From De Beers to Louis Vuitton, a Look at This Season’s Most Glamorous High Jewelry
With the holiday season nearly upon us, Europe’s best jewelry houses are offering plenty of reasons to get into the festive spirit.
Designers went bold and modern in pieces like De Beers mesmerizing Optical Wonder drop earrings pairing polished black aluminum with yellow and green diamonds set in 18-karat yellow gold to Louis Vuitton’s creative take on the diamond tennis necklace which, for high jewelry, was transformed as multiple connecting strands in both 18-karat yellow gold and platinum with diamonds in shapes mimicking the brands instantly recognizable motifs.
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Some looked to the past while firmly pushing the needle forward. Chanel took inspiration from its archives, but thanks to Gabrielle “Coco” Chanel’s forward-thinking designs the pieces look as fresh in 2022 as they did in 1932. A celestially inspired pair of half-moon earrings and a sizable cuff bracelet with orbiting stars and spheres in diamonds set in 18-karat white gold took shape from the very first high jewelry collection created by Madame Chanel during the height of the Great Depression—reason enough to look to the heavens. And Messika looked to ancient Egypt as the foundation of its design for the Divine Enigma 18-karat and white gold collar necklace fit for a modern queen.
And while nature and the sea are undoubtedly perennial jewelry inspirations, Van Cleef & Arpels and Boucheron proved there are still new ways to envision natural wonders with gems. An 18-karat white gold and diamond Vagues Étincelantes (Sparkling Waves in French) necklace from Van Cleef recreated the roiling crests of waves curling at the neck. Claire Chosne, Boucheron’s creative director, reimagined how shells might be conceived in a necklace by recreating their spiraling interior structure (as viewed through an x-ray) by airbrushing mother-of-pearl set in 18-karat white gold accented with diamonds in an absolutely stunning necklace that fans out over the collar bones and shoulders.
And those are just a few pieces that should set hearts racing. Bulgari, Cartier, Gucci and Dior all delivered various pieces set in serious colored stones from rubies, yellow diamonds and Paraiba-type tourmalines to amethysts, green peridots and rubellites.
Take your pick.
Cartier Ryu necklace and earrings in 18-karat yellow and white gold set with yellow and white diamonds; Chanel silk-jacquard dress, $4,600.
Van Cleef & Arpels Vagues Étincelantes necklace in 18-karat white gold and diamonds; Hermès silk dress, $5,900.
Dior Print earrings in 18-karat white and yellow gold set with diamonds, emeralds, sapphires, tsavorite garnets, spessartite garnets and Paraíba-type tourmalines; Print secret watch in 18-karat white gold set with a ruby and diamonds; silk-lace top, $2,300.
Chanel Lune Silhouette earring and bracelet in 18-karat white gold and diamonds
Louis Vuitton Spirit High Jewelry Destiny necklace in platinum, 18-karat yellow gold and diamonds
De Beers Optical Wonder Drop earrings in polished black aluminum and 18-karat yellow gold set with yellow and green diamonds; Dior silk-lace top, $2,300, and silk-tulle skirt, $3,700.
Gucci Hortus Deliciarum ring in 18-karat yellow gold set with a mint tourmaline, rubellites and diamonds; Bogdar recycled-polyester dress, $475.
Messika Divine Enigma necklace and bracelet in 18-karat white gold set with diamonds; Mônot viscose-tulle bodysuit, $895.
Boucheron Coquillage necklace in 18-karat white gold set with mother-of-pearl and diamonds
Model: Emily Grace
Casting Director: Luis Campuzano
Hairstylist: Eduardo Bravo
Makeup Artist: Vera Dierckx
Market Editor: Emily Mercer
Fashion Assistant: Annelise Lombard-Platet
Photo Director: Irene Opezzo
Photo Assistant: Paolo Caponetto
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