Tweed de Chanel, Bulgari’s movie-inspired Cinemagia, Van Cleef & Arpels Romeo & Juliet collection – how luxury jewellery is telling new stories with familiar themes
- Chaumet’s heavenly Les Ciels de Chaumet and Boucheron’s latest Vendôme collections add to a growing wave of inspiring high jewellery collections paying homage to culture, nature and the seasons
Spring evokes images of abundance, life and beauty; now more than ever, the world is in need of these qualities that are synonymous with the season of rebirth. Bold colours and beauty remind us to offer gratitude for the simple joys that we’re often too busy to notice. It’s also a reminder that, while we may not need much to live a purposeful life, the beauty of nature, art and creativity can give us solace and refuge in times of despair and gloom.
Jewellery encompasses the qualities we seek when we search for beauty. Designers take treasures that Mother Earth created, transforming them into works of art in a way only human beings can – with creativity, an obsessive single-mindedness about development and refinement of craftsmanship, and the imagination to marry these two components for the sole purpose of creating beauty.
It is in challenging times like these, when we are often faced with the choice of putting the value of some things above others, that we realise beauty, art and the uniquely human ability to create is what keeps us emotionally fulfilled and rich. We should never pressure ourselves into choosing to abandon beauty, because surrounding ourselves with our own imagination and that of our fellow creatives is what nurtures our hearts when times are tough.
In the world of jewellery, beauty is expressed in refinement and rarity. Uniqueness is the name of the game when it comes to high jewellery collections. The rarity of gems mean that it is impossible to replicate or produce these spectacular designs in large quantities.
Themed collections from top jewellery houses tell stories beyond the gemstones they incorporate. Bulgari’s latest high jewellery collection, Cinemagia, dramatises the glamour of the movie world.
The pieces are inspired by the extravagance and opulence that we often associate with stars of the silver screen. The romance and drama of Italian filmmaking translates into statement necklaces and earrings created from bold arrangements of gems.
“In some films, an actress can play such a real, memorable and intense role that the character starts to live beyond the movie itself,” says Lucia Silvestri, Bulgari’s creative director. “The same can happen in the world of jewellery: sometimes, there is an extraordinarily rare gemstone with an inner glow that can’t be found twice in nature. Its uniqueness defines the entire character of a design.”
Inspired by fantasy worlds, pieces from the collection, such as the Emerald City necklace, named after the capital of the Land of Oz in the 1939 film The Wizard of Oz, shine as bright as those who star in pictures. Featuring a 21.49-carat emerald flanked by diamonds and mother of pearl, it’s easy to understand why it would be impossible to create two of these necklaces.