Another Couture Week in Paris has come and gone, and while the French capital sizzled in the grip of an early summer heatwave, there was still plenty of fabulous ice – in the form of diamonds and gemstones – to be seen.
Here, we round up our favourite pieces from the week’s exclusive presentations – the one-off masterpieces, gem-studded sculptures and incredible artistry that got everyone talking.
BOUCHERON
There’s no denying it – Boucheron’s creative director, Claire Choisne, is a genius when it comes to high jewellery. Continuing last season’s theme of botanical marvels seen in her ‘Untamed Nature’ collection, Choisne has envisioned a stunning new line of jewels entitled ‘Impermanence’, inspired around our increasingly fragile natural world.
Arranged like delicate Japanese ‘Ikebana’ flower arrangements, Choisne has designed six stunning bejewelled sculptures (each with its own vase), ranging from an all-white arrangement – ‘Composition No.1’ – to a pitch-black variation, ‘No. 6’, as a symbolic representation of nature’s vanishing rarity. Each composition is made up of two variations of botanical plants and an insect, with removable elements that can be worn separately all over the body.
One of our favourites, Composition No. 4, consists of a white gold vase holding a curved ‘sprig’ of oat, a pair of cyclamen ‘blooms’, a crawling ‘caterpillar’ and a ‘butterfly’, all meticulously crafted from white gold, diamonds, black spinels, and black lacquer. The flowers can be detached and worn as a bracelet or a brooch, the oat stalk is worn as a hair jewel, as is the butterfly, while the furry caterpillar can adorn your shoulders or lapel as a pin.
In all, this collection took four years to conceive, design and craft – though its breathtaking ingenuity and beauty will ultimately stand the test of time.
CHANEL
Though he is sadly no longer with us, Patrice Leguéreau’s creative vision lives on at the house of Chanel. His latest glittering designs for the maison, conceived before his passing last year, are a joyous celebration of sunset – in particular, that ‘golden hour’ of light which occurs just as the sun begins to dip and illuminates everything with a radiant glow.
“We wanted to create pieces of jewellery that are illuminated by the rays of the sunset and beyond, with those colours blazing across the horizon…Capturing that magical moment between day and night when High Jewellery sparkles on the skin,” said Leguéreau’s colleagues in the brand’s fine jewellery creation studio.
The result? A collection called Reach for the Stars, comprised of assorted cuts of white diamonds arranged into linear necklaces, cuffs bracelets, multi-finger rings and asymmetric earrings, all adorned with celestial symbols that were dear to Coco Chanel (five-pointed stars, winged lions, comets and radiant starbursts) and accented with hints of heavenly colour – think peachy pinks, warm oranges and midnight blues.
Amongst our favourite pieces in the collection were two standout necklaces. Set within the dramatic ‘Wings of Chanel’ Necklace, a singular cushion-cut Padparadscha sapphire of almost 20 carats gleams with a bright peachy-pink hue, surrounded by two wing motifs crafted with pear-cut and round brilliant diamonds, plus a removable line of round and star-set diamonds which can be worn separately as a delicate bracelet. Meanwhile, the ‘Sunny Days’ necklace combines another material admired by Chanel, rock crystal, with an amber-coloured imperial topaz, garnets and sapphires with rosy spinels to dazzling effect.
TASAKI
Continuing its collaboration with the Ritz Hotel Paris – arguably the glamorous epicentre of events during Couture Week each year – Tasaki’s new high jewellery collection is inspired by the sparkling events and surroundings within one of Paris’ most fabulous locations.
Five glittering suites have each been themed around a single precious gemstone – rubies, emeralds, sapphires, diamonds and, of course, pearls – with geometric silhouettes that nod to the hotel’s architecture. The Éveil de la Nature set, for example, pays homage to the incredible verdant hue of emeralds, all framed with white diamonds and set within a vintage-inspired form as a tribute to the hotel’s historic past.
DAVID MORRIS
‘Rare perfection’, the name of David Morris’s latest high jewellery line, reflects an advertising campaign of the same name that the jeweller debuted in the 1970s, as well as the British maker’s never-ending quest for the brightest, boldest and most colourful gemstones that can be found.
The ‘Light of Heart’ earrings, for example, bring together 86 vibrant Argyle pink diamonds – the rarest stones from a mine that is no longer in operation – around a pair of flawless, heart-shaped white diamonds each weighing almost 15 carats, for unparalleled glitter and shine.
Meanwhile, the new Viorea ring reinterprets an archival jewel design, centering on a rare purple spinel, impeccably framed by four different shades of sapphires, interspersed with rows of white diamonds.
MESSIKA
To the shifting sands and wildlife-covered lands and Namibia, which this season has inspired Messika‘s extravagant high jewellery collection called ‘Terres D’Instinct’, itself a celebration of the brand’s 20th anniversary.
Here, the dramatic vistas, incredible animals, and unrelenting sunlight of Southern Africa have given rise to a collection of dramatic jewels – including a suite called ‘Mirage’, which echoes the undulating ripples of Sossusvlei’s sand dunes in brushed yellow gold and mesmeric waves of white diamonds.
Another highlight, the Fauve set, steers clear of a figurative interpretation of Namibia’s lions, instead representing their haunting beauty and power as chunky, pavé diamond jewels that have been violently ‘slashed’ by unseen claws to reveal their yellow gold interiors.
CHAUMET
More earthly delights came courtesy of Chaumet. The Parisian jeweller’s latest creations, “Jewels by Nature”, honours the beauty of botanicals so adored by its most famous client, Empress Josephine, who was a passionate gardener and keen collector of plants.
Three different bejewelled chapters showcase the ultimate in Chaumet’s historic savoir-faire. The first, ‘Everlasting’, features precious parures crafted in tribute to wild and untamed varieties of roses, clovers, fern and field stars, all delicately reimagined in gold and set with vivid gemstones.
A second chapter, entitled ‘Ephemeral’, nods to short-lived blooms such as carnations, sweetshrubs and sword-lilies – all fleetingly beautiful reminders of the passage of time. The final chapter, ‘Reviving’, is the strongest tribute to the Empress’s favourite flowers, namely magnolias, irises, dahlias and water-lilies, which return season after season to delight the senses, alongside tiny birds and insects.
GRAFF
More isn’t always more. Graff picked this Couture Week to debut a single, one-of-a-kind necklace called ‘1963’, in a sentimental nod to the year the jeweller was founded.
Swirling, hoop-like motifs inspired by London of the Swinging Sixties have been sculpted in white gold and intricately set with almost 8,000 custom-cut baguette, oval and round-shaped diamonds, for a dazzling display that mirrors the heady, carefree vibe of the era. A pair of matching earrings and a bracelet completes the dizzying effect.
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