High-Jewelry: An ode to History and Architecture for the new Cartier and Gucci collections
French jeweler Cartier and Italian brand Gucci both unveiled their 2022 High-Jewelry collections last week. Let’s take a closer look at the sumptuous pieces presented on these two occasions.
True to its history, Cartier chose the city of Madrid to present its 2022-2023 High-Jewelry collection. To understand this choice, we must go back to 1904 when the King of Spain, Alfonso XIII, granted a royal mandate to Cartier, proclaiming the latter to be “the jeweler of kings and the king of jewelers” .
Beautés des Mondes, the new Cartier High-Jewelry collection
This jewelry line celebrates, as its name suggests, beauty around the globe. In this honor, an intimate group of celebrities were present at the Palacio de Liria in Madrid to attend the unveiling of this collection on June 14. Among them were French actress Virginie Efira, American Emma Chamberlain and Golshifteh Farhani, a French actress of Iranian origin, who lent her image to the campaign.
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The artistic director of Cartier, Jacqueline Karachi, said she was inspired by the history of the House of Cartier to create this collection. The gems and treasures that the Cartier brothers, Louis, Pierre and Jacques, brought back from their world travels remain major legends and inspirations for the house. “It’s our turn to observe the world with a curious and open eye for what it has to offer”, she says, determined to bring the ancestral globe-trotting spirit of Cartier’s history to future collections.
A tribute to the world, its landscapes and architecture
Indeed, Jacqueline Karachi has created a collection of fine jewelry around the theme of “Discovery of the hidden beauties of the world, through nature, landscapes, architecture and culture”. For this purpose, it called on the director of image, heritage and style of the house, Pierre Rainero, to remain as faithful as possible to the image of the house.
Beautés des Mondes has been translated into 97 exceptional pieces with Art-Deco lines, each one as unique and sumptuous as the next. Rings, necklaces, earrings, and brooches are intertwined with hymns to the plant world, the animal world, architecture, the marine world and distant galaxies, among others.
This is perfectly evident with the Iwana Necklace, which pays tribute to the iguana. This necklace was created from an exceptional batch of Colombian emeralds, married to numerous sparkling diamonds of all sizes.
The Récif Necklace, tinted orange and green, is declined as a river of corals coming to wrap around the neck. It is enhanced by a beautiful emerald in the center, surrounded by a bouquet of smaller diamonds, amethysts, and emeralds. Another necklace, Nouchali, also pays tribute to the marine and plant world with the representation of a water lily. The floating flower, a rubellite, is set on a saltire of chalcedony balls around which are crystallized petals of diamonds and onyx.
Since it is impossible to talk about all the wonders of this collection, yet other rings and necklaces highlight the many beauties that the world has to offer. The delicate and elegant Rituel Necklace, a tribute to traditional Mesoamerican set, is a case in point. Chalcedony balls are combined with a constellation of rubies, diamonds, and onyx.
Gucci unveils the third chapter of its Hortus Deliciarum fine jewelry collection
Nestled in the Villa Albani in the Italian capital, the luxury label Gucci presented last week its third collection of high jewelry Hortus Deliciarum, Latin for Garden of Delights. It features Oscar-winning American actress and producer Jessica Chastain as the star of its campaign.
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The name of this jewelry line pays homage to the eponymous encyclopedia, the first produced by a woman: Herrade de Landsberg, abbess, poetess and illuminator of the Middle Ages.
History and Italy in the spotlight
The collection is structured around five themes: the Grand Tour Imaginaire inspired by Rome and its monuments, kaleidoscopic beauty through the Maharajah culture of India, exotic pearls, a more futuristic “New World” theme represented by geometric patterns and finally a more modern theme featuring a beloved menagerie of animals and protective stones.
Composed of 200 pieces, this High-Jewelry collection was imagined by the brand’s creative director, Alessandro Michele, who asserts himself as an iconoclastic creator freeing himself from the codes of High-Jewelry.
In the neoclassical baroque Roman building where the presentation of this collection took place, the sublime jewels are intertwined with the busts and antique statues.
The highlights of this collection highlight the architectural wonders of the city of Rome, such as the Colosseum, Piazza San Pietro, the Pantheon, the Roman Forum, and the Temple of Hercules, through an imaginary Grand Tour. In the center of a multicolored river of diamonds, topaz, opals, spinels and beryls are integrated images of these Roman monuments. The Gucci Roma necklace features the Piazza San Pietro, the heart of the Vatican, around which diamonds and aquamarines are set.
The second theme of the collection is a little different, taking the concept of kaleidoscopic beauty on a journey to India. The shapes of these pieces recall the sumptuous and lush Indian royal palaces and gardens. Here, rubellites, tourmalines and garnets are in the spotlight and magnify the Gucci High-Jewelry. This is particularly true of the Kaleidoscope Necklace, the centerpiece of this theme, which features an impressive 84.59-carat pear-cut rubellite mounted on enameled guilloche gold and diamond claws. It is suspended on a chain adorned with a succession of emerald, garnet, rubellite and diamond drops.
The final theme of this collection reflects Michele’s attachment to myths and symbols. Talismanic jewelry, protective objects and stones intended to protect ideas, visions and stories are highlighted. With sparkling colors, the pieces in this last theme feature stones in pop and psychedelic hues. The Talisman Necklace is a perfect example, featuring a magnificent 172.4 carat hexagonal emerald, embraced by six enameled guilloché gold claws, illuminated by pear-cut diamonds. A 45 cm chain of white gold and diamond links surrounds this sumptuous stone.
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Featured photos : © Cartier
