The Allure of High Jewelry Still Remains Strong During the Pandemic
Van Cleef & Arpels invited us to dream about the stars and the cosmos with fantastical jewels like the Nuée d’Émeraudes, a necklace that was inspired by a famous blue-green comet and rendered in exceptional emeralds, sapphires, and diamonds set in sprays of gold (pictured above). It's part of Sous les Étoiles, the latest chapter in the house’s haute joaillerie storytelling, and it was unveiled in January in Paris during the twice-yearly high jewelry shows.
This necklace epitomizes the spirit of high jewelry, the highest form of jewelry art, in which the great maisons showcase the pinnacle of craftsmanship and artistry, and the patience that it takes to assemble collections of rare stones that sometimes take several years to uncover. These collections do more than inspire fantasy and imagination, they also keep age-old craftsmanship alive in workshops across Paris, push the boundaries of what's achievable, and instill a desire to collect one-of-a-kind jewels, much in the same way that people build art collections.
In normal times, the grand jewelry houses unveil their haute joaillerie collections in Paris with exclusive parties, dinners, and elaborate presentations that could light up the city even in the dead of January. The events would culminate with discreet private jewelry viewings, where clients could select their favorite pieces, but they would need to act fast otherwise the jewels could easily be snapped up by another client—and once each piece is sold, it’s never repeated.
Haute Joaillerie is a ritual that drives the imagination.
The formal haute joaillerie presentations began in January 2010 when the most prestigious Place Vendôme jewelers joined together to show their collections as part of the official haute couture week of the Chambre Syndicale in Paris. The houses, including Van Cleef & Arpels, Cartier, and Boucheron, who were already offering high jewelry at prestigious shows and events, decided to exhibit their jewels when the world’s fashionable elite were already coming to Paris for haute couture.
More than just timing, there is also synergy between haute couture and haute joaillerie; both exemplify the best in creativity and materials, and offer designs that inspire the imagination to dream beyond what’s possible.
Do we still need high jewelry?
With VIP clients staying closer to home these days because of the pandemic and without the fanfare and courting rituals, the question is: will clients still be inspired to buy into the dream of haute joaillerie? After the largely digital presentations in January, executives from the prestigious houses reported that the allure of high jewelry still remains strong among this rarified crowd, who can afford to spend six or seven figures on a collectible jewel.
“Our high-end clients are buying high jewelry pieces to feel good,” says Hélène Poulit-Duquesne, Boucheron’s CEO. “Many clients have a hedonist approach to jewelry and are looking to indulge themselves.” Boucheron's Histoire de Style, Art Déco collection, unveiled in January, offers innovative multi-wear pieces for both women and men. She says examples of investment quality pieces include the Plastron Emeraudes necklace with 220 emerald beads, which weighs 1,072 carats. “It borrows its opulence from that time when men wore high jewelry as a sign of power and glory,” she explains. “The quality of the emeralds is stunning, and it took many years to collect them.”
De Beers’s Reflections of Nature collection presents a staggering number of rare colored diamonds in fluid and feminine designs. Stones of this caliber have proven to be rock-solid investments over the past several years. “People are buying high jewelry to celebrate life achievements, mark special moments, and sometimes purely because they wish to treat themselves,” says Céline Assimon, the company’s CEO.
“Many of our clients are also avid collectors," says Assimon, "they are building a legacy for their children and grandchildren as they would with a unique art collection.”
Capturing beauty on a screen
In lieu of the immersive experiences and events, the houses presented their high jewelry collections digitally followed by some private meetings. While these presentations couldn’t possibly have the same dazzling impact of the curated events and the experience of holding beautiful rubies, diamonds, and opals, it appears that they resonated with passionate collectors.
Van Cleef & Arpels presented its 150-piece Sous Les Étoiles collection in a newly created enhanced digital studio assembled just for this purpose. “In order for these presentations to be lively and show the beauty of the pieces in the most accurate way, we set up a ‘studio’,” explains Nicholas Bos, the company’s CEO and president. “Thanks to this installation, the clients and press were able to discover the creations and see them in detail through a high-resolution camera.”
Boucheron created a “digital selling ceremony” with a salesperson who presented the collection on a model in private appointments. Still, that wasn't enough for some serious clients. “When customers are buying very high-end pieces, they often want to touch and feel the jewelry,” admits Poulit-Duquesne. That’s why following couture week, Boucheron brought the collection on tour to key Asian cities, including Hong Kong, Shanghai, Beijing, Taipei, and Tokyo, for private viewings.
Jewels that transport you to another time and place
The beauty of haute joaillerie is that it’s an escape from the ordinary to a realm where anything is possible. Chanel’s Escale à Venise collection reimagines the spirit of Venice, Italy during the 1920s, when Gabrielle Chanel visited the city. The 70-piece collection features playful references like the striped blue-and-white mooring poles used by gondoliers, which are rendered in a necklace of lapis lazuli and diamonds. Another sautoir necklace showcases vibrant red spinel and diamonds that are twisted to simulate the ropes that anchor the gondolas.
DeBeers’s celebrated the beauty of Africa in the Reflections of Nature collection with pieces like the Okavango Grace fringed necklace, which combines rough and polished diamonds in muted shades of green, pink and gray.
Louis Vuitton’s new Pure V is an ultra-streamlined expression of the house’s V signature logo that was first created by Gaston-Louis Vuitton in the 1920s for his luggage. Designed in simple white gold, diamonds, and onyx, it’s a graphic representation of high jewelry that echoes the Art Deco period with modern style, and it’s a glimpse of what’s to come when the larger collection is unveiled in March.
Van Cleef captured the spirit of fantasy and escapism with pieces like the Halley, a necklace inspired by the famous comet with a rare 11.29 carat fancy vivid yellow diamond set on streaks of white and yellow diamonds. While only one lucky client will own the one-of-a-kind necklace, it will make us all dream.
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