Louis Vuitton’s “Awakened Hands, Awakened Minds”
Trailblazer Francesca Amfitheatrof, Louis Vuitton’s jewellery and watches Artistic Director, left connoisseurs in awe of her sixth collection for the Maison. During the celebratory dinner in which the body of work’s 220 pieces were introduced, the ultimate amuse-bouche was served by the designer herself through a speech where she explained the two-chapter collection, “‘Awakened Hands, Awakened Minds’ sounds a little bit cryptic…but it’s an amazing journey of 100 years of French history. The 19th century [saw] an explosion of incredible talent because the atelier was set free post-Revolution. The guilts were abolished. There was this enormous growth of the French know-how. Everyone turned to France to come and see this incredible awakening of the hands. The second part, Awakened Minds, is what happened in the second part of the century: the growth of inventiveness in science, engineering, architecture. Paris became the city of lights, the first city in Europe to have gas and electric lights. This is the year [2024] that we celebrate France in every way. It’s where Louis Vuitton came to and started his company and it’s the root of everything we do: savoir faire, discovery, inventiveness and looking into the future.”
Set across thirteen themes, the Maison’s atelier laced its expertise in the ingenuity of its pieces as portrayed in the “Phenomenal” collar necklace mimicking the effect of interwoven fabric in platinum and yellow gold hugging a 5.07 carat Zambian emerald. Further experimental techniques include embracing repetitive geometric patterns in the “Perception” necklace’s quilted-like aesthetic, a tribute to Paris’ pace of industrialisation in the 1850s, with two sapphires couched in its midst sourced from Ceylon (20.10 carats) and Madagascar (7.08 carats). Moreover, the “Élégance” creation showcases the art of tremblant in the Maison’s, first ever tiara, studded with LV Monogram star-cut diamonds. But perhaps most startling of all, is the collection’s “Coeur de Paris” necklace, inspired by the Tour Eiffel and is reminiscent of the architectural marvel’s view when standing underneath it, gazing upwards. Set with a mesmerising warm champagne diamond at 56.23 carats, the piece’s transformable nature allows it to detach as a brooch to reveal the Maison’s “first riviere of LV cut diamonds and round brilliant diamonds,” according to Amfitheatrof.
Bulgari’s “Aeterna”
Having mastered the balance between relentless reinvention coupled with an unwavering celebration of its design codes, Bulgari celebrated its 140-year legacy this June with release of Aeterna. The collection is an ode to the Maison’s everchanging eras, with the Eternal City at the heart of the collection, an ever-present source of inspiration for the Roman High Jeweller. Most significant however, is the literal and metaphorical translation of the heritage brand’s maturity in its 140-piece collection and its pièce de resistance totalling a spellbinding 140 carats – the “Serpenti Aeterna Necklace.” Allegedly, Priyanka Chopra Jonas’ freshly cut bob was no coincidence, but an intentional endeavour to best showcase the Maison’s high jewellery wonder during its release. Boasting seven flawless D-clarity pear cut diamonds, the piece features a meandering platinum necklace embellished with baguette white diamonds, only to reveal itself as the body of the snake upon discovering Bulgari’s signature Serpenti at the clasp. “[The piece] represents the pinnacle of excellence. It blends the extraordinary diamonds recently crafted together with Serpenti, the most desired jewellery and watch symbol of the last decades, brought by Cleopatra to Rome in 46 BC and reborn in 1948 thanks to the visionary Bulgari family,” according to Jean-Christophe Babin, CEO of Bulgari Group.
The Tubogas too, another one of Bulgari’s emblematic designs, took center stage in the namesake “Flower of Time” necklace, portraying a breath-taking 31.07 carat Zambian emerald engraved with a floral pattern. Most notable however, is the collection’s celebration of Bulgari’s famed sourcing expertise, especially in the realm of coloured stones. For instance, the “Sequence of Eternity” earrings feature stunning Mozambican oval-cut rubies, weighing 8.92 carats and 8.06 carats, as well as remarkably acquiring two pear-cut Sri Lankan sapphires (one of the most coveted sapphire origins in the world), each with a carat weight exceeding 37 carats for non-other than the “Serpenti Sapphire Echo” necklace. The gemstones were repurchased from an Italian client of nobility who possessed the sapphires as part of a former Bulgari jewellery piece in the thirties – a testament to the jeweller’s commitment to source the perfect gemstones for its creations.
Dior’s “Diorama & Diorigami”
Monsieur Dior’s preoccupation with nature and deep appreciation of Toile de Jouy fabric, a key aesthetic code that has been associated with the Maison since 1947, are encapsulated in Victoire de Castellane’s (Creative Director of Dior jewellery) latest 172-piece collection that is presented in two chapters. The first, “Diorama” is a celebration of the fantastical, “this is the first time I’ve introduced animals, which are in the forest,” explains De Castellane, with jewellery portraying scenic views of various animals including swans, squirls and rabbits nestled among diamonds and pearls. The whimsical nature of the pieces is brought to fruition through the use of the artisanal technique of “glyptics” a method by which gemstones are sculpted. Victoire elaborates, “I liked the idea of figurative animals in a dream world. The jewellery piece is integrated all around the sculptures of animals. It was important to fit them into the landscape in a way that looks as if they’re hiding in the vegetation. You can see all the sophistication that goes into the craft of jewellery-making,” as is exemplified by the much talked about “La Forêt Enchantée” necklace. The piece portrays a dreamy landscape of a carved chrysoprase fox, squirrel, and deer nestled in picturesque shrubbery and flowerbeds of diamonds, yellow sapphires, tsavorites and cultured pearls with a 16.16 carat emerald couched in the midst.
The latter chapter on the other hand “Diorigami,” while keeping to the theme of nature, flora and fauna, unveils an abstract perspective, “we have these plays on folding, with metal and animals like rabbits and ladybugs, and there [are] little lily of the valley bells with diamond kites,” details De Castellane as she explains how the Japanese art of paper folding was translated into the crafting of the collection’s more geometric counterpart.
Gucci’s “Labirinti”
After its successful entry into high jewellery in 2019, Gucci cleverly uses Labirinti to both reinvent and reinstate its position in the category from its reinterpretation of its iconic “G” emblem to the introduction of its latest dragonfly motif, a symbol of rebirth. Drawing inspiration from giardini all’italiana (Italian-style gardens), the Florentine Maison’s latest collection unveils 140 one-of-a-kind pieces. Gucci’s ambitious collection masterfully expresses the nuances of designing and crafting jewels with its theme triad of, Symmetry and Ordered Beauty, Geometric Splendour and Blooming Nature.
Possibly the most talked about piece in the Maison’s latest release (and a true representation of the collection’s first theme), Symmetry and Ordered Beauty, is a 5.93 carat emerald bearing cuff showcasing an angular and architecturally rich overall aesthetic. Paying homage to the maze-like geometric patterns notoriously exemplified by Renaissance Italian Gardens, the second chapter illustrates the power of linear form. Amongst the collection’s star pieces includes a labyrinthine statement three tier necklace with an awestriking octagonal-cut aquamarine at 62.58 carat and a 3.01 carat kite shape diamond suspended from its lowest point for the ultimate regal silhouette. “Blooming Nature,” Labirinti’s closing curtain, references nature’s grandeur while bravely departing from the Maison’s traditional floral motifs. A transformable brooch depicting a dragonfly mid-flight studded with white diamonds, tanzanite, Paraibas tourmalines and emeralds, with a click and turn, morphs into the dreamiest mismatched earrings.
Cartier’s “Nature Sauvage”
Arguably Cartier’s magnum opus in its portrayal of animal motifs, Nature Sauvage (meaning savage nature), titles the French Maison’s latest 87-piece collection. The designer’s long-time muse, the animal kingdom, is at the epicentre of each creation where whimsy and realism collide. “A new perspective on the Cartier animals surprise, amaze and bring modernity by way of unexpected encounters. [The] expressive jewellery showcases the attitudes and personality of an animal – its vitality. Like an actor, it plays with graphics, with volume and optical illusions, blending into an imaginary landscape. This is the spirit of Nature Sauvage,” elaborates Creative Director Jacqueline Karachi. The Maison’s meticulous gemstone selection and its significance in the creation process, is reflected in Cartier’s “designers, experts, and stone buyers travel[ing] all over the world to find the stones that speak to them” according to Alexa Abitbol, Director of the High Jewellery workshop in Paris.
A mere 70,000 hours, were required to craft the latest iteration of Cartier’s Bestiaire, “we have snakes, blue parrots, a gryphon and a dragon,” recounts Abitbol. The Maison’s emblematic feline, the panthère, is also one of Nature Sauvage’s protagonists (and the focal motif of 13 of its pieces) having first appeared as a timepiece in 1914 – speckled with onyx. One of the collection’s most impressionable pieces is the “Panthère Jaillissante” – a fusion between a bracelet and ring portraying a hyper realistic version of the motif featuring an electrifying Zambian emerald at 8.63 carats, perching between its paws. The panthère’s dynamic design allows it to lounge over the wearer’s hand with its diamond encrusted coat, sapphire spots and cunning emerald eyes. A stunning example of the design’s interplay between the literal and figurative interpretation of the theme, is the “Mochelys” necklace. Seemingly abstract, the piece reveals its intricate layers of gold motifs are in fact reminiscent of a turtle’s textured scales upon a second glance – with a 71.90 carat hanging rubellite as a visual crescendo.
ALSO READ: ALL WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW ON ANANT AMBANI’S 600M WEDDING EXTRAVAGANZA.
