High jewellery is all about fantasy. This year’s creations take you from Manhattan to the French Riviera, to the depths of the Caspian sea. By Goh Yee Huay.
The oceans have always been a rich source of inspiration and myth, so it is little wonder that the French maison – which accords nature a central place in its design aesthetics – should look to them in creating its latest collection.
Like the many facets of the seas, the pieces range in styles from dreamy to playful, delicate to majestic.
It’s a return to its roots for this American jeweller, as it celebrates the glamour and electrifying energy of New York City nightlife. Opting to keep things extremely modern, clean and sculptural, creative director Francesca Amfitheatrof based the entire collection on diamonds and platinum, two key materials that have been prevalent in the maison’s 178-year history.
The results are elegant creations with a strong, architectural quality that call to mind the New York skyline, such as this necklace with a skyscraper-shaped outline, and angular rings, earrings and bracelets.
The jeweller from the City of Light looks to Jodhpur – known as the Blue City for the hypnotic colour of its houses – and the rich traditions of India for this collection. A love letter to the country’s old and modern facets, it was created with the patronage of the Maharaja of Jodhpur.
It features unique materials never before used in high jewellery, namely Makrana marble (the same kind used for the Taj Mahal) in the collection’s defining piece, the Jodhpur Reversible Necklace, and sand from the Thar Desert in the Nagaur necklace.
Its founder was a staunch and well-known believer in the power of symbols and charms. Now, the house of Chanel expounds on this by taking a turn into the mystical realm with this latest collection, which explores the concept of jewellery as talismans of protection, courage and energy.
Based on three medieval quatrefoil patterns, the 50 pieces of jewellery are adorned with precious materials from diamonds, sapphires and cultured pearls to blue tanzanite and orange topazes. The star of the show: the Envoutante necklace, encrusted with 629 diamonds, plus a 3-carat rock nestled in the centre and an 8-carat dazzler hanging below.
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Echoing the sparkling, whimsical personality of the French empress Josephine, and her world of lush gardens and sensual delights, this collection is characterised by feminine curves, tiara-like shapes, and bright touches of joyful colour from gems like sapphires, rubies and emeralds.
The Rondes de Nuit pieces in the collection offer a touch of royal grandeur – each features a central pear-shaped diamond surrounded by baguette-cut diamonds to create a swirling, voluminous look.
The Cannes Film Festival immediately brings to mind movie magic, old-school glamour and blinding star wattage. As the festival’s official partner since 1998, Chopard naturally works these same qualities into its haute joaillerie, which is showcased by beautiful A-list actresses on the event’s famous red-carpeted steps every year.
Like many of their wearers, the pieces in this year’s collection are opulent and seductive, colourful and complex. Cases in point include an exquisite pair of peacock earrings created using multiple-coloured gems, and a sautoir featuring a 25-carat Columbian emerald surrounded by diamond-set lace.
Rather than limit itself to one motif, the maison let its imagination roam free with this venture, which uses the most dazzling materials from all over the world to create spectacular jewellery that evokes diverse places and cultures, from the French Riviera to the Andaman Sea, and tradition-rich India to ancient Greece.
The collection boasts numerous highlights, among them the Etourdissant necklace (previous image), which features a stunning 34.96-carat central diamond that’s perfectly colourless and internally flawless, and the Diamas bracelet, which revives the complex and previously lost art of diamond threading.
The beautiful gardens of the Italian Renaissance take on a new life in this bejewelled interpretation. The highly geometric designs of the sculpted hedges, fine sprays of water from marble fountains, evergreen trees pruned into statue-like forms, and vibrantly coloured garden blooms – all these elements are reflected in the Roman maison’s ode to art and nature.
Among the collection’s definitive pieces are the Sparkling Hearts necklace with fancy- and brilliant-cut diamonds, an adaptable creation that can be worn in a few different ways, as well as the highly intricate Love’s Paradise, featuring a magnificent 125.35-carat sapphire framed by diamonds and emeralds.
The romance of the Silk Route finds expression in this collection, inspired by the two key cities of Venice and Samarkand, known for their artistic and architectural treasures. The mystique of Venetian masked balls and nights are captured in creations such as a cuff bracelet adorned with a bird-flower by lauded feather artist Nelly Saunier, while the colours and magic of the Orient are reflected in pieces like a four-leaved flower-ring set with sapphires, rubies and diamonds that reference the mosaic patterns found in the madrasas of Registan.
An adapted version first appeared in 24:7.
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