During Paris Haute Couture Week, jewelry houses are presenting their latest High Jewelry collections. Here, we’re looking at the latest gems from Chaumet, Cindy Chao, Boucheron, and Buccellati.
Courtesy of Chaumet.
Since it was founded in 1780, Chaumet has drawn inspiration from the elements of nature, among which water plays a major role. However, this is the first time in its history that Chaumet has dedicated an entire High Jewelry collection to the sea. Named “Ondes et Merveilles de Chaumet,” it invites the wearer to travel from the water’s edge to underwater treasure hunts. The collection is an extension of the previous “Torsade de Chaumet,” weaving an ode to life and movement. Déferlante captures the wave in motion through interplays of volumes, heights and diamond cuts. Maison signatures, such as head jewels, the toi et moi, and the tiara, are reinvented to be worn in contemporary ways. Outdoing each other in technique and femininity, the transformable pieces make a variety of styles possible: a head jewel becomes a brooch, the sautoir turns into a short necklace, the climber earring comes with two ways of wearing, while the 6.05-carat diamond goes from a ring covering the finger bone to a solitaire mount. The voyage is translated by stones that color the collection with all the nuances of the seas. Gulfstream combines warm and cold colors in two tonal pairings—green and blue, and orange with blue. The Escales parure presents a short necklace with a row of spinels in brick red, singing out against sapphires. In keeping with the Maison’s pearl tradition, Comète des Mers unites stars and sea; gray, mauve, and olive natural pearls dialogue as a necklace on which a multicolored star blooms, crowned with a Padparadscha sapphire. The unisex brooches of Encres playfully interpret the tattoo symbols associated with sailors.
Courtesy of Cindy Chao.
Celebrated art jeweler Cindy Chao presents her Black Label Masterpieces during Haute Couture week at The Ritz Paris. The latest High Jewelry collection showcased her signature coalescence of both artistry and technique, merging the rarest gemstones with innovative designs. Chao recently became the first founder of a High Jewelry Maison and the first Asian jewelry artist to receive the French appointment of Chevalier dans l’Ordre des Arts et Lettres. The 2022 Black Label Masterpiece VII is a Gentlewoman Ribbon Cuff; two cushion-cut yellow diamonds serve as cufflinks, measuring in similar sizes at 6.85 carats and 6.03 carats. They form the central points of a color diffusion evoked by pink sapphires, yellow diamonds, pink diamonds, rhodolites, and purple garnets. 2020 Black Label Masterpiece XI are Emerald Waterfall Earrings. Two cabochon-cut emeralds of similar sizes represent the origin of a waterfall’s vibrant greenery. Rose-cut diamonds are paved on the titanium framework while yellow diamonds are juxtaposed in between. The 2018 Black Label Masterpiece XXI Ribbon Brooch features an 8.03-carat non-heated pigeon’s blood Burmese ruby. The piece was hammered at USD 3.84 million at Sotheby’s Hong Kong Magnificent Jewels and Jadeite Auction, setting the then auction record for an Asian contemporary art jewel.
Courtesy of Boucheron.
Claire Choisne and Boucheron took us Ailleurs, elsewhere, with the newest High Jewelry collection. Boucheron confronted and mixed together worlds and materials one could initially think are contradictory; diamonds met pebbles and burned wood, gold met rattan and meteorite. Choisne imagined five worlds, in which anyone can find a piece of themselves. The Sand Womanset was an invitation to a dream-like desert; in a majestic Gazellering, the tenderness of her onyx eyes contrasted with the vigor of her horns, set with baguette diamonds. A 2.15-carat diamond shined proudly on her forehead. Leaf Woman was saturated with vibrant tropical colors; the Feuillage Diamant (Diamond Leaf)cuff bracelet was adorned with a 37.97-carat green tourmaline and played with the appearance of a plant weaving. Earth Woman invited us to celebrate the power of nature through primal geology; the Papillon Diamant (Diamond Butterfly) single earring delicately rested on the top of the ear, vibrating as real beetle wings, while a pear-shaped diamond surrounded the earlobe. Pebble Woman was interpreted in the Galet Diamant (Diamond Pebble) necklace; authentic white pebbles were scooped out and became almost translucent, adorned with gold tattoos, pear-shaped and brilliant-cut diamonds. Volcano Man explores the magmatic power of an extreme world; burned wood met the clean lines of the minimalistic Bois Brûlé Diamant (Diamond Burned Wood) necklace. Three thousand-year-old marsh oak was charred according to the Japanese “Chou Sugi Ban” technique. Its association with diamonds revealed a powerful and unexpected contrast.
Courtesy of Buccellati.
Buccellati showcased never-before-seen pieces from its Vintage collection at its rue Saint Honoré boutique. The creations displayed were rooted in the Buccellati family’s history and symbolic of the stylistic evolution of the Maison. The jewelry selected, dating from the ‘40s to the ‘90s, has cult status. Distinctive was the use of rare stones with extraordinary colors, mixed with white and yellow gold, carved like laces. The brand’s hand-engraving technique dates back to the ancient goldsmithing traditions during Renaissance times. The Vintage collection is the result of a delicate and careful operation to build on the brand’s creative heritage. Over the past few years, research has seen more than 20,000 original drawings, 500 molds, and over 6,000 photographs archived. Each creation featured in the collection was either kept in its own original period case or a specially designed case to reproduce the style of the original. Pieces in the Vintage collection will be available for purchase at selected boutiques around the world (Milan, Rome, Paris, London, New York, and Los Angeles). Buccellati Vintage ambassadors will reveal secrets and previously unheard details about each piece. The collection aspires to be an experience that immerses seasoned connoisseurs and recent converts into the maison’s artistic past.
