Behind the scenes of Chopard’s Palme d’Or trophy
As Cannes Film Festival gets underway, we look at the history and craftsmanship of the acclaimed Palme d’Or trophy

As the Cannes Film Festival gets underway for another year, so films from all over the world compete to win the acclaimed Palme d’Or, a trophy that has been created by the festival’s longstanding partner, Chopard, since 1998.
It was during a 1997 meeting between Pierre Viot, then president of the Cannes festival, and co-president and artistic director of Chopard, Caroline Scheufele, when the subject arose. ‘I was having a good look at the Palme d’Or displayed in his office and he invited me to redesign it,’ explains Scheufele. ‘What a fantastic challenge and one that I took up with great enthusiasm.’
She took inspiration from both the palm trees lining Cannes’ Promenade de la Croisette, and the town’s coat-of-arms for the design, which features 19 leaves crafted from 118 grams of Fairmined-certified ethical 18ct yellow gold. The parallels with high jewellery are clear: ‘Every year for the past 23 years, since Chopard became the Palme’s official purveyor, five of our Chopard expert artisans devote 40 hours to handcrafting the festival’s most coveted treasure in our Geneva workshop,’ says Scheufele. ‘The Palme d’Or is definitely treated as a high jewellery piece, both in its design and its craftsmanship.’
The rock crystal on which the leaves rest, shaped like a classic emerald-cut diamond in another nod to the high jewellery world, came with its own set of challenges. ‘To design the Palme d’Or, we had to consider its weight. Rock crystal and gold are heavy raw materials; we needed to define a certain limit so people can lift it easily. We managed to find the perfect weight – approximately 1.35kg,’ she adds. As well as creating the trophy for best film, Chopard designs the award for the other winners at the ceremony, who take home a piece in rock crystal, engraved with a palm.
INFORMATION
Receive our daily digest of inspiration, escapism and design stories from around the world direct to your inbox.
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.
-
Let there be light: a closer look at Prada’s stripped-back S/S 2026 show set
‘This is the first time the Fondazione is completely bare, with the light coming in,’ said Raf Simons backstage at Prada’s ‘light, fresh, colourful’ and ‘human’ S/S 2026 men’s show in Milan
-
A Swedish scooter blends Teenage Engineering’s aesthetic with accessible electric mobility
The EPA1 Scooter is the first product from mobility start-up Vässla, an assured and flexible design shaped in conjunction with TE to assist everyday urban mobility
-
Discover Canadian modernist Daniel Evan White’s pitch-perfect homes
Canadian architect Daniel Evan White (1933-2012) had a gift for using the landscape to create extraordinary homes; revisit his story in an article from the Wallpaper* archives (first published in 2011)
-
All eyes on Greek jewellery brand Lito as it launches bold new amulets to mark its 25 years
Striking amulets, seductive stones and secret messages characterise Lito's striking new anniversary collection, an extension of its ‘Tu es Partout’ series
-
The best layering necklaces for an elevated yet casual look
How to mix, match and stack jewellery for the ultimate high-energy, low-effort style
-
Art takes London: Tiffany & Co, Damien Hirst and artists take over Selfridges' windows
Four British contemporary artists celebrate Tiffany & Co's pioneering history with a series of storied window displays
-
Late summer jewels: what to wear at Golden Hour
Late summer signals a jewellery style-shift. These independent designers have got it covered
-
All smiles: How a grillz jewellery making class in London became an international hit
What started as a passion project quickly exploded in popularity. We get the story behind the grillz-making workshop at Cockpit London
-
Emerging jewellery designers to get to know
These independent, new and emerging jewellery designers and brands from New York to Paris are firmly on our radar
-
Jewellery designers share their most precious personal pieces
A host of jewellers give us a peek at the jewellery which brings them joy and solace
-
Playing it cool: pearls are having a moment
We've been deep-diving into boutiques around the world to find the very best calcium carbonate in minute crystalline form. It seems jewellers have been busy rethinking pearls, with contemporary (and often affordable) results