Crown jewels: Chaumet’s tiaras will transport you to a bygone era

Chaumet's high jewellery tiaras are intricate and elegant works of craftsmanship

Crown
Perspectives de Chaumet ’Mirage’ tiara
(Image credit: chaumet.com)

Chaumet’s tiaras, a mainstay of the French jewellery house’s collections since their inception in 1780, are intertwined in historical references. The Empress Josephine was enamoured with their intricate forms and they quickly became her favourite pieces, marking the start of a fruitful relationship. Upon appointing the French jewellery house her official jeweller, the Empress inspired many of the designs which continue to endure today.

chaumet tiara

Precious Foliage

(Image credit: chaumet.com)

This year, Chaumet’s tiaras continue to play on the naturalist themes which have become a cornerstone of the brand’s design identity. Classic motifs such as the laurel – a favourite of Empress Josephine’s – are revisited here in Precious Foliage. Its fluid branches drawn in diamonds prove a comfortable perch for a diamond bee, who can be removed and worn as a brooch.

Diamond crown

Perspective de Chaumet 'Lacis' tiara

(Image credit: chaumet.com)

The pieces in Perspectives de Chaumet cut stronger silhouettes. The collection is traditionally inspired by architecture, in the past nodding to movements from the Italian Renaissance to deconstructivism and Italian futurism. The new additions develop these original influences; in its elaborate diamond mesh, Lacis recalls a twisting maze of narrow streets. The structure, rendered almost invisible in a technical feat, makes for a light and airy result. In Mirage, Chaumet plays again with the ways a piece can be worn and references fluid structures in its own form, two sections of which can be removed and worn separately.

chaumet tiara

Lady Edwina Mountbatten wearing her Chaumet tiara for George VI's coronation 

(Image credit: chaumet.com)

chaumet tiara

Piece from the archives

(Image credit: chaumet.com)

chaumet tiara

Piece from the archives

(Image credit: chaumet.com)

INFORMATION

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Hannah Silver is the Art, Culture, Watches & Jewellery Editor of Wallpaper*. Since joining in 2019, she has overseen offbeat design trends and in-depth profiles, and written extensively across the worlds of culture and luxury. She enjoys meeting artists and designers, viewing exhibitions and conducting interviews on her frequent travels.