Transformable Haute Joaillerie: Dior reveals an unseen Versailles, while Chaumet is capturing the Russian winter

 

Chaumet Haute Joaillerie: Promenades Impériales 2018

 

The High Jewellery collection Les Mondes de Chaumet is comprised of three chapters: three moments that combine the virtuosity of the Maison with otherworldly dreams. First stop: Russia.

Entitled Les Mondes de Chaumet, new high jewelry collection revolves around three precious moments – January, June and July. The first chapter in the collection, Promenades Impériales, payed tribute to the beauty of Russian Winter.

“Drawing inspiration from distant horizons, weaving links and inventing jewellery creations in the heart of Paris, in the centre of the Place Vendôme. In Paris, a melting pot of culture nourished by influences from all over the world, Chaumet reinvents its past to create the adornments inspired by the multi- faceted worlds of today,” explains Chaumet.

A transformable necklace, brooches, earrings, rings and a supple bracelet bring to life a prestigious historical legacy sustained by the great clients of Russia’s imperial court, and celebrate the modernity of Russian decorative motifs.

Lace-like diamond motifs evoke snowflakes and Russian decorative patterns, lit up by the limpid blue of Ceylon sapphires. In other high jewels, the orange-pink of the Padparadscha sapphires recalls the unique light of dawn or dusk.

 

Dior Haute Joaillerie: Dior à Versailles, Pièces Secrètes

From Victoire de Castellane‘s initial designs to the skilled and patient hands working meticulously in storied Paris ateliers, these latest Dior haute joaillerie jewels evoke a secret Versailles, one made of private passageways and clandestine boudoirs.

“Dior à Versailles, Pièces Secrètes” collection is conceived as the final section of a triptych exploring unseen facets of this icon of French art de vivre.  After Versailles by Night in 2016 and Versailles and its Gardens last year, Dior Joaillerie Creative Director Victoire de Castellane reveals a secret Versailles – the royal château in Versailles in the Île-de-France region of France. Versailles is famous not only as a legendary building, but as a symbol of the system of absolute monarchy of the Ancien Régime.

Delicate necklaces in white or pink gold are set with diamonds or rubies. Rings become playfully  mechanical, recalling antique jewels. A diamond pivots on its axis to reveal a stone beneath a stone.  And a ring is fitted with a hidden drawer, bringing to life the dream of Versailles, the palace of secrets.

“Victoire de Castellane reveals an unseen Versailles, composed of secret passages and concealed boudoirs. The inner sanctum of the château is where the stories and the passion behind these narrative and playful pieces unfolds: precious rotating stones, hidden drawers and miniature chests hide symbols including the sun, the clover, the bow and the heart, all relating to Monsieur Dior’s world,” explains Dior.