On that day in June, even Etna took part in the show. In Taormina, the Sicilian volcano released a flow of orange lava like a torrent of molten gold, as Dior paraded its high jewelery collection in front of an audience of 180 customers amazed by the beauty of the show and the magnificence of the venue. For this event, Maria Grazia Chiuri, artistic director of the women’s collections, created forty bespoke haute couture dresses to harmonize with Dior Print, the hundred new treasures imagined by Victoire de Castellane. “Christian Dior’s main profession remains an important source of inspiration, in particular for high jewellery,” observes Pietro Beccari, CEO of Dior. Customers are looking for eye-catching ensembles whose values and style reflect the soul of the house that creates them. »
The n°1 of the sector, Cartier, anchored in Madrid in the palace of the Duke of Alba
Castellane thus delivered one of his best collections in recent years, where the whimsical idea of ”drawing patterns on jewels” rhymes with an unparalleled perfectionism in the creation of decorations. Liberty rings in rubies, spinels and diamonds, a brooch with square-cut sapphires with a clean edge, a breastplate with flowered and striped ribbons fluttering in the wind… All the major pieces were sold on the spot. A few hours after the Dior show, this wealthy clientele, capable of spending more than 100,000 euros on the smallest “trinket” of high jewelry, was in Paris, at the Italian Embassy. Bulgari presented “Eden”, a spectacular set of 140 jewels where Colombian emeralds fatter than quail eggs were measured against hydrocephalic sapphires, some of more than 60 and 100 carats and adorning exuberant, cheerful and baroque settings.
“It is the oldest luxury market in the world, declares Jean-Christophe Babin, CEO of Bulgari, the only one whose value of objects is perennial. Buying a jewel is an act that is both universal and visceral since it is linked to an important event in life: birth, commitment, marriage. High jewelry plays the role of locomotive, it is essential to put it on stage. » Transportation of clients by private jet, accommodation in the most beautiful palaces, evenings in historical places, organization of a fashion show… Suffice it to say that after two years without a significant event, jewelers have gone into overdrive to getting the largest diamond seekers on the planet can, once again, “be immersed in the unique experience”… In fact, the costs are in tune: according to our estimates, a brand would spend between 3 and 10 million euros for an international high jewelery event that brings together an average of 200 customers.
Thus, the number 1 in the sector, Cartier, anchored in Madrid at the palace of the Duke of Alba. There he unveiled “Beauties of the World”, a masterful set of nearly 100 pieces that summarize the sophisticated writing of a house that has always known how to invent the avant-garde and transform it into a plurality of singular icons. “In contemporary high jewelry, some only bet on the value of the stones, others only highlight the design, observes Cyrille Vigneron, CEO of the brand. Cartier is style. It is necessary that there is a polyphony between the design, the gems and the manufacture of the jewel that, whatever its volume, must be pleasant to wear. Customers who discover our high jewelry collections want to be surprised because the more the brand reassures them, the more willing they are to buy daring pieces. Like this little masterpiece, a ring designed as a cliff of diamonds in the center of which radiates a 1.25-carat natural green mini-diamond. He found a buyer for about 5 million euros. Gone too, this amazing necklace. Crafted like the skin of a diamond-scaled iguana, the platinum mesh is enhanced with three voluptuous sugarloaf emeralds in a green as angelic as it is diabolical.
Many brands also took advantage of the week of the Parisian Haute Couture shows to present their prized creations in the City of Light.
In another style, it was at the Grand Trianon in Versailles that Van Cleef & Arpels gathered its faithful to present “Legend of Diamonds”, a set of 25 jewels in a mysterious setting, made with the same 910-carat rough diamond. a mine in Lesotho. “This is the first time, confesses Nicolas Bos, president of the brand, that we have presented so many pieces at Serti Mystérieux, this emblematic Van Cleef & Arpels jewelery know-how developed in the 1930s.” The result leaves you speechless. so obvious is the balance of the volumes of the jewels, the brilliance of the diamonds and the virtuosity of the jeweller. Rubies, sapphires and emeralds worked in Mystery Setting on scrolls and knots draw the contours of unforgettable ornaments whose balance is based on a powerful density of color and matter (given by this type of setting that conceals the setting) that is duplicated in a very parisian chic. A historical collection.
As for Louis Vuitton lovers, they discovered in Marrakech Spirit, the fourth collection of 120 high jewelry models designed by Francesca Amfitheatrof. On the program, Ritz-sized pebbles – such as this incredible 65-carat tsavorite, this almost 9-carat round diamond or this 19-carat Royal Blue sapphire – exalted by an intense, almost masculine line that anticipates the desires of a clientele uninhibited. “’Spirit’ conveys the values of daring, freedom and emancipation dear to Louis Vuitton,” says Francesca Amfitheatrof. The jewels are also conceived as protections that accompany the woman in her progress. They enjoy wearing our models because they speak to them. And because they are above all terribly sexy.
Many brands also took advantage of the week of the Parisian Haute Couture shows to present their prized creations in the City of Light. Chanel kicked off the festivities on July 1 by hosting a dinner at the short-lived Grand Palais where she masterfully staged “1932,” a sumptuous collection that pays homage to the “Diamond Jewelry” ensemble created ninety years ago by Gabrielle. Chaumet continued the next day at the Molitor pool, which hosted “Ondes et Merveilles”, creations inspired by the movements of water. Nature was also the subject of chapter 3 of “La Gioia” presented in Paris by Pomellato. “If Paris is still the world capital of fine jewelry, we are still a Milanese jeweler,” says Sabina Belli, executive director of the brand. And for Italians, beauty is lived every day. “Like these XXL necklaces that fit around the neck. Or this torrent of aquamarines held together by golden bonds. Highly desirable.