Inspired by nature, jewellery pieces that lend a sparkle to the natural world

Bed of roses

For Piaget, the rose is the foremost symbol of nature – to the extent that the Yves Piaget peony rose was named after the jewellery house’s chairman.

The Rose collection by Piaget is a highly stylised interpretation of the flower of love: a sculpted rose, an openworked rose, a lacework rose – all bloom beautifully in Piaget’s garden, crafted and designed to feel like an extension to the skin.

Another admirer of the rose is Victoire de Castellane, creative director of Dior Joailleri. She infuses the French maison’s La Rose Dior garden with new blooms, where rose quartz flowers blossom, tsavorite lends colour to leaves, and pink sapphires enliven diamond roses; branches entwine to become a ring, and bees rest on a black velvet ribbon.

Flying high

As with people, birds have stories too. Graff Diamonds’ new collection of figurative bird-themed brooches is privy to lovebirds kissing.

Parrots are generally known to mate for life – and with Graff’s small birds, the message of love is crafted in pink and white diamonds.

Another brooch depicts a mother bird feeding her fledgling on an exquisite diamond branch.

Vines and cherry blossoms

Carved jadeite, coral and amethyst elements, together with pave diamonds, become a grapevine in Bulgari’s latest Festa Delle Principesse line’s Vittoria Ruspoli high jewellery necklace and bracelet set, an ode to abundant life, joy of living well, fertility and beauty.

Celebrating the abundance of cherry blossoms in Japan, Nirav Modi’s two-toned Sakura necklace blooms with 3,350 diamonds, totalling 58ct, of which over 100 are solitaires arranged in a petal pattern. This handcrafted structure captures the vibrancy of cherry blossoms, and makes diamond blooms gently float on the neckline.

Expressing nature

While diamonds and gemstones usually set the piece in precious jewellery depicting nature scenes, less conventional materials are now making a dramatic splash.

International jewellery houses are pushing the boundaries by using gemstones such as

rock crystal, chrysocolla, turquoise and even real bird feathers.

French-style gardens not only have flower beds, groves and thickets, but also ornamental ponds statues and sandy walkways.

The new Dior à Versailles Côté Jardins rediscovers the paradoxical combination of nature and culture, characteristic of the park at Versailles.

For instance, the backs of the rings, which are sculpted in amazonite and agate, interpret the depths of the decorative lakes, while the cut rock crystal recalls foaming bubbles. Viewing the pieces of Dior’s latest collection is akin to taking a magical stroll around the gardens of Versailles. De Castellane’s signature mish-mash of gemstone cuts creates a botanic kaleidoscope.

Rewriting the rules of high jewellery design, the flamboyant new Piaget Capsule collection combines opaque stones and intricate gold work. The striking Decor Torsade bangle is set with two turquoises

and a chrysocolla.

Piaget continues to experiment with its new jewellery pieces in the boundless possibilities that nature provides, employing feather marquetry, where coloured gemstones and diamonds are unusually combined with birds’ feathers.