Every January, the haute couture shows and high jewelry presentations take place in Paris, providing a much-needed jolt of inspiration, freshness, and beauty. One-of-a-kind gowns that take hours upon hours to come to life cascade down the various runways, while the jewelry maisons employ their most talented and artistic to create the intricate high jewelry collections that tell the amazing stories of each house. Whether drawing upon the houses' histories or pushing them forward with a new concept, these collections from the January 2022 showing are the ones we can't stop thinking about.
Cindy Chao
Returning to Paris, , the designer known for her naturalistic designs and exceptional combinations of stones, presented, among others, the Feather brooch—the newest addition to her 15th Anniversary collection. This beautiful homage to the world around us was created with a very light and thin titanium setting that allows the stones to appear as though they are floating. Around 1,700 white diamonds, yellow diamonds, rubies, purple garnets, orange sapphires, rhodolite, and color-change sapphires surround 39 larger cushion-cut diamonds (from 0.5 carats to 2.8 carats), creating a truly mesmerizing work of art.
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Louis Vuitton
The second chapter of Louis Vuitton's Bravery high jewelry collection takes its inspiration from the founder's most iconic legacy—the trunk and its design. Most of the pieces in this collection feature a rainbow of colors in the gemstones selected, like in the Le Magnétisme necklace, set with an intense 20.29-carat Sri Lankan yellow sapphire and two rows of yellow, pink, and orange tourmalines. The only monochromatic moment—La Mini Malle—takes its cue from the Petite Malle, which debuted in 2014. This miniature version of the original creation features diamond pavé links and three LV monogram star-cut diamonds, which are reminiscent of the locks on the famous Louis Vuitton trunk.
Boucheron
On August 2, 1928, Bhupindar Singh, the maharajah of Patiala, arrived in Paris with his guards carrying safes filled with thousands of rubies, emeralds, pearls, and diamonds to be made into parures. No one knew which jeweler on the Place Vendôme would be tasked with creating his personal jewelry. He chose the house of Boucheron. Louis Boucheron, the son of Frédéric Boucheron, created 149 designs for the maharajah, and this January, Creative Director Claire Choisne went into the archives to be inspired by Louis Boucheron's original drawings. Springing forth from that comes this New Maharajahs collection, this time without color. Choisne modernized it by focusing on white and transparent gemstones, as in this New Maharani Nacre necklace with a mother-of-pearl lotus flower dripping with Japanese pearls and diamonds at its center.
De Beers
De Beers debuted the first chapter of its new high jewelry collection, The Alchemist of Light, during the Paris presentations. This collection includes seven sets of jewelry with 45 one-of-a-kind pieces, with the second chapter scheduled for the July high jewelry presentations in Paris. One stand-out piece among many is the Atomique collar necklace above with a setting that is a work of total precision created to show off the stunning 18.57-carat flawless diamond that is the centerpiece. The necklace boasts 1,907 round brilliant diamonds, capturing and reflecting light in a dreamlike way.
Cartier
Cartier presented the third chapter in its Sixième Sens collection, which celebrates the effect high jewelry creations have on our senses—how they are inspired and awakened—and the effect these works of art have on our emotions and the attachments they beget. Some believe jewelry comes to life when worn, and here, through the use of trompe-l’œil and modern patterns, Cartier's new pieces engage the viewer's sense of sight. In these Kaniza earrings that took 314 hours to create and use one of the brand's signature color combinations of black, green, and white, hexagonal diamonds totaling 5.22 carats highlight the idea of transparency and are grounded by onyx and dangling, delicate emeralds.
Dior
A new collection that encompasses 81 pieces and celebrates the galons, or beautiful decorative ribbons, that adorn the maison's designs was created by Victoire de Castellane for Dior's latest high jewelry collection, Galons Dior. Castellane sought to evoke the refined spirit and delicate curves of the couture trimmings Christian Dior was known for. Jewelry pieces that have a more lyrical shape to them—and set with an array of colorful stones, like emeralds, sapphires, and rubies cut into geometric shapes—and a quality of femininity and lightness mimic the shape of fabric floating through the air as it is wrapped around a mannequin. Castellane has also included, for the first time in a high jewelry collection for the brand, cufflinks and brooches created especially for men.
Chopard
Named after the Bemba word for elephant, the Insofu rough emerald—an astonishing discovery totaling 6,225 carats—was presented by Chopard in Paris. This rare stone found in Zambia's Kagem mine is exceptional not only for its weight but also for its quality. While not yet realized into many pieces of jewelry—as no doubt it will be—this stone shimmers with possibilities, and Caroline Scheufele, copresident and artistic director of Chopard, plans to be present each step of the way as this magnificent find is cut and honed into future designs. Chopard also presented several finished pieces in Paris, including the 10.88-carat "Rose of Caroline" diamond set as a ring with a ruby on either side.
