The Oscars, which will be announced on March 12th, have an exciting aspect to watch: whether Michelle Yeoh will become the first Asian actress to win the award. At the end of February, when she won the Screen Actors Guild Award, she made a statement on the red carpet with this ensemble: a Schiaparelli haute couture black column dress with a large area of yellow sequin fringe on the front.
She wore a watch from her old friend RM, and her jewelry also came from her long-time close partner Moussaieff, a pair of yellow diamond earrings with a drop design, and a vivid yellow diamond ring, which echoed the color of the yellow sequins on her chest.
Michelle Yeoh showcased the way to wear haute couture and high-end jewelry, which always appear together over the long years.
The manufacturers behind the scenes have a tacit understanding and choose to release new works simultaneously during the “Haute Couture Fashion Week” in January and July each year. There is also a blend of skills, with high-end jewelry often featuring elements unique to haute couture, such as lace, pleats, tassels, and knots.
The red carpet is a place where high-end custom-made clothing and high-end jewelry appear together in public, and all parties firmly believe that all this must happen in Paris. Guests with strong financial resources and an endless pursuit of luxury and craftsmanship come out of the show and head to the hidden high-end jewelry exhibition.
A “big skirt” must meet the requirements of the French Haute Couture Federation and be registered in order to become a legitimate high-end custom-made garment. However, high-end jewelry is different, as there is no such organization to plan and release the exhibition schedule.
However, it is amazing that insiders and enthusiasts can easily determine which brands and works can be called “high-end jewelry” without much disagreement.
The high-end jewelry release is held twice a year, usually with fewer works in January and a larger scale in July. Some jewelry families will build a huge work system with themes such as nature, art, and legendary diamonds, creating hundreds of works that are brilliant and brilliant like a small universe. Such a “series” often needs to be released in multiple parts over several years.
Because there is no similar industry association to restrict it, brands have a considerable degree of freedom in how to release new high-end jewelry works.
Even the old-established jewelry merchants in Place Vendôme sometimes choose to skip January and focus their main efforts on the grand release in July. There are no fixed rules for the number of works released and the form of release. Even if only one work appears in the cold Paris, it is also a part of the “high-end custom week” celebration.
Van Cleef & Arpels’ ZIP necklace is considered a classic expression of high-end jewelry for haute couture.
In recent years, the most dynamic jewelry brands at haute couture week have often been those that started with fashion. The success of fashion has made them a lot of money, and on the one hand, they want to get a share of the small circle of high-end jewelry, and on the other hand, they want to show their strength – very comprehensive, with a product line that ranges from beauty to high-end jewelry, nothing is missing.
The most prominent representative is Gucci. In 2019, Gucci launched the brand’s first high-end jewelry collection, “The Garden of Joy,” led by then Creative Director Alessandro Michele.
The work is inspired by Michele’s spiritual world, traveling through the Renaissance, it is a psychedelic myth. After Michele left, Gucci’s ambition for high-end jewelry remained unchanged, and it made a noise in Place Vendôme with an active attitude.
Louis Vuitton, on the other hand, launched its first high-end jewelry collection as early as 2008, with the original jewelry designer being Lorenz Bäumer, who had worked at Chanel for 15 years.
In recent years of haute couture week, LV high-end jewelry has never been absent. It has been continuously striving in different aspects such as gemstone resources and creative design.
Another eye-catching brand is Prada. In 2022, Prada launched the high-end jewelry collection Eternal Gold, using recycled gold, focusing on the spirit of sustainability, and the focus is not on design.
Another fashion big brand has entered the small circle of high-end jewelry, which is to some extent considered a barometer of the prosperity of the high-end jewelry industry.
Prada entered the high-end jewelry world in 2022.
Another significant player in the industry, who rarely participates in haute couture weeks, is the American brand Tiffany, which has also been investing heavily in the creation and marketing of high-end jewelry for many years.
Tiffany categorizes its high-end jewelry under the Blue Book collection, continuously making an impact on the market at its own pace.
Like haute couture, high-end jewelry is usually one-of-a-kind, with gemstones, precious metals, and craftsmanship that are difficult to replicate. The price of a piece often reaches hundreds of thousands or even millions of euros.
High-end jewelry is the pinnacle of the jewelry world, and many brands tirelessly create high-end jewelry with the important goal of establishing their position in the jewelry world.
A high-end jewelry brand that is admired by others will also be popular for its entry-level products. Once young people recognize the brand, they want to own a part of it and make their social media photos look cool.
Returning to the high-end jewelry pieces released in Paris in January of this year, the brands all maintained their own style and consistent standards. Although the number of works is not large, they are very representative and often indicate the brand’s future creative direction.
The Cartier High Jewelry Collection, Beautés du Monde, has been released over several seasons, inspired by the wonders of nature.
In October 2022, Cartier exhibited many works of this collection in Shanghai, divided into three chapters: Natural Fantasy, Gemstone Inspiration, and Human Interest. In addition to the classic panther, there are also images of lotus flowers and green iguanas, these wonderful plants and animals.
In January of this year, Cartier released new works of this collection, including an Obi High Jewelry necklace. The inspiration for this piece is Japanese fabric, and the color scheme has the fierce style of Cartier’s animals. The green, red, and hidden black are exciting dangerous temptations.
Cartier Obi High Jewelry Necklace
Eight cabochon-cut emeralds form the outline of the necklace, with radiating lines extending from each emerald and adorned with rubies. At the edges of the necklace, black onyx is cut into a three-dimensional shape. This necklace is convertible, and the pendant part can be removed and worn as a brooch.
Chanel unveiled a watch collection during this haute couture week, and at first glance, the most striking features are the large dial and the rounded case.
Arnaud Chastaingt, the Creative Director of Chanel’s Watchmaking Studio, captured a moment of Mademoiselle Chanel in the haute couture workshop, where she often had a plump “pin cushion” on her wrist, with sewing needles of various lengths inserted into it, becoming a symbol of authority.
Chanel Mademoiselle Privé Pique-Aiguilles Watch
This year’s Mademoiselle Privé Pique-Aiguilles watch features an oversized dial, like a canvas depicting Chanel’s high-level craftsmanship.
This collection includes 5 watch designs: camellia lace, iconic handbag combination, jewelry scattered on black tweed, diamond embroidery, and a coat in the proofing stage.
Chanel Mademoiselle Privé Pique-Aiguilles Watch
In 1999, Creative Director Victoire de Castellane joined DIOR and launched DIOR’s first high-end jewelry collection. Like Chanel, DIOR is a major player in haute couture and once again expresses the form of high-end clothing with high-end jewelry.
The newly released works include a necklace inlaid with emeralds and diamonds. The delicacy and lightness of lace are expressed with extremely fine precious metal wires, and the emeralds and diamonds form a vortex, resembling flowers in the wind, exuding a feminine and charming temperament.
Dior High Jewelry creates a lace-like texture.
During the GRAFF Haute Joaillerie week, a special necklace was unveiled at the Paris boutique. The centerpiece of the piece is a 50.08-carat, D-color, flawless, oval-cut diamond.
Surrounding it are a total of 100 carats of diamonds, with various cutting styles that give the necklace both architectural grandeur and feminine softness. The entire piece is magnificent and “very Graff.”
The diamond in the center is extremely rare.
One of the things that the industry is very interested in is the diamond itself, which comes from Lesotho, a country surrounded by South Africa. The GIA has rated this diamond as having perfect polish and symmetry, a large size, perfect color and clarity, and an astonishing brilliance.
De Beers uses its unique natural diamond resources to create a palette of diamonds and precious metals that represent the colors of the four seasons. Among them, there is a pair of modern-style earrings, which are meticulously crafted from 18K gold, 18K white gold, 18K rose gold, and titanium metal.
De Beers is skilled at using rough stones for creation. The earring lines closely follow the contour of the ear, with four diamond-encrusted long thin chains hanging down, representing the four seasons of spring, summer, autumn, and winter. The most unique feature is the cocoon-shaped design made of colored titanium metal hanging at the bottom of the diamond chain, which can be removed and worn on the same series of bracelets.
Art jewelry CINDY CHAO showcased two new Masterpiece Series pieces in Paris this time, including the Spring Bean蔻 (cou, a type of button or brooch) displayed at the Shanghai Art021 last year.
An 81-carat oval emerald from Colombia is set inside a bean pod. Drawing inspiration from the principle of color stacking in oil paintings, the design features a multi-layered combination of inlaid elements.
Spring Cardamom Brooch
The mortise and tenon structure embeds emeralds and diamond spheres on the titanium structure at the bottom of the pod, with the connection position and angle meticulously calculated to make the gems and diamond spheres appear as if they are floating above the pod.
The mechanism design allows the pod leaves to sway slightly, showing a sense of liveliness. The juxtaposition of the full solid emerald and the hollow diamond sphere integrates the artistic expression of “void and reality”.
Continuing with the theme of love and romance, the CHAUMET Liens Inséparables collection includes an elegant necklace with sinuous lines that intertwine diamonds and sapphires, creating a simple and effortless French style.
A pear-shaped white diamond serves as the finishing touch to this gem-encrusted “knot,” securing the core of the entire piece.
CHAUMET High Jewelry Necklace
Boucheron has always valued the release of the twice-yearly Haute Couture Week. The most recent collection was inspired by a Boucheron piece gifted to Queen Elizabeth of the United Kingdom when she was 18 years old. It was a sapphire and double-return diamond brooch.
Boucheron expresses the Art Deco style with a rich variety of colored gemstones, and many of the pieces are convertible.
BOUCHERON Convertible High Jewelry Creations
One of the Frosty White platinum necklaces can be worn in six different ways, with the sides of the piece designed to resemble the original brooch of the queen, which can be detached to be worn as a single or double brooch.
BOUCHERON Convertible High Jewelry Collection
GUCCI presents the latest work of the Garden of Joy series, showcasing GUCCI’s distinctive lion and tiger head pattern pieces in the GUCCI boutique on Place Vendôme. Colorful gemstones are combined, inspired by geometric prisms, taking into account the refraction of colorful brilliance.
Gucci continues to release high-end jewelry pieces.
A diamond geometric necklace features a round-cut orange garnet as the pendant, adorned with emerald gemstones. The necklace can be paired with a pair of earrings, which also adopt a fresh combination of green and orange tones.
Louis Vuitton, which continues to make rapid progress in the fashion industry, is becoming more and more courageous in the world of high-end jewelry. The brand uses its iconic patterns as elements to create bold and powerful jewelry. The Destiny necklace, inlaid with diamonds and rubies, combines the famous V letter with diamonds cut into the shape of a star-shaped monogram.
LV’s recent investment in high-end jewelry is eye-catching
After a long pandemic, the jewelry market has shown strong resilience. From data and the market moves of major brands, the world is entering an era of vigorous jewelry consumption.
After being acquired by LVMH, Tiffany no longer discloses the performance of a single brand. However, the group has repeatedly mentioned in its financial reports that Tiffany’s performance has set a new record, with the Blue Book high-end jewelry series performing exceptionally.
The brand CEO stated that Tiffany’s strategy is to further enhance the brand positioning, and one of the reasons for the rapid development is the outstanding performance of high-end jewelry.
Tiffany’s strategy for high-end jewelry is to continuously tell the story of legendary designer Jean Schlumberger, and to tell the new stories of his 1965 design “Bird on a Rock” today.
Tiffany’s “Bird on a Rock” Endures
Various major players have done well with high-end jewelry, which has also led to the popularity of many of their entry-level products, with many brands expanding their production capacity.
The New York Times reported on today’s Italian jewelry hotspot – the small town of Valenza. With a population of only 18,000, it has long been home to many jewelry workshops and craftsmen.
In October 2022, Bulgari announced that it would double the production capacity of its five-year-old Valenza workshop by adding two brand new buildings. Cartier is also planning to build a new workshop.
The demand for jewelry masters and craftsmen by major brands continues to increase, and they are also constantly collaborating with jewelry schools to train jewelry setters and goldsmiths.
In October 2022, Bulgari announced that it will double the production capacity of its Valenza workshop.
Tiffany is currently undergoing a renovation of its stores, with the flagship store on Fifth Avenue in New York being the first to be revamped. It can be said that major brands are investing and expanding, competing for market share.
A Bain & Company report states that the luxury jewelry market was worth 22 billion euros in 2021, a 7% increase from 2019. Many people believe that during times of crisis, jewelry made from precious metals and gemstones is a more risk-resistant choice. We have reason to believe that the Paris Haute Couture Week in July this year will be a dazzling event.
