7 Of Our Favourite New High Jewellery Collections

Van Cleef & Arpels

Follow Romeo and Juliet into a world of ruby sunbursts and emerald foliage. Van Cleef & Arpels retells Shakespeare’s 1597 tragedy in vivid detail and exuberant colour. Dressed in a tunic of sapphires and lapis lazuli with stockings of black lacquer and gold, the collection’s hero, Romeo, presents a bouquet of mauve sapphire flowers to Juliet, whose polished gold dress is embellished with gadroons, garnets, rubies and diamonds.

A clip named Balcone, which depicts the parapet where the lovers share a tender moment, is generously draped with ivy, which is depicted using emeralds, tsavorite garnets and diamonds. The collection’s Italian Rose necklace, conveying the story’s famous quote: “a rose by any other name would smell as sweet,” complements hand-polished rubies with white and rose gold.

The collection includes several other unforgettable pieces like the white gold Fiore bracelet, which stars pear-shaped 50.87-carat aquamarines; the transformable Verona necklace, which is highlighted by an emerald-cut Burmese sapphire of 23.86 carats, and the Giardino necklace, which comprises Burmese sapphires and Colombian emeralds. Symbolic of the limited time lovers have together, the Romeo & Juliet secret watch is an extravagant wrist accessory of diamonds, onyx, rubies (representing Juliet), sapphires (representing Romeo) and lapis lazuli that opens at the press of a button to reveal the time.

Cartier

Magnitude is the name of Cartier’s stunning new high jewellery collection, which makes use of dynamic shapes to create striking designs—each of which has their own name. Aphélie is a necklace of coral and pink diamonds, which culminates in a golden brown rutilated quartz pendant. The sunrays around the cabochon are dense, yet glimmer with semi-transparency.

Théia is a necklace of seven Colombian emeralds that move in balletic and enchanting fashion, while Équinoxe assembles lapis lazuli beads, along with yellow, orange and white diamonds, around a yellow sapphire sun. Yuma, too, pays tribute to the sun, with diamonds in shades from gold to brown, while Soreli and Zemia use intricate diamond arrangements to accentuate the captivating beauty of their central precious stones.

Chanel

The late Gabrielle Chanel was introduced to an array of Russian art and heritage through her numerous friends and lovers, like famed pianist Misia Sert and the Grand Duke Dmitri Pavlovich. These Russian influences resurfaced extensively in the motifs and details of her creations. Today, Gabrielle and her emphatic works are commemorated by Le Paris Russe de Chanel High Jewellery collection. Ornate earrings, sautoir necklaces and draped necklaces of yellow sapphires, garnets, emeralds, and diamonds sport the visible influence of Russian folklore and traditional crafts such as the kokoshnik, a headdress made of velvet and adorned with pearls. The ear of wheat, which was both Mademoiselle Chanel’s calling card and a symbol of Russia, appears across this collection, along with Chanel’s Russian-style embroidery and painstaking engravings.

Mikimoto

Mikimoto’s new Jardin Mystérieux collection pays homage to the stately homes and majestic gardens of the wealthy. This dreamy collection by the reputed Japanese jeweller illustrates intense blooms using a kaleidoscope of precious stones. Jardin Mystérieux invites you to wear verdant wreaths as bracelets, earrings and necklaces. This collection also comprises enticing brooches shaped like windows and gates that lead to colourful gardens, along with elegant swans and captivating peacocks. Many of these pieces feature cultured pearls, as Mikimoto’s founder Kokichi Mikimoto is best known for creating the world’s first cultured pearl.

Dior

“Women are buying jewellery for themselves more and more,” notes Victoire de Castellane, the creative director and founder of Dior Fine Jewellery. Her new Gem Dior (“Gem” is a play on “j’aime”, which means “I love” in French) collection fetes feminine strength and beauty through rings, earrings, handpieces, necklaces, watches and other accessories that are studded with a rainbow of gems—think cyan tourmalines, grenadine spinels, purple garnets, and pink sapphires, among many others.

This special endeavour marks the 20^th anniversary of de Castellane’s appointment by LVMH chairman and CEO Bernard Arnault to develop and launch Dior Joaillerie. (She had previously been working at Chanel.)

Her expressive designs draw inspiration from Christian Dior’s affinity for flowers and lace, along with his childhood home, Granville, and his fascination with Versailles. de Castellane’s unique modus operandi is also clear in this collection, which includes asymmetric details, hidden symbols and concealed functions such as a secret drawer under a ring and a secret watch within a bracelet.

Piaget

Piaget’s Golden Oasis collection celebrates the beauty of the desert. One of the star pieces in the collection is the Rising Star set (pun unintended), which comprises rings, earrings and a necklace. The “star” on each gleaming creation is an oval-cut yellow diamond, complemented by flowing arrangements of marquise-cut diamonds and brilliant-cut diamonds.

Other pieces in the collection evoke the image of verdant oases in the desert, sporting a combination of bright Colombian emeralds and frosty white diamonds. Other outstanding pieces in this collection include a necklace and ring set named Dancing Waters, and white gold earrings decorated with pear-shaped blue sapphires, which are designed to look like veils.

Gucci

Gucci surprised many with the recent launch of its first ever high jewellery collection. Previously, the vaunted Italian label’s jewellery had been limited to understated fine jewellery pieces that bore the house’s double-G logo, as well as the fashion jewellery pieces that dotted each season’s collections. Given the opening of its new high jewellery salon in Place Vendôme, however, that is no longer the case.

Alessandro Michele’s debut high jewellery collection entitled Hortus Deliciarum comprises 200 intricately embellished pieces. The collection invites admirers into three worlds: the Animal Kingdom, Hearts & Arrows, and Solitaires. The first world interprets wildlife through tourmalines and sapphires in distinct shades. The second world expresses undying love through pink and blue sapphires and heirloom-inspired shapes, while the third employs blushed-rosé topazes, imperial topazes and velvety-green tourmalines to create a garden in bloom.