Dazzling Days in Paris

Haute Couture. For years, Paris fashion week has been synonymous with more than the catwalk shows dedicated to exclusive custom-fitted clothing. Indeed, as the shows unfold, legendary maisons such as Van Cleef & Arpels, Boucheron, Piaget and Chanel, among others, present their new collections of fine jewellery. Here is a sneak peek.

Text by Katerina Perez

LOUIS VUITTON JOAILLERIE Blossom Haute Joaillerie

Blossom High Jewellery collection is a story of metamorphosis with the four-petalled Monogram Flower constantly reinventing itself. Always the same and yet never identical, the abstract flower becomes even more precious because of sophisticated juxtapositions of jewellery-making techniques, sculpture, gem-cutting and “Grand Feu” enameling. The key motif takes different forms and cascades down the jewels in a stepped effect or as a trompe l’oeil illusion. Contrasting materials heighten the reverberations – matte against shiny, opaque next to crystalline. Precious gemstones take centre stage in every piece from a sautoir with a 43.05-carat beryl to a pair of earrings with magnificent crimson spinels. Only the best and the rarest precious and ornamental gemstones are chosen to embellish Louis Vuitton jewels, and only the most spectacular end up in the high jewellery collections. The Blossom range consists of seven superb necklaces – including the talismanic pendants – and over sixty rings, bracelets and sets of earrings.

BOUCHERON

26 Vendôme

26 Vendôme collection, named after the flagship boutique’s location, is an ode to brand’s creativity and the genius of its founder Frédéric Boucheron. Divided into ‘Nature Triomphante’, ‘Architecture Inspiré’ and ‘Porté Couture’, it highlights 3 various stylistic themes that were equally important for the maison’s founder. The first theme pays tribute to Boucheron’s beloved nature which has been prominent in its collections since the foundation in 1858. Being an ardent admirer of abstraction, Frédéric Boucheron introduces geometry in his creations, whether in the form of perfect shapes or the pure lines of Art Deco. This facet of the maison is explored in ‘Architecture Inspiré’ and has become the second theme. The third one, ‘Porté Couture’, is dedicated to Haute Couture, various fabrics and materials. With this theme Boucheron’s creative director Claire Choisne brings together the realms of High Fashion and High Jewellery and fuses them into one. 26 Vendôme. Style as legacy.

CHANEL Les Blés de Chanel

The high-jewellery collection «Les Blés de CHANEL» celebrates the fundamental element of Gabrielle Chanel’s world, the wheat, for the first time. This is the eternal symbol of regeneration, abundance, luck, prosperity and endless creativity, but for Gabrielle Chanel’s father, wheat had a special meaning of all that was good and wholesome. The collection, consisting of 62 high jewellery pieces, watches and one art object, follows the life cycle of wheat. White and yellow gold pieces encrusted with multi-coloured diamonds as well as coloured gemstones appear like a wheat field swaying in the breeze. The key piece in the Les Blés de CHANEL collection, "Fête des Moissons" necklace, is crowned with a magnificent 25-carat cut-cornered rectangular- modified fancy intense yellow diamond that stands out among over a thousand stones. To complete the set Chanel designers created a ring, a bracelet and a pair of earrings that together create a delightful ensemble.

BUCCELLATI Unique Jewellery Pieces

The eponymous Italian brand presented a number of unique high-jewellery pieces made in the best tradition of Buccellati by using its signature techniques. A number of necklaces, cuff bracelets, drop earrings and cocktail rings debuted during the Haute Couture week in a very special way. Buccellati teamed up with the renowned fashion brand Giambattista Valli to put up an unforgettable fashion show where jewellery played just as important a role as the gorgeous outfits. Perfectly matching the elegant cocktail and evening dresses presented by Giambattista Valli, which are reminiscent of the volumes of the Renaissance gowns, Buccellati jewels stood out for their opulence and appeal. Amidst impressive ruffles and rhinestone flowers, the precious stones and diamonds sparkled like stars, especially the yellow gold necklace with a pendant featuring an impressive oval emerald. In a blaze of silk, impalpable voile and embroideries, Buccellati cuff bracelets, necklaces and earrings showed their affinity with precious fabrics while arousing the same emotions and admiration.

BULGARI Magnificent Inspirations

Striking, bold, extraordinary: Bulgari’s style is magnifico. Inspired by its ancient Roman past, Bulgari designs are always connected with the art and architecture of its homeland, recalling the magnificence of the Eternal City in each of its visionary creations. In the new Magnificent Inspirations high jewellery collection, Lucia Silvestri, Bulgari’s creative director of jewellery, savours all things Italian – the blues of the Mediterranean, the pinks of Roman sunsets, the golds of an ancient age. She captured the colours, light, and expressiveness of her homeland and divided them into three facets of inspiration: daring Italian Extravaganza, romantic Mediterrabean Eden, and mythical Roman Heritage. Celebrating the soul of Rome with daring styles, gem-studded breathtaking necklaces, elegant earrings, gorgeous rings and spectacular bracelets featuring sophisticated gem combinations and voluptuous proportions making the jewels feminine, spirited and bold.

DIOR JOAILLERIE

Dior à Versailles

Dior Joaillerie Creative Director Victoire de Castellan dedicated her latest high-jewellery collection to various decorative art details within the Château de Versailles. It being the icon of luxury and the French art of living, this palace is a Dior destination par excellence. A crystal tassel from a chandelier, a curtain tieback in the royal apartments, a bow from the detail work on Rococo-style furniture, the woodwork in the Hall of Mirrors, candelabras and mirror frames, the graphic arrangement of parquetry – all of these elements have been entwined into the design of charismatic jewels in one way or the other. An interesting element of this collection is the oxidised silver that has been used on certain settings. It lends depth to the pieces and conveys a mystery inspired by 18th-century jewellerymaking techniques. “I tried to imagine Versailles by night, with its interior illuminated by candlelight that made gemstones sparkle,” de Castellan explains.

PIAGET The Sunny Side of Life

The Sunny Side of Life is a new chapter in the philosophy of the maison, whose cornerstone is radiance. It highlights a unique glow, contagious joy and creative vivacity inspired by a sunny disposition. Everything in the new collection contributes to propagating a charismatic radiance and personality: incandescent gold, gems with vivid, contrasting colours, the brilliance of the precious metals and the sparkle of the stones. All jewellery creations feature the unique imprint of the maison Piaget. The collection boasts 150 pieces which are created using a variety of jewellery techniques. Mesh-woven, finely chased, hammered, decorated, cabled, interpreted in leaf or wire form: gold, the radiant material that reigns supreme at Piaget, is finely crafted and explored in this collection. Constantly open towards the world and its talent, the maison has once again chosen to cooperate with the feather artist Nelly Saunier who contributed to the creation of the one-of-a-kind ‘Life is a Party’ cuff bracelet.

VAN CLEEF & ARPELS Émeraude en Majesté

The Émeraude en Majesté collection bears witness to the special attachment that Van Cleef & Arpels has always felt for emeralds. By creating a set of interpretations that reveal the beauty and character of Colombian and Zambian stones, the French maison pays tribute to all green beryls. Undulating lines, abstract motifs and associations of colours magnify the emeralds in all their nuances and cuts. Each piece, whether it be a sumptuous sautoir, a pair of gorgeous earrings or a show-stopping cocktail ring, is designed especially to emphasize the beauty of the stones that embellish it. Over 1,400 carats of emeralds have been carefully selected by Van Cleef & Arpels’ expert gemmologists for the high-jewellery pieces thanks to their evenly saturated colour, deep hue and amazing purity. It is a feat made possible by the transmission of a skill and an eye through three generations of experts, over the course of more than a century.

CHAUMET La Nature de Chaumet

Ever since its foundation in 1780, Chaumet has been creating nature-inspired jewellery that has captivated hearts of many. The new La Nature de Chaumet high-jewellery collection re-interprets the maison’s founding sources of inspiration while revealing its vision of nature. Four themes, the laurel, the wheat, the oak and the lily, imagined by the creative director Claire Dévé-Rakoff, were chosen to create new chapters in the maison’s history. La Nature de Chaumet collection is the symbolic herbarium with motifs being alternatively ultra- figurative or stylised, adorning jewels that are either opulent or simple, but always full of volume and movement. They are embellished with a variety of precious gemstones that were selected beyond traditional diamonds, rubies, sapphires and emeralds. Black and white opals, Paraiba-type and indicolite tourmalines as well as spinels took centre stage in the latest creations by the legendary brand.