January’s Fashion Week showcased creations that gave nature a chance to express itself in all its delicate and untamed states. With inspirations ranging from botanical, floral and animal, the high jewelry houses redoubled their ingenuity to capture the beauty of the natural world.
Cartier, between power and sensuality
Cartier‘s style is recognizable through its iconic panther, its polychrome harmonies and the supple nature of its adornments. The Nature Sauvage collection showcases this signature with spectacular pieces, from the Panthère Canopée necklace – where the feline rests on a diamond foliage, guarding a 26.53-carat Ceylon sapphire – to the Tigre necklace, which comes in a subtle fade-in of white, orange, yellow and brown diamonds, highlighting the subtle workshop finesse. The grand finale comes in the form of a Tutti Frutti necklace and bracelet, which blend ruby berries polished into balls, engraved sapphires and ribbed emeralds in a luminous symphony of colors.
De Beers, a tribute to the Earth’s roots
With Essence of Nature (chap. I), De Beers explores the symbolism of trees and their roots. Blending rough and polished diamonds, the collection evokes the texture of fossilized wood and roots that plunge to Earth’s core. While two rare green diamonds catch the eye, recalling tropical luxuriance, the centerpiece is a ring set with an exceptional 8.75-carat Fancy Intense Yellow stone.
Céline Assimon, De Beers: “The first chapter of the Essence of Nature Collection is a celebration of our roots, both literal and figurative. Tree roots are the hidden foundations of incredible beauty that can last for millennia… In the same way, diamonds have an intrinsic charm because they are true miracles of Nature, whose journey began millions of years ago in the depths of the Earth.”
Chaumet, bamboo in its purest form.
Chaumet draws its inspiration from bamboo, an elegant and hardy plant, for a collection of 10 graphically dazzling pieces in which undulating leaves on diamond stems sway in the wind. Soft green tsavorite garnets and bluish Australian opals recall the aquatic, tropical world of bamboo, in a minimalist graphic style reminiscent of delicate, naturalistic Japanese prints.
Boucheron, nature in its raw splendor
With Untamed Nature, Boucheron revisits the Maison’s archives, featuring modest, untamed flora such as cranberry leaves, oats and cyclamen. The 28 monochrome pieces (white diamonds on white gold) are distinguished by their finesse, suppleness and metamorphosis. A long diamond ivy necklace (an ideal adornment for the body) becomes a corsage train or brooch, while sparkling sprigs of oats are worn as hair jewels.
Chanel, the poetry of an eternal feather
Since 1910, the feather has been a motif dear to Gabrielle Chanel, who interpreted it in platinum and diamond in her first and only jewelry collection in 1932. Plume de Chanel revisits this inspiration with jewelry featuring supple lines, evoking a light caress. Rings, necklaces and brooches feature white and pink diamonds, while the Plume Mademoiselle ring is adorned with a sublime 1.26-carat Fancy Intense Purplish Pink VS2 pear diamond.
Dior, the floral airiness of lace
In a dreamy rose garden setting, Dior Joaillerie unveiled Dior Milly Dentelle, a nod to Christian Dior’s estate in Milly-la-Forêt. Flowers and foliage mingle in jewels with delicate gold and diamond guipure. Colored stones (sapphires, garnets, tourmalines) form a vibrant kaleidoscope, occasionally punctuated by miniature cultured pearls and diamond micro-pavés reminiscent of fine lace. Like a garden under snow, an all-white necklace showcases a beautiful 6.56-carat diamond.
Graff, the very essence of diamonds
Graff exalts love with the Gift of Love necklace, where two sparrows – symbols of love in ancient Greece – appear to be exchanging a precious gift, a 13.51-carat Fancy Intense Yellow diamond. The piece is set with 2,305 diamonds (125 carats in all), and took 6,000 hours over three years to complete.
Bvlgari, bursts of light across a garden
With Infinite Blossom, Bvlgari celebrates color while highlighting diamonds. The compositions are bursting with color, like the Rosé Rêverie necklace where pinkish-red spinel intertwines with amethysts and rubellites. Subtle turquoise studs punctuate this dance of pink and blue tones, capturing the bold, fiercely Italian soul of the Roman House.
Louis Vuitton, when jewelry becomes architecture
The second chapter of Louis Vuitton Joaillerie’s Awakened Hands, Awakened Minds, featuring 7 themes and 50 exclusive pieces, pays tribute to the industrial boom of the 19th century. Sitting at the crossroads between rigor and suppleness, the Dynamisme collection electrifies with the complex mechanics of its perfectly aligned openwork chevrons, which house the iconic Monogram Star LV-cut diamond. Also new is a jeweled compass engraved and set with diamonds, the jewelry house’s first foray into the male universe.
Rouvenat, ethical and responsible high jewelry
Let’s step away from the Place Vendôme circle to discover another Maison. With its recycled gold and gemstone creations, Rouvenat focuses on heritage and authenticity. The Bolt Cristallin necklace features a 2.82-carat cushion diamond, previously set in an antique ring. The chain’s beads and pendants are cut from antique crystal, likely of Brazilian origin, with its delicate cloudy inclusions adding a poetic touch.
Between plant and animal inspirations and designs that play on transformation, high jewelry is constantly reinventing its language. Each Maison explores materials, light and movement with exceptional virtuosity, confirming that jewelry remains above all an art that seeks to inspire emotion and dreams.
