From Tiffany & Co’s Blue Book to Hermes’ bold designs, this year’s High Jewelry showcase was like no other
French culture has long been held up as the ne plus ultra for elevating the everyday to the sublime: from bread and butter to personal jewelry. Each year during Haute Couture Fashion Week, the grand Maisons of Place Vendôme take adornment to what can only be described as the next next next level. This July in, anticipation of the Paris Olympics, each designer has truly gone for the gold… and natural diamonds.
Boucheron
Diamonds have long been known as ice, so an inspirational trip to Iceland may not seem out of the ordinary for a jewelry house. However, in the hands of Boucheron Creative Director, Claire Choisne, the result is otherworldly. Take, for example, the Cascade necklace which, at 148 centimeters, is the longest piece ever made in their ateliers. The team was struck by the beauty of a waterfall coursing down a sheer rock face. Looking at the piece, you immediately see the reference. The necklace is white gold set with white natural diamonds and, as is customary for the Maison, is convertible into a pair of earrings and a (somewhat) shorter necklace. 3000 hours of craftsmanship were needed to complete the piece.
Buccellati
Appropriately first launched in Venice in April, Buccellati brought The Prince of Goldsmiths collection to Paris. It is a celebration of the last century of innovation by the Maison. “The classics offer the pleasure of rediscovery, evoking timeless worlds of elegance, art, and nature. Reinterpreting them means reinterpreting millennial traditions and forms with an always up-to-date look”, said Andrea Buccellati, Creative Director and Honorary President of the Maison. The masterpiece of the collection is undoubtedly the Venezia Butterfly, designed by Andrea and his daughter co-creative director and brand ambassador, Lucrezia Buccellati. The piece comprises 270 round brilliant natural diamonds, 50 marquis-cut natural diamonds, and 2 pear-shaped diamonds weighing over 13 carats.
Cartier
Not to be satisfied showing one collection of extraordinary bijoux, Cartier debuted two. The first half of Le Voyage Recommencé high jewelry is titled Nature Sauvage and is an ode to the beauty of Africa. Each piece is meant to be the impression of a moment where nature has surprised. These earrings and ring, named White Achillee, named for a wildflower composed of tiny blooms. The ring and earrings are platinum set with diamond briolettes and brilliant cut-diamonds
While not strictly high jewelry, Cartier dedicated a second room to the latest incarnation of Cartier Libre, where the Maison lets their imagination free, but pieces can be ordered upon request. The above pieces, titled Opposites Attract, certainly do. Orderly lines of natural diamonds are transposed by bubbling golden beads or chrysoprase. This is a good metaphor for a house characterized by the perfection of their savoir-faire and the joyfulness evident in sharing it.
Chopard
The world of haute couture and high jewelry is indeed a fantasy but for Caroline Scheufele, the co-president and artistic director of the Maison, it’s a fairy tale. The Red-Carpet Collection, named Contes des Féees, already enchanted the crowds at the Cannes Film Festival and then spent a week in the Chopard suite at their newly opened luxury hotel off Place Vendôme. These earrings are set in ethical 18-carat white gold featuring two squared-cut fancy intense yellow diamonds of nearly 40 carats and set with over 10-carats of pear-shaped and 7-carats of marquise-cut, with a smattering of brilliant-cut diamonds.
De Beers
Force of Nature highlights the wildlife of Southern Africa where the jewelry company discovers so many stunning natural diamonds. The choker above features cushion cut fancy intense yellow diamonds weighing over five carats, set in yellow gold with a fringe that represents the mane of the mighty lion.
Hermès
Creative director Pierre Hardy has never been one to shy away from bold designs and color and his new collection Les Formes de La Couleur needs to translation and really no introduction. The pieces are a master class in bravery and simplicity. “This collection expresses color in shapes. I wanted to find a way to express this fundamental phenomenon – of color, at Hermès – and build a strong, autonomous and independent identity.” The necklace is set in rose gold with three emerald-cut diamonds between 1.2 and over 2.5 carats, yellow, orangey-pink, pink, blue, and green sapphires, tsavorite and spessartite garnets, amethysts, and delineated by baguette-cut and brilliant-cut diamonds.
Messika
The party continues at Chez Messika with Midnight Opus, Chapter Two. Valérie Messika takes inspiration from the first light of dawn and shot the collection on Parisian supermodel Natalia Vodianova, who looks fresh as a daisy after a night out. The White Midnight Sun set takes high jewelry for a Neo Eighties spin with 2400 natural diamonds meticulously set around a 3.55-carat pear-shaped diamond in a yellow gold bezel.
MIKIMOTO
The current frenzy for bows is not news to Japanese Jewelry House Mikimoto. Long a motif in their fine jewelry collections, the latest High Jewelry outing is a master class in how it’s done. Simply named, “The Bows,” Mikimoto used their signature akoya pearls alongside over 40 carats of brilliant and rose cut natural diamonds set in 18K white gold to create this set meant to evoke lace on skin.
Pasquale Bruni
Ensconced in a newly opened suite at the Hotel Costes, Pasquale Bruni brought the spirit of Italy to Paris Haute Couture. In their first showing at Haute Couture, the brand showed suites of natural diamond jewelry, brought to life on models inhabiting the luxurious atmosphere. The above, one-of-a-kind belt features nearly 15 carats of white diamonds, set in white gold, worn with a selection of iconic pieces from the collection.
Pomellato
The Dualism of Milan is the theme for Pomellato’s latest high jewelry outing. The city of the brand’s birth contains a secret world behind the elegant gray facades of the medieval edifices. Milan. The collection encompasses two chapters: “Milan’s Monochromatic Treasures” and “Milanese Color Prism.” From the first section, the Arengario necklace is a tribute to the iconic Palazzo dell’Arengario in Piazza del Duomo, the historic soaring shopping arcade. A rose gold chain spangled with white and brown diamonds represents the sun hitting the iconic façade.
Tasaki
The Ritz Paris has been the stage for some of the most enduring dramas of the modern age: F. Scott and Zelda, Coco, and Colette. The bar is named after Hemingway for a reason. The Japanese jewelry Maison, Tasaki, took the occasion to create a collection in partnership with the storied hotel. Four chapters take inspiration from the 125-year history of the hotel and the legendary guests. Below, the necklace from the Lumineux suite references the balls thrown by the Ritz’s founder, César Ritz. Tasaki crafted the piece from 18kt white gold, white and yellow natural diamonds, and Akoya pearls.
Tiffany & Co
New York takes Paris with Tiffany & Co’s Blue Book debut during Haute Couture. “Tiffany Céleste is boundlessly imaginative and offers beautiful pieces for those seeking a cosmic presence in their personal world.” said Nathalie Verdeille, Chief Artistic Officer, Jewelry and High Jewelry, Tiffany & Co. The earrings below draw inspiration from Tiffany Flame earrings designed by Jean Schlumberger and meant to evoke solar flares. The below earrings are set in platinum and 18k yellow gold with white natural diamonds and of over 3 total carats Fancy Intense Yellow diamonds of over 2 total carats, respectively. Both pairs are from the Blue Book 2024: Tiffany Céleste Collection.
Our special thanks to all our dear friends at Only Natural Diamonds for this magnificent article
