The horse is a sensual suggestion in Hermès’ new high jewellery collection

Hermès originally opened its doors in 1837 as a harness workshop in Paris, rapidly establishing itself as an authority in the crafting of leather saddles and bridles. Founder Thierry Hermès created pieces for the nobles of the era, demonstrating a commitment to craftsmanship that expanded and developed over the decades.

These equestrian roots have always been central to Hermès, and are reinterpreted now in the new high jewellery collection from the creative director of Hermès Jewellery, Pierre Hardy. ‘Into the Horsescape’ encompasses a collection of pieces where the horse is suggested, rather than represented.

‘I implicitly tell Hermès’ story, its relationship with time and materials, before drawing on the imagination to transform them into an adornment,’ says Hardy, of why he felt it necessary to eschew a literal representation of the horse. ‘We take mundane items and turn them into something sublime, whether by creating pieces inspired by boots and lassoes, or by finishing a blacksmith’s nail in gold and diamond; transforming it into a sun that illuminates one’s face. This collection journeys between the abstract and the narrative, where the ordinary becomes extraordinary.’ (The new Hermès ‘Clou de Forge’ bag takes a similar approach.)

Throughout, equestrian symbols are given a high-jewellery spin. The curves of a lasso are spelt out in baguette diamonds that twist their way around the neck, while an 18th-century miniature saddle is worked into a satin-like black titanium bracelet that sits delicately on the wrist. The arch of a horse’s hoof is finished in gleaming black jade on a minimalist necklace and ring, while the iron nails used to attach horseshoes to a horse’s hooves become raw spikes of a diamond necklace.

‘It’s the broader view that moves me: one’s silhouette, one’s movement, the way one exists within a space, one’s style,’ Hardy adds. ‘Style comes from taking ownership of a garment or a piece of jewellery; from a way of being, rather than through an effect.’

hermes.com