Chaumet debuts new high jewellery collection Le Jardin de Chaumet

By Maria Jakobsen

A deep and intimate connection with nature has been an integral part of Chaumet’s identity since Marie-Étienne Nitot founded the brand in 1780. The French jeweller would sign his letters with “naturalist jeweller”, a description still close to the heart of Chaumet today. The newest high jewellery collection Le Jardin de Chaumet is divided into four chapters, each showing a fascination with Earth’s varied flora. 

Across the four chapters – Woods & Undergrowth, Fields, Flowers, and Bouquets of the World – the collection has meticulously chosen its gemstones to evoke emotion, while also paying homage to nature as the source of these stones. Some of the diamonds take cues from heritage styles, featuring an 8/8 cut with 17 facets, which can be considered the ancestor to the brilliant cut – today’s most popular diamond shape.

Chapter one of Le Jardin de Chaumet begins in the woods, and takes inspirations from lush undergrowth, from ferns to mistletoe, and majestic trees. 

Seven pieces, a parure designed to be worn together in various combinations, are graceful interpretations of mistletoe. The shape of the interlaced 8/8 diamond ribbons, dotted with pearl fruits, directly mimic the shapes and white berries of the mistletoe plant. The necklace features an impressive 21.59-carat Colombian cushion-cut emerald, while a transformable ring is topped by an emerald of more than 10 carats.

The Fougère parure consists of eight pieces inspired by the way ferns shine in dappled sunlight. The use of different sized diamonds which taper down in size forms the light shape of the leaves, while the setting techniques create an illusion of gaps between the stones, transforming them into dewdrops tipping the leaves. The parure taps into Chaumet DNA, such as with a signature tiara, and the brand’s focus on transformative pieces with a brooch which doubles as a hair clip and earrings with removable diamonds to create multiple styling possibilities.

Chapter two moves from the depths of the forest to open fields, with pieces inspired by wheat gilded by the sun and vines awaiting harvest. 

Wheat has become a Chaumet signature, repeatedly revisited ever since the wheat ear tiaras created for Empress Joséphine and Empress Marie-Louise. For this new collection, Chaumet takes inspiration from wheat crackling in the sun. Set in yellow gold, the necklace can be worn three different ways, and has four matching pieces, including a 5.05-carat transformable ring.

Pansy, tulip, iris and arum are the inspiration behind Le Jardin de Chaumet’s third chapter. Continuing their commitment to realistic recreations of nature through high jewellery, the eight pieces inspired by the pansy flower are carefully constructed using complex stone settings. 

The four Iris inspired pieces include a transformable necklace bearing a magnificent 24.26-carat cushion-cut spinel. The intense colour of the stones highlights the iris’ texture and serrated edges, creating a delicate pink jewellery set.

A testament to Chaumet’s openness to all inspiration, the fourth and final chapter Bouquets of the World takes inspiration from some of the world’s most beautiful plants. 

Five pieces that celebrate the African plant Agapanthe are steeped in a rich blue, featuring a 21.26-carat oval-cut Ceylon sapphire. The Chrysanthème inspired five pieces, its blue and yellow sapphires representing a union between the cultures of where the plant is found. 

Another three pieces take inspiration from the Magnolia in its radiant burst of gold and diamonds. This parure is faithful to Chaumet’s long goldsmithing tradition, writing a new chapter in this part of the brand’s history with a flower motif opening on a unique 3-carat Taille Impératrice diamond.

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