Totally new, trend-setting and/or very simply magnificent: here are some jewelry items that really spoke to me in the last Paris Jewelry Week.

 

 

Ana Khoury’s tiara/earrings

Ana Khoury should be watched closely, because she is one of the most innovative contemporary designers around. In her quest for new forms and new ways of wearing jewelry, she has designed a headband linked to earrings by a diamond chain, which can be taken apart to form a necklace. A many-faceted delight.

 

Louis Vuitton’s signet ring

This ring is part of “Riders of the Knights”: the first haute joaillerie collection by Francesca Amfitheatrof for Louis Vuitton. The artistic director has found the perfect theme to incorporate the LV Cut in monogram form (launched in 2009). This ring finds a natural place in the heraldic esthetic. One irresistible detail is the contrast of the yellow gold claws holding the emerald with the white gold of the mount.

 

Boucheron’s pair of rings

Instead of mounting two paired yellow octagonal beryls (echoing the form of the Place Vendôme) as earrings, Claire Choisne has transformed them into a duo of inseparable neo signet rings. As with all good ideas that seem obvious, you wonder why no designers have thought of this before …

 

Dauphin’s devant de corsage

Another contemporary designer seeking innovation is Charlotte de la Rochefoulcauld. With this collection, she creates an appealing synthesis between strict lines and fluidity, between the modern and the vintage spirit. This large brooch reminiscent of antique devants de corsage is a fine example.

 

Cartier’s emerald and rock crystal ring

This emerald set in rock crystal highlighted with onyx magisterially illustrates the theme of the collection: the art of mingling stones with play on transparency and opacity. The jeweler has excelled in this field since the Art Deco years.

 

Elie Top’s daisies

For the design of a special commission, Elie Top lighted on the daisy, one of the most traditional engagement rings formed by a central stone surrounded with diamonds. It fits perfectly into its celestial globes in silver, gold and diamonds surrounded by Saturn rings in yellow gold. The ideal marriage between ancient and modern.

 

Ofira’s filigree cuff bracelet

During this jewelry week, Net-à-Porter has presented a selection of haute joaillerie pieces soon to be available on its site, some of them in a private space. They include a magnificent gold filigree cuff bracelet with a pear-cut diamond in the center by the American designer Ofira Sandberg. Very close to celebrities, she is the grand-daughter of a diamond merchant and sister of Lorraine Schwartz, a designer more in the spotlight.

 

Van Cleef & Arpels’ transformable necklace

This necklace illustrates a principle that Van Cleef & Arpels has made its standard: transformability. Like all the others in this collection (or nearly all), it can turn into two necklaces as the wearer likes (one long, one short) accompanied by a bracelet, or, a second possibility, into two bracelets and a clip.  Bracelets and rings can also be transformed.

 

Rubeus’s changing alexandrite

Famous companies are no longer the only ones to present new pieces in this jewelry week. The Russian businessman and collector Viktor Bondarensko asked the designer Frédéric Mané to create jewelry using his favorite stone:  alexandrite, a stone that changes color with the lighting, ranging from grey-green to fluorescent pink. Here the result is two necklaces featuring 47 specimens of between 2.12 and 69.37 carats.

 

The dragon bracelet by C – The Art of Chinese Imperial Jewelry

This very beautiful gold bracelet with dragon motifs is 100% Chinese. Cynthia Ruan took inspiration from imperial Chinese jewelry in her personal collection. She had it made (like all the pieces presented) in her workshop by Chinese craftsmen trained for ten years by older artisans who had not worked gold since the beginning of the Maoist period.

 

Related articles :

Paris – Jewelry Week

The majestic emerald

High jewelry echoes haute couture

 

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