Jewellery high: our top 10 shining stars of Paris Haute Couture week
Sabine Getty: The London-based jeweller was moved by the graphic lines and bold hues of the Memphis Group for her fourth collection. But rather than getting weighed down by the complexity of their out-there forms, Getty set her eye on Memphis’ zig zag and wave outlines for her linear topaz bracelets, rings and chokers. ‘The possibilities are infinite because there is so much in Memphis design, so it took quite a long time to simplify and get down to those two lines,’ explained Getty at her Paris presentation. ‘It is so crazy, so I also simplified in terms of stones in that everything is topaz: it’s about the colour, freshness and having fun, rather than the seriousness of jewellery.’
Writer: Katrina Israel
Dior Joaillerie: Green beryl, peridot, aquamarine, tanzanite, chrysoberyl, pink tourmaline, rubellite – the names of the precious stones chosen by Victoire de Castellane for the ’Granville’ collection sound so delicious, you can almost hear the colour. The creative director of Dior jewellery pulls off tonal combinations like no other – no mean feat when you have to source individual stones from all corners of the world then attribute many man hours to matching them. At just 12 pieces, ’Granville’ reveals de Castellane in particularly joyous form, as though she has escaped the confines of the city to venture to Dior’s childhood Normandy home for some much-needed fresh air.
Writer: Caragh McKay
Fernando Jorge: Nature has always been a key influence in the sensual designs of Sao Paulo-born jeweller Fernando Jorge, but his latest collection was quite literally in bloom. ‘I wanted it to be colourful above all, working with tonal combinations of stones from all over the world, but putting them into pieces named after Brazilian flora and fauna,’ he explained at his La Reserve presentation, for which he collaborated with furniture designer Fotis Evans on these equally exotic vitrines, featuring brass Tom Dixon champagne stands. Tapping into the natural gems of his homeland, tanzanite and bolder opal earrings fan out in a 3D expanse, just like the wingspan of the native Arara parrot. A delicate Bromelia orchid was also rooted in a pair of sapphire and topaz earrings, while the aqua hues of the Morpho butterfly sparkled as a cabochon ring.
Writer: Katrina Israel
Elie Top: The Frenchman has led something of a seismic shift within the fine jewellery industry over the past year, and his stellar second collection built upon the bold mechanics of his debut with a magnified exploration of the stars. Titled ‘Etoile Mystérieuse’ and working in either silver or yellow gold, Top suspended labradorite cabochon and onyx stones within star cuffs, brooches, rings and pendant necklaces that possess more of an industrial edge. A mixed geometry of octagon and hexagon shapes defined the collection that was inspired by an eclectic mix of stimuli: antique compasses, space stations, Gothic buttresses and military decoration included. Here the jeweller maintained his kinetic concept of reveal and conceal with his spinning mercurial globes, but inside they now hide diamond encrusted, multi-pointed stars.
Writer: Katrina Israel
Hermès: Also working in silver, Pierre Hardy intertwined primal sculptural forms with the house’s equestrian heritage for his ‘Ecrin D’Argent’ collection. Hardy worked predominately with brown diamonds for this outing – the jeweller finding their soft synergy with the skin appealing, as seen within his ‘Ever Chaîne d’Ancre’ choker (left). Hardy next explored a graphic intaglio carving technique in black onyx and red jasper for his ‘Chevauchée’ neckpiece (right), creating an inverted cameo effect that also paid tribute to the maison’s racing roots. Presented at Hermès’ Rive Gauche, rue de Sèvres flagship, Hardy also designed the collection’s scenography; choosing Sienna marble with veins of green and taupe for its earthy refinement.
Writer: Katrina Israel
Boucheron: Animal motifs were a huge trend in high jewellery design at the turn of the last century and, even in the digital age, desire for them continues unabated. Boucheron, the house on the corner of the place Vendôme, famously adds to its animal collection every year, and the hedgehog is a particular favourite. Its cutesy character is not to all tastes but the pyramid-spike design is timeless and has spawned countless imitations and iterations in international jewellery design. For 2016, a rose-gold cuff design joins the jolly menagerie.
Writer: Caragh McKay
Dauphin: Rings and hair jewels are the prime focus of the new Dauphin collection ‘Disruptive’, though the house design principle of ‘broken geometries’ remains intact. Jeweller Charlotte Dauphin de la Rochefoucauld’s attempt to reinvent traditional engagement rings works where few have succeeded. That’s mainly because the designs remain true to the wonky geometry that defines the house style: here, solitaires in classic cuts hover, offset on precision-honed frames of precious metal.
Writer: Caragh McKay
Chanel: Chanel returned to its place Vendôme salon to showcase ‘Signature de Chanel’; a collection devoted to the house’s iconic quilted motif. Originally inspired by the saddles and jackets worn by stable boys about the racetrack that Coco Chanel used to frequent, for S/S 2016, this iconic quilting paved equally graphic timepieces. The ‘Signature de Nacre’ desk clock’s square geometry and curved lines also channeled the classic Chanel make-up compact, albeit inlaid with 789 brilliant-cut diamonds and carved Tahitian mother-of-pearl marquetry, while the ‘Signature Diamant Secret’ watch came as an extension of ‘Les Eternelles de Chanel’, released last year at Basel. The latticed cuff, which shimmers like lamé on the wrist, has been encrusted with round and triangle cut diamonds and set around a 5.26 carat briolette sparkler that conceals the watch’s dial. The result is a web of twinkling geometries.
Writer: Katrina Israel
Cartier: What better reminder of the fine jeweller’s unique design talent than a behind-the-scenes tour of the Cartier archive. On show, by request, in the brand’s private rue de la Paix museum is a century’s worth of diamond designs, so rare and brilliant that the term breathtaking is not hyperbole. The multi-layered necklace famously created in collaboration with the Maharaja of Patiala in 1928 remains an object of cultural significance and deep fascination and deserves to be on permanent display in the Louvre. The beautifully simple 1902 hair ornament design is as beautiful as engineering gets: it is articulated to achieve an exact fit. Like so many of the designs on show, it is a century before its time.
Writer: Caragh McKay
Suzanne Syz: You don’t have to look too hard to see that Suzanne Syz was part of the New York art scene of 1980s. She was a patron of the likes of Warhol, Basquiat, Julian Schnabel and Clemente too. Syz is inspired by her former cohorts to toy with traditional techniques and rare materials and skew them to suit her own design vision, slicing diamonds, peppering jade with sapphires and using titanium to mellifluous effect. And, that of course, is made possible by her Geneva studio, which in turn is peppered with some of the finest technicians, artisans and jewellery engineers in Europe.
Writer: Caragh McKay