Why the Best Jewelry Isn’t Afraid to Implement the Unconventional
Everything from malachite to citrine to wood is fair game for top jewelers.
By Tanya Dukes on June 16, 2020
The Big Idea: Precious Metal
Cartier 18-karat yellow gold, sapphire, lapis lazuli, and diamond necklace Courtesy of Cartier
"For the most imaginative of jewelry designers, inspiration is no longer confined to traditional materials: gold, platinum, diamonds and such. Even big-name high-jewelry collections have recently begun to dive deeper into the universe of options beyond the precious gems and metals that usually dominate the category. Case in point: Cartier employed rutilated quartz, matrix opal and lapis lazuli—stones not often seen in vaunted high-jewelry salons—for pieces in its Magnitude collection. Their presence alongside sapphires and diamonds gave depth and contrast to the jewels’ expressive multicolored palette.
Boucheron Taille Émeraude Taille bracelet set with a 43-46 ct emerald-cut heliodor beryl and rock crystal paved with diamonds on yellow gold Courtesy of Boucheron
Likewise, at fellow French heritage brand Boucheron, stones such as malachite, citrine and heliodor beryl were the stars of several high-jewelry designs, rather than supporting players. And at Messika, plume-shaped motifs made of ziricote wood became the backdrop for cascades of fancy cut diamonds.
Taffin Colombian emerald and chili pepper red ceramic earrrings
James de Givenchy’s label, Taffin, ticks all the boxes. He is a master of head-turning combinations. Glass and spinel, steel and diamonds, wood and emeralds all mix freely in his collection of one-off wonders. He pioneered the use of ceramic in fine jewelry and applies it variously in pop-art blocks of color or muted camouflage patterns. The novelty of the material initially was part of its allure for Givenchy. “Ceramic was not used in jewelry when I started working with it, and it was the ‘new’ that attracted me,” he said. “The material allows me to give a very modern, but timeless, spin to jewelry.” The results are uniformly daring, playful and highly sought-after, because in jewelry, as in any creative endeavor, an original vision and the skill to realize it are the rarest and most valuable materials of all.
Ana Khouri
With curvaceous silhouettes that look compelling from every angle, Ana Khouri’s jewelry resembles sculpture. And it’s no accident: The discipline was her focus before she launched her namesake collection in 2013. Since then, she has applied her artistic grounding to develop a design vocabulary that is minimalist in tone but doesn’t go without embellishment.
Pieces from her Harmony line include wide, softly rounded cuffs—with or without diamonds—that climb and embrace the ear, a bangle bracelet peppered in pavé-set stones that trails a looping length of chain and an arcing collar necklace in diamonds, dangling two luscious drops of vivid Paraiba tourmaline. Khouri’s work exhibits a range that appeals to a broad set of sensibilities, from relatively understated rings that women with a little flair would feel comfortable wearing in professional settings to a headpiece set with diamonds and emeralds more likely to resonate with those of a more whimsical bent. ... "
https://robbreport.com/best-of-the-best ... es_9528-1/
