, The Times
Just as the price of gold exceeded £3,500 per ounce, so January’s Paris Couture jewellery presentations began with some of the world’s top jewellers showing their latest one-off, price-on-application creations. Luckily the enduring gold rollercoaster (the price has since dipped) doesn’t appear to have put the maisons off, with Dior, Boucheron, Cartier and Graff among those presenting collections.
Dior: Belle Dior, the Soleil Céleste necklace
The Soleil Céleste necklace took 2,300 hours to complete
ANNA LEROY
It’s not uncommon for jewellery brands to labour the point about how long it takes to make their pieces. After all it takes immense skill to create a flawless jewel. Dior has upped the ante, however, with this hero necklace from its 57-piece collection Belle Dior, presenting a bib creation that took 2,300 hours to complete. Bringing together three universes well explored by Monsieur Dior — couture, flora and fauna, and celestial — makes for a rich, tapestry-like expression full of hidden details, micro-craftsmanship and elaborate stone setting, with a significant fancy vivid yellow diamond at its heart. Tiny elements such as turquoise-backed opal moons, orange diamond flowers, white diamond stars and milgrain settings all create a dense but low-volume layer of gems and metal, just like a swatch of couture fabric hand-embroidered in the Avenue Montaigne ateliers. Victoire de Castellane’s ability to bring whimsy, magic and delicate artistry to such creations remains unmatched.
Soleil Céleste necklace in white and yellow gold, yellow, orange and white diamonds, opals and turquoise, POA, dior.com
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Chaumet: the Envol collection
Chaumet Envol necklace with diamonds and a blue vitreous enamel
Wings have been a part of this historic maison since the first sketch of them appeared in 1810. As a symbol they proved popular with Chaumet’s clientele, representing romance and a new-found freedom for women at the turn of the century. One of the most iconic jewels that resides in the archives belonged to the American sculptor, patron and art collector Gertrude Vanderbilt Whitney, who commissioned a platinum wing tiara set with diamonds and blue vitreous enamel. As with many designs like this, the wings could be detached from the headband and worn as a pair of brooches. In homage Chaumet has launched the nine-piece Envol (French for “taking flight”) with a tiara that can be converted into a handheld mask as the masterpiece at its centre. Blue grand feu replaces the vitreous enamel, due to its saturation and ability to create a dégradé of colour. Belles of the ball only need apply.
Envol tiara in white gold, grand feu enamel, sapphire and diamonds, POA, chaumet.com
David Morris: Legacy of Colour collection
The David Morris Fearne earrings in white gold, fancy coloured diamonds and white diamonds
Colour has always been part of the David Morris signature, from pink diamonds to turquoise-blue Paraiba tourmalines and the greenest emeralds. Now Jeremy Morris has raided the family vaults and pulled some of his most special and colourful stones, collected over decades, for a singular offering. Expect a 23.41-carat Padparadscha sapphire ring that he describes as “the finest Padparadscha I’ve ever owned”, a 41.38-carat natural pearl ring (the largest-known near-spherical one in the world) and a choker and earring suite set with a spectrum of fancy coloured diamonds. Heady stuff.
Radiant Lotus ring in rose and white gold, Ceylon Padparadscha sapphire, pink and white diamonds, POA; Queen of the Sea ring in white gold, natural pearl, fancy green, pink and orange diamonds and white diamonds, POA; Fearne necklace and earrings in white gold, fancy coloured diamonds and white diamonds, POA; davidmorris.com
Boucheron: Nom: Boucheron, Prénom: Frédéric
The Silhouette Necklace from Boucheron in white gold and diamonds
No one reinterprets their archive as successfully as Claire Choisne at Boucheron. This time she has paid tribute to its founder, Frédéric Boucheron, and reimagined four of his designs, adding scale, volume and her signature graphic style. A particular standout is a pair of shoulder brooches/epaulettes that transform into a necklace and bracelets; they are inspired by a jewelled shoulder ornament from circa 1880 but are now set with ropes of swinging diamonds. The maison’s signature “question mark” necklace, meanwhile, is fashioned as a diamond trail of ivy based on an original 1879 sketch that never got made.
The Silhouette multiwear necklace/shoulder brooches in white gold and diamonds, POA; the Untamed multiwear necklace in white gold, diamonds and rock crystal, POA; boucheron.com
Graff: High Jewellery suite
Graff 31-carat emerald-cut sapphire necklace with pear-shape sapphires and emerald-cut and pear-shape diamonds
The British house Graff has introduced a more contemporary aesthetic of late and it has doubled down on it with this choker and earrings set. Inspired by a drop of water as it hits a pool, pear-shaped diamonds and sapphires radiate away from a rare central 31-carat emerald-cut sapphire. Matching earrings complete this impactful suite.
High Jewellery necklace and earrings in white gold, diamonds and sapphires, POA, graff.com
De Beers: Vibrations, the Echo necklace
De Beers Echo necklace in white gold and diamonds
De Beers was busy this couture season, opening a new flagship on Rue de la Paix and presenting chapter one of a new collection, Vibrations, with the Echo necklace. Referencing again the countries of origin of its diamonds, the collection pays homage to the passage of water as it travels through Namibia, South Africa, Botswana and Canada. Echo is specific to Namibia, with a radiating 193-carat white diamond design inspired by the ripples formed by a pebble dropped into the Fish River Canyon. An incredibly rare fancy intense blue diamond sits at the centre, while the entire necklace can be split into a tiara, bracelet and earrings.
Echo necklace in white gold and diamonds, POA, debeers.co.uk
Cartier: En Équilibre, the Ondora necklace
Ondora necklace in white gold, chrysoprase, spinels, diamonds and turquoise
MAXIME GOVET/CARTIER
With this third chapter, Cartier has now completed its En Équilibre collection, unveiled in early summer last year. Four high-jewellery necklaces demonstrated its customary flair for graphic compositions and exacting design. My favourite one, Ondora, mixes chrysoprase beads and cabochons with spinels and accents of turquoise. With a playful tassel at the front and an adjustable one at the back, the movement, luminosity and softness is explained by its jellyfish inspiration.
Ondora necklace in white gold, chrysoprase, spinels, diamonds and turquoise, POA, cartier.com
