asked questions

Is Maman et Sophie a French brand?

No. The name is French but the house is Italian, based in Florence, working in 18-carat gold and 925 silver with natural stones.

Is there customs duty on delivery to France?

None. Italy and France are in the same customs territory: no duty, no clearance fee, nothing collected on the doorstep. VAT is calculated at checkout.

How long does delivery take?

Our shipping page quotes two to seven working days for Europe. Every parcel is insured, tracked and packed with nothing on the outside identifying the contents.

How do French and Italian ring sizes compare?

They start from the same measurement: a 52 mm finger is a French 52 and an Italian 12. The ring size guide carries the full table.

What does a piece cost?

From around 50 € in silver to over 1.500 € in gold with diamonds. The pieces in this article run from 143,65 € to 1.145 € at the time of writing.