Far from being fixed in a timeless style, jewelry is constantly renewed. Inclusions of natural materials, aerial settings, alloys and ultra-light metals, her research and her curiosity push her towards new territories.
By Nathalie Koelsch
Tasaki and its truncated pearls, Messika’s shamanic collection of wood and diamonds, Chopard’s new setting, Nuun’s aerial earrings and Piaget’s virtuoso marquetry, jewelers are exploring new creative avenues, constantly innovating, between new techniques and unexpected combinations of materials. Collaborations with other professions, such as fashion or watchmaking, regularly force jewelry to surpass itself. Today, in order to evolve and take a fresh look at its know-how, it no longer hesitates to call on outside talent, following the example of Tasaki, which is multiplying its collaborations.
Who would have thought that Tasaki, the great Japanese pearl maker, would dare to split pearls, to cut them in two to reveal their mysteries? Under the influence of the audacious Melanie Georgacopoulos, he forgot about the wise pearl strings of our grandmothers, guarantors of a classic and prepared elegance, to dare the unthinkable and offer them a new youth. In a very graphic aesthetic, the pearl is sectioned, its cut sides exposed are covered with a gold cap. Beyond the technical prowess, the combination of gold and mother-of-pearl gives character to the pearl, whose sensuality clashes with the warmth of yellow gold. The collection is endlessly declined between simple rings and plunging earrings.
Renowned in the 1970s for its avant-garde collections, Piaget has maintained its pioneering image, regularly taking on new challenges. This year he called upon the excellence of long forgotten crafts to enhance the brilliance of the precious stones. After having exhumed the know-how of feather makers, the jeweler associates straw and precious wood marquetry to his creations. Treated as precious materials, the straw and sicomore stems, adjusted and laid in a radiant pattern, compose a marquetry of wood and straw in shades of gold, silver and blue, in keeping with the color of the Paraiba tourmalines set on the cuff and earrings.
In search of lightness, designer Nourah Al Faisal of Nuun Jewels continues her interstellar exploration in light, openwork lines. His Madar collection places its stones in orbit on colored titanium creations. Thanks to this material, she can dare volumes without being held back by the weight of metal.
At Messika, diamonds reign supreme in collections that speak of light, sensuality and radiant vitality. Her light and uncomplicated jewelry responds to a desire for movement and freedom that she expresses in her latest collection “Born to be wild”. It evokes wide open spaces and feeds the imagination by inviting other materials such as wood and feathers into the territory of the diamond. Black Hawk, her major piece made of Ziricote wood as feathers, evokes traditional Indian headdresses adorned with eagle feathers. This mystical collection, over which the spirit of great warriors hovers, blends the icy beauty of diamonds with the warmth of carved wood set in yellow gold.
Glamorous and Red Carpet, Chopard jewelry is made to shine, worn by the stars during their appearances on the famous red carpet. Concerned about leaving as little metal as possible visible on its creations, Chopard has imagined Magical Setting, an ingenious setting that reinvents the classic daisy and makes the metal disappear. The gems shine unhindered, free of any claws. The gems seem to levitate. Surrounding the central stone of each jewel, the support remains invisible. The pavings are supported by an original gold structure that lets the light circulate, and offers a modernized version of the daisy ring.
Highly inspired, 2019 jewelry takes the paths of innovation and serenity, casually.
