July 2, 2024 |
We’re back with another roundup of this season’s finest high jewellery collections unveiled just last week during the Paris couture shows. This time round, we bore witness to boundary-breaking jewellery-making techniques as well as a celebration of the natural world. From water, to light, to flora and fauna, these spellbinding displays of craftsmanship reflect the beauty not just of nature, but of creativity and expression.
Boucheron
Following a transformative journey to Iceland, Boucheron creative director Claire Choisne became enamoured with the element of water. From the country’s majestic waterfalls to its ethereal glaciers, Choisne sought to encapsulate the lifeblood of our planet within a serene high jewellery offering. Unveiled during Paris Couture Week in June, the Or Bleu collection masterfully reflects the vitality of water, translating its essence into stunning compositions using materials like black sand, obsidian and rock crystal. It’s not the first time the maison has used sand in a jewellery collection though. In 2015, sand from the Thar Desert was embalmed in a necklace. This year, black sand is compacted using innovative technology and 3D printing to create the pieces. Elsewhere, intricate diamond arrangements evoke the imagery of ice formations or crashing waves, resulting in extraordinary earrings, shoulder pieces and brooches that celebrate the fluidity and power of water. Boucheron’s commitment to blending heritage with innovation is evident in every piece, as it continuously reimagines the limits of high jewellery design. Zein Karam
Hermès
Pierre Hardy’s latest high jewellery collection for Hèrmes heralds a revolutionary design lexicon, stepping boldly beyond the maison’s classic contours and embracing an exuberant, freeform expression of colour. Drawing on his profound understanding of colour theory, honed through his art studies, Hardy orchestrates a symphony of hues and forms, never before seen at the heritage house. The collection is groundbreaking, crafting a lavish and diverse palette that celebrates the house’s vibrancy. Entitled Portraits de la Couleur, it perfectly encapsulates the essence of light refraction and the interplay between colours and geometric shapes. Hardy’s exploration of these gems has resulted in a series of stunning pieces that deeply resonate with Hèrmes, not only marking a significant departure from convention but also an exhilarating embrace of the future of haute bijouterie. ZK
Tiffany & Co
This couture season, Tiffany & Co. unveils the launch of its new high jewellery collection Blue Book 2024: Tiffany Céleste. Inspired by the celestial themes of 20th-century Tiffany jeweller Jean Schlumberger’s designs, the offering marks the second body of work designed by Nathalie Verdeille, the brand’s chief artistic officer of jewellery and high jewellery and is divided into three facets: Peacock, Shooting Star and Flames. With standout pieces ranging from a cushion-cut tanzanite necklace to a platinum and 18k yellow gold necklace, this release is one of Tiffany’s most exquisite to date. Bella Koopman
Repossi
Repossi knows how to celebrate in style. Marking this season’s couture week with a release that celebrates the 10th anniversary of its classic Serti sur Vide collection, the Italian house reinforces its commitment to perfectly balancing heritage and modernity in its creations. Known for its minimalist designs, a new iteration of the collection is presented to revisit archival designs. Drawing from vintage pieces like a 20-year-old ear cuff designed by creative director Gaia Repossi, the refreshed offering pays homage to the original collection’s elegant simplicity. With a wide-ranging choice of jewels, from a phalanx ring to asymmetric earrings to a plunging necklace, there is something for every diamond-keen magpie. BK
Van Cleef and Arpels
Van Cleef and Arpels goes in a slightly different direction this couture week. Celebrating its longstanding commitment to bringing the culture of jewellery to those outside its immediate clutch, the French house has announced the opening of L’École, School of Jewelry Arts. Stationed on Grand Boulevards in Paris in an 18th-century mansion, the school offers courses, hosts conferences and houses publications on the history of jewellery and gemology. With courses starting this July, the school also stages a free exhibition in collaboration with the Comédie-Française, centring around pieces worn by famous actors since the 1700s. For any Paris-based gemstone enthusiast, it’s not one to miss. BK
Buccellati
Renowned Italian house Buccellati celebrates Paris couture week with a historic flair this season, presenting some of its most iconic pieces in its travelling exhibition The Prince of Goldsmiths. Kicking off in Venice, the display travels to Paris to celebrate the maison’s rich 100-year history, focusing on how its artistry has transcended and evolved across generations. Highlights are plentiful yet stunning, with pieces like the Venezia Butterfly – a masterpiece designed by creative director Andrea Buccellati and his daughter Lucrezia – on offer for the gawking. With other setups like the Gallery of Icons nodding to the brand’s renowned lace technique, it is truly an indomitable showcase. BK
Gucci
This couture season, Gucci gets gardening. Releasing its Labirinti Gucci high jewellery collection, which takes its name from the Italian word for labyrinths, the recent collection draws inspiration from the lush exuberance of gardens in Italy. Featuring 140 exquisite pieces themed around symmetry, geometric patterns and nature in bloom, statement pieces include a cuff that features a 5.93ct Colombian emerald and a necklace that centres around a 56.37ct oval-cut green tourmaline with additional tourmalines in complementary hues. It’s a dazzling display of savoir faire and excellence. BK
De Beers
De Beers taps into its animal instincts for its most recent high jewellery collection. Releasing 58 new pieces this couture week to form an offering entitled Forces of Nature, the South African-British brand emphasises its connection to its African roots. Highlighting the unique synergy between the house’s design studio, master craftspeople and diamond experts, the collection uses four animals to symbolise specific themes prevalent in the brand’s design language. Rough, brown diamonds and pavé-set horns are used to represent the Buffalo, for stability, whilst heart-shaped diamonds and pink diamonds are used to represent the Elephant, for tenderness. Dignity is represented by ‘V’ shaped silhouettes and earthy-hued diamonds intending to symbolise a Giraffe, and spirituality is showcased through ethereal grey and white cushion-cut diamonds, representing a Kudu. A stunning collection, each piece showcases De Beers’ aptitude for creating pieces that are both versatile and breathtakingly stunning. BK
Louis Vuitton
Louis Vuitton’s latest high jewellery collection is a knockout. Celebrating the transformative period of 19th-century France, the offering parallels the house’s beginnings, channelling its ingenuity and savoir-faire. Entitled Awakened Hands, Awakened Minds the release is made up of 220 magnificent pieces, coded by 13 different themes. Headed by LV’s artistic director of watches and jewellery Francesca Amfitheatrof, the collection marks the largest high jewellery collection the designer has ever worked on. Themes range from ‘Splendeur’, a category inspired by an imperial bed’s floral woodwork patterns and featuring rubies sourced in Mozambique, to ‘Elegance’, a diamond-only theme that features graphic, interlocking patterns and LV Monogram star cut stones. Lucky buyers can choose from a vast range of jewelled goodies, from low-hanging necklaces and chokers to chunky hoop earrings. For the royalty among us, a bedazzled tiara is also on offer. An indomitable display of Louis Vuitton’s commitment to exquisite craft and quality, the new collection is truly fit for a queen. BK
Dior
Dior’s new high jewellery collection, Diorama and Diorigami, employs the house’s history to create wondrous pieces that blend its past and present. Diorama, which represents the first chapter of the release, symbolises French art de vivre and the significance of 18th-century influences on Christian Dior‘s success. Dioragami, which marks the second chapter of the release, enhances the collection’s distinct opulence, drawing on shades from deep green emeralds and softer verdant tsavorite garnets to represent themes of flora and fauna. BK
Chaumet
Paris-based maison Chaumet celebrated couture week by releasing a collection that pays tribute to the artistic disciplines of music, dance and magic. Entitled Chaumet en Scène, the collection uses emeralds, sapphires and diamonds to reference the harmonious symphony of a swelling score; tourmalines and rubellites are arranged to reference a lively tango while rubies and diamonds are used to create a shimmering illusion. Illustrating the meticulous craftsmanship Chaumet has become renowned for, it’s a spectacular display of creativity and unmatched skill. BK
Top image: photography courtesy of Dior.
