The year’s most dazzling high jewellery drops – from Louis Vuitton, Gucci, Chanel and more
From Marrakech to the Riviera, the season saw the world’s biggest maisons unveil singular creations, vivid colour and symbolic motifs
High jewellery season is something akin to the hard luxury Super Bowl. After all, it’s the annual moment for the top jewellery maisons to show one-of-a-kind creations, using the most exquisite gemstones to wow their top clients in far-flung (and envy-inducing) destinations around the world. A jewellery rush is inevitable.
Beyond exceptional pieces, the lavish events held to unveil the collections – from Cartier in the South of France to Louis Vuitton in Marrakech – are important too. For one, as Julie Kim, co-founder of luxury consultancy Skale and a former long-time executive at Cartier, points out, they offer the one thing money can’t buy.
“These clients can buy anything – material or experience wise – so how do houses wow their clients? With access,” she says. “It’s the access that only the high jewellery maison can provide through its unique connections worldwide that shows clients the world they’re buying into. Access is more based on relationships and credibility than budget,” she says. Wooing a high jewellery client, Kim notes, takes trust and time.
Also, as she points out, amid a broader ongoing luxury slump, hard luxury such as jewellery remains resilient. The clients for such pieces tend not to be impacted by economic downturns and may indeed increase their wealth, and diversify their investments, in times like these.
Beyond being a unique investment, high jewellery holds allure, says Kim, because it is easily transportable and an expression of its owner’s taste and style.
“Every single piece is one of a kind so when you purchase a high jewellery piece, no one else in the world will have the same exact piece. The precious stones that high jewellery maisons scour the world in search of, combined with the design and savoir faire to bring the jewellery to life, are what create rarity. These pieces maintain their value and can even increase in value over time,” she says.
High jewellery, like haute couture, has a halo effect on a house. It represents, after all, the pinnacle of craftsmanship and storytelling.
As ever, storytelling was in sharp focus this season, with inspirations ranging from ancient Egypt to secret gardens, nature in its various cycles and talismans for protection.