Unfurled: Watches and Jewellery Wonderland
By admin Sunday, 11 October 2015 12:41 PM
Celebrate moments in time with the season’s most bewitching range of watches and jewellery presented this year at the world’s leading shows – SIHH and Baselworld. Painstakingly crafted in rare and precious materials, these diversely inspired and innovatively designed creations are timeless works of art to treasure forever. Aviamost presents the pick of the year’s magical array
Smart Watches vs. Clever Movements
A watch, and all the more so a Swiss watch, is made to last more than a lifetime, and stands for much more than counting the hours, minutes and seconds. However, the debut of smartwatches have divided watchmakers over the issue, with some embracing the notion that connected devices represent the future of the industry and others opposing it.
Nonetheless, they could not be ‘wished’ away as several leading brands, particularly top brands from the French luxury group LVMH’s stable, such as Bulgari unveiled a concept intelligent watch that can act through Smartphone connectivity as a virtual vault for all personal data. While TAG-Heuer announced collaborating with Silicon Valley’s tech giant Google and Intel to create the next “Luxury Android Smartwatch”. The name known for its connection to aviation and creating instruments for professionals, Breitling too presented a smarter version of the pilot watch while Frederique Constant presented a Horological Smartwatch and Gucci announced its collaboration with American rapper Will.I.Am to create a connected device called the ‘Smart Band’.
Watch Novelties Galore
Four major trends among watches emerged this year: New materials in exciting new finishes; A noticeable preference for chocolaty-brown while blue was not far behind; Embracing digital technology as seen at Bulgari and TAG Heuer; and finally classic styling highlighted by slim cases, subtle colour schemes and clear open dials. Read up all about them here:
The world’s most prodigious watchmaker, Rolex unveiled new-generation models and a new-generation mechanical movement raising the level of chronometric performance. Its new 40mm Oyster Perpetual Day-Date, the choice of many U.S. presidents, is powered by the new mechanical movement Calibre 3255, which is backed by 14 new patents and offering gains in precision, power reserve and resistance to shocks and magnetism. Its new Oyster Perpetual Lady Datejust 28 has a redesigned case (enlarged to 28 mm) and uses Calibre 2236, a mechanical movement fitted with a Rolex-patented Syloxi hairspring in silicon.
Italian brand Bulgari expands on its key pillars. These include the Octo, which is fast becoming one of its most sought after collections among men and is being released with a blue dial and a retro-twist of the 70’s with a modern touch. It also has new pieces in the Octo Finissimo line and celebrates the 40th anniversary of its Bulgari Bulgari collection this year. This year, Lvcea will be offered with colourful straps in addition to bracelets. Its popular and glamorous Serpenti has new watches; jewellery line, watch line and even eyewear line.
Associated with Italy’s legendary Mille Miglia rally for 27 years, Chopard offers three lines under Classic Racing: Grand Prix de Monaco Historique, Superfast and Mille Miglia. For the first time, the Mille Miglia is equipped with a calibre from its movement manufacturer Fleurier Ebauches, supporting a date indicator and optionally a power-reserve display. A new version of the L.U.C Regulator, its first model features a manufacture calibre with four barrels - a patented technology called “Quattro”. Its Happy Sport for women has a smaller 30mm case equipped with an automatic movement and an updated case.
It has been an eventful year at Omega so far. The Swiss watch brand and the Swiss Federal Institute of Metrology (METAS) announced a stringent new watch certification meant for the entire assembled watch. It does not replace the COSC which tests uncased movements without their rotors. Its newly unveiled Globemaster, is the world’s first Master Chronometer is the first mechanical timepiece to pass the METAS. Its new titanium and ceramic Speedmaster Skywalker X-33 Solar Impulse was launched to coincide with the round- the-world Solar Impulse flight powered solely by solar energy. Omega now also has a new brand ambassador, the Oscar-winning actor of ‘The Theory of Everything’ Eddie Redmayne.
De Grisogono brings new pieces in its first signature watch the Instrumento No Uno, which marks its 15th anniversary this year, including a carbon fibre piece, a new annual calendar with distinctive look. Its new Retro collection is for both men and women and has a rectangular case placed horizontally.
Perrelet’s iconic Turbine gets a complete makeover to welcome its first skeleton movement in the new Turbine Skeleton Ref A3038/1A revealing the internal structure of its entirely open-worked Manufacture P-381 calibre. The black aluminium turbine is fitted directly on the under-dial, itself open-worked, so as not to obstruct the view of the heart of the watch. Spinning at full speed, it provides fascinating glimpses through its openings of the mechanism’s ethereal architecture.
The Swiss watch manufacturer Frederique Constant introduces its 19th calibre, which is in-house developed, produced and assembled. Housing the new FC-715 calibre, it presents a classic timepiece featuring a beautiful moon-phase complication. It comes in stainless steel or rose gold plated finishing with a silver dial.
Glashutte Original unveils the ultimate world-time watch: the Senator Cosmopolite equipped with the new self-winding Calibre 89-02. It integrates a display of all 37 time zones. It’s Pavonina, originally inspired by a Glashütte ladies’ watch from the 1920s, flaunts a characteristic pillow-shaped case while its new PanoMaticLunar blends a red gold case with a black dial, an off-centre indicator for hours and minutes, a golden moon-phase display and a large panoramic date, all animated by automatic manufacture Calibre 90-02.
One of A. Lange & Söhne’s introductions at SIHH 2015 was the Zeitwerk Minute Repeater combining a chiming mechanism with jumping displays for the hours and minutes on a simple, legible dial which belies the complexities of its movement. This is the first Lange watch to combine a jumping time display with a 10-minute interval repeater in a window at 9 o’clock, minutes are shown on two discs of different heights at 3 o’clock and the manually wound watch has a 36-hour power reserve.
Montblanc’s Heritage Chronometrie Quantieme Annuel Vasco da Gama features the annual calendar mechanism, called a "Quantième Annuel", which automatically "knows" the lengths of all months from March to January. A manual correction by turning the crown is needed for the switch from the 28th or 29th of February to the 1st of March. On all other days of the year, it provides accurate calendrical information via four subdials for the day, month, date and moon-phase display.
Surprisingly, DeWitt’s offers a new time-only watch - the 42.5-mm Academia Mathematical in chocolate brown. Encased in rose gold, it features Arabic numerals tumbling all over in apparent disarray. Jumping numerals (hour on top, minutes in the centre) enter the cutaway in the frosted sapphire crystal to indicate the time. It is powered by the automatic Calibre DW0101, offering 48 hours of power reserve, and its movement is displayed through the open case back.
Chronograph Scores
Marking 175 years in its growth last year, independent watchmaker Patek Philippe presents a strong collection of around 30 new models such as a chronograph with a split-second, a pilot’s watch with travel time and a annual calendar for ladies. Its new Ref. 5524 Calatrava Pilot Travel Time has a rich navy blue lacquer dial recalling 1930’s American fighter planes and houses the easy-to-use two-time-zone mechanism which is part of the self-winding CH 324 S C FUS manufacture-made movement patented in 1996. Its new Reference 5370P, a split-seconds chronograph features a platinum case with a jet black enamel dial and Breguet numerals.
Brand of elegance, Longines launches an automatic chronograph in its Conquest classic collection featuring a moon-phase indicator at 6 o’clock on a classic dial in black or silver toned. Its new Conquest 1/100th can display time to one hundredth of a second while its eye-catching Longines Heritage Diver 1967 has a graduated bordeaux diving bezel. It also offers the single push-piece Longines Pulsometer Chronograph. One of the few brands with about 50 per cent ladies watches, it launched the vintage-looking Longines Symphonette and has a new Dolce Vita model too.
Celebrating its 240th anniversary this year, the venerable manufacture Breguet presents the 40mm white gold Tradition Automatique Seconde Rétrograde, paying homage to the beauty of mechanisms in Abraham-Louis Breguet’s “touch watches”, which let the user read the time with his fingertips. And to celebrate 200 years since Abraham-Louis Breguet was appointed to make chronometer’s for the French Royal Navy by King Louis XVIII, Breguet has created a special 200 piece limited edition timepiece – the Marine Chronograph “200 Ans de Marine” 5823.
TAG Heuer’s famous Carrera chronograph collection developed by Jack Heuer in 1963 for racecar drivers and motorsport fans now welcomes two 39mm models for men and women. The Heuer logo from the 1960s adorns dials, styled like the original model, handsomely expressed by the silver-and-blue colour scheme of the Carrera Calibre 6, a three- handed watch powered by time-honoured COSC-certified Calibre 6, with 44-hour power reserve. The vintage-looking Carrera Calibre 18 Automatic Chronograph in black and silver also celebrates a premiere in the TAG Heuer and has a dial equipped with a telemeter scale to measure distances.
Breitling celebrates the 100th year of the first independent chronograph pushpiece with the vintage-looking, stainless steel Transocean Chronograph 1915, featuring the pushpiece at 2 o’ clock. The handwound and chronometer certified Calibre B14 was developed to ensure it can successively handle all functions. It also unveils the new Chronoliner a COSC-certified chronometer chronograph inspired by a 1950’s model. It has a scratch-resistant bi-directional high-tech ceramic bezel and a second time zone indication that can be read via a red-tipped hand.
With each purchase of a watch in the Ocean Commitment limited edition, Blancpain will donate 1,000 euros to science. It unveils the first model in this limited series of diver’s watches: the Bathyscaphe Chronographe Flyback Ocean Commitment, encasing the manufacture’s latest movement, Automatic Calibre F385 a flyback chronograph. Its Villeret Grande Date offers a large date complication beating to the Calibre 6950. Its exciting L-evolution in platinum features a flying tourbillon and a flying carousel, both individually powered by their own barrel with simultaneous winding through a single crown. The open-worked Calibre 2322V2 is constructed on multiple levels.
Baume & Mercier’s 43mm automatic Clifton Chronograph Black models date from the Golden Fifties featuring polished satin-finished steel cases accented by a black dial and rhodium-plated hands. Elegant and masculine, it is driven by a Swiss-made mechanical automatic movement renowned for its reliability, endurance and precision, visible through the transparent sapphire case back. The dial displays the day and date through a large double aperture at 3 o’clock and it has the ability to measure short intervals of time using the push-pieces on the side.
Celebrating its 150th anniversary in 2015, Zenith again focuses on its best-known model: El Primero, the world’s first automatic chronograph movement which debuted in 1969. The new El Primero 36,000 VpH takes its rightful place in the hall of fame. Its black or pale dial hosts three totalisers, a tachymeter scale along the flange and a date display at “4:30” and blue elapsed chronograph hands. Zenith asserts its status as a genuine manufacture with the new Calibre Elite 6150, which is extremely slim (just 3.92 mm tall) and powers its new 41mm Elite.
Swiss luxury brand Carl F. Bucherer presents the Patravi ScubaTec and the Pathos in rose gold and new models of the Manero PowerReserve. Its highlight is the Patravi TravelTec II, a COSC-certified automatic chronograph with a display featuring three time zones, its date display can move forward and even backward when changing the hour setting.
Tourbillon Tracks
Now fully owned by the Kering Group, Ulysse Nardin continues its pioneering spirit with two new products - one is the Freak Lab – it is a continuation of the Freak but with an innovative new function and with new silicium technology that can be used in other calibres. Its new Répétition Minutes Hannibal Westminster Carillon Tourbillon Jaquemarts recalls scenes from an ancient battle in 218 BCE – that of Hannibal’s march by elephant back over the Pyrenees and the Alps on a dial of genuine Alpine granite. Its new Marine Chronometer Manufacture Ladies’ watch is equipped with the in-house-made Ulysse Nardin 118 calibre, and has diamonds on its fluted bezel.
Carl F. Bucherer’s Manero Tourbillon Limited Edition comes in a subtle combination of red gold and a velvety brown classic dial and houses the hand-wound Calibre CFB T1001 with 70-hour power reserve.
Girard-Perregaux presents a white gold variant of the 48mm Tri-Axial Tourbillon boasting a 60-hour power reserve and coming in just ten pieces. The rapid rotating of the three tourbillon cages creates a fascinating choreography. The Girard-Perregaux 1966 collection offering classical watches welcomes two new models, one for ladies and one for gents, both with pink gold cases, very fine guilloche adorning their dials, and baton-shaped indices marking the hours.
One of Jacob & Co’s new masterpieces is Art Deco-inspired its Brilliant Art Deco D-Flawless watch with a contrasting pink gold design on the skeletonised movement set with Fancy Intense Pink diamonds. Its JCAM05 hand-wound calibre has a one-minute flying tourbillion and three days of power reserve. Its new Billionaire, a tie-up with Flavio Briatore’s Billionaire Lifestyle, is entirely invisibly set with emerald-cut GIA-certified diamonds and features a rectangular dial and it is powered by the highly skeletonized handcrafted calibre, the JCAM09.
Always at the forefront of style Chanel, reinterprets its signature J12 high-tech ceramic model which first appeared in 2000 and triggered a style revolution. This year, the J12 sports colours for the first time. The bezel is available in Soft Blue, Soft Mint and Soft Rose, limited to 1,200 watches in each. Fans of highly complicated watches will go for its J12 Flying Tourbillon Skeleton, decorated with a diamond-encrusted comet paying homage to the master watchmakers at Chanel’s workshops in La Chaux-de-Fonds.
To mark the 75th anniversary of the Portugieser watch family, IWC has given the Portugieser Tourbillon Mystère Rétrograde an additional touch of luxury. The new arched-edge front glass makes it appear both slimmer and the horns have been ergonomically optimized to make the watch more comfortable to wear. The dial of the platinum version is silver plated while the red gold model is fitted with a slate coloured dial.
Graff launches yet another exciting world premiere, the Diamond Master Graff Structural Tourbillon Skeleton, powered by the Graff Calibre 6, a new and exclusive skeletonised tourbillon-driven, hand-wound movement. The Fascination is its other major prestige jewellery watch that is interchangeable.
One of the very few watchmakers with the capacity to develop and produce its own movements, Hublot fuses tradition and modernity in its first tourbillon in its Big Bang Tourbillon 5-Day Power Reserve Indicator which has an additional complication - a power-reserve indicator.
Rare Art
It is two years since the Swatch Group bought Harry Winston. It has some new very attractive creations in the category “Métiers d’Art”, jewellery watches and high complications. In its new Midnight Feathers Automatic 42mm watch, goose feather is the choice and it showcases the rare art of plumasserie (feather work) with horology. The black, brown and golden chocolate feathers are carefully selected, shaped and placed on the hand-crafted dial in a marquetry motif which varies with the individual feathers and it houses a movement beating at 28,800 vph. Its Premier Lace contrasts a black sunburst background dial with an overlay of open worked mother-of-pearl carved to resemble lace.
Legendary Jaquet Droz presents the rose gold, Grande Second Deadbeat featuring the rare dead-beat seconds placed in the centre of the regulator style dial. Its Bird Repeater Geneva honours Geneva, where Pierre Jaquet-Droz established his first watch manufacture in 1784 and crafted grand complications. Encasing the automatic Calibre RMA888, it offers animated tableaux, such as the parent birds feeding their offspring and a chick hatching from its egg. It comes in just eight numbers. While its new Lady 8 Flower features two superimposed circles forming the numeral 8, the lower one features a butterfly while the upper mechanical sphere boasts a lotus flower, which opens to reveal a diamond heart when you press a button.
2015 marks the 125th death anniversary of Dutch post-impressionist painter, Vincent van Gogh. To mark the occasion, Jaeger-LeCoultre and the Van Gogh Museum in Amsterdam present a limited edition of the Reverso à Eclipse watch in just five pieces, featuring his iconic Sunflowers, painted in 1889, on the dial. The unique reversible pink gold watch is equipped with the in-house Jaeger-LeCoultre Calibre 849, and revives the fine art of miniature enamel painting.
Surprisingly, DeWitt’s offers a new time-only watch - the 42.5-mm Academia Mathematical in chocolate brown. Encased in rose gold, it features Arabic numerals tumbling all over in apparent disarray. Jumping numerals (hour on top, minutes in the centre) enter the cutaway in the frosted sapphire crystal to indicate the time. It is powered by the automatic Calibre DW0101, offering 48 hours of power reserve, and its movement is displayed through the open case back.
Diamond-studded Time
This year Chopard celebrates the 30th anniversary of its famous Clown creation showcasing diamonds moving around by unfurling the Happy Diamonds collection, featuring large flowers and a pop 70’s touch. Its favourite heart motif mingles with mobile diamonds in its Haute Joaillerie creations along with heart-shaped stones while colour is introduced in its Happy Hearts collection where turquoise, onyx and mother-of-pearl highlight the motif.
Art Deco is a strong theme in Cartier’s High Jewellery watches, as seen in its Aten High Jewellery Secret Hour watch, which boasts, at its centre, a spectacular 51.13 carat opal, which green and blue hues recalling a heavenly view of the Earth. Aten was an Ancient Egyptian god represented in the form of the solar disc. It has silvered translucent lacquered sun-ray effect dial, square-shaped diamond hour marker at 12 o’clock and rhodium-finish 18K yellow gold sword-shaped hands.
One of the highly covetable women’s watches is Omega’s new Constellation Pluma which has a coral-coloured dial made of mother-of-pearl and diamond indices is driven by the Co-Axial Calibre 8520.
The Tonda Hémisphères Globo for women comes equipped with the self-winding Calibre PF 337, entirely designed and produced by Parmigiani. Its ivory opal dial has a diamond-set bezel. Each time zone is represented by a domed disc with an image of the Earth, half in the sun and half in the shade with a red triangle indicating day or night anywhere in the world. Thanks to a patented mechanism, with a few pushes on the crown, the secondary time zone can automatically synchronize with local time or link it to the main time zone in intervals of minute or full-hour offsets.
Offering blooms on your wrist is Chanel’s new Mademoiselle Privé jewellery watch which draws on Gabrielle Chanel’s favourite camélia blossom and flaunts mother-of-pearl marquetry work.
Carl F. Bucherer’s Pathos Diva in rose gold and the Pathos Queen in rose gold have an unusually shaped case with openwork structures called ‘aureoles’ creating a filigree halo reflecting light in countless facets .
The first jeweller to set up on the Place Vendôme in 1893, Parisian brand Boucheron unveiled the pristinely beautiful Epure collection in steel, highlighting the iconic trademarks of the company: the famous gadroons on the case, the relief Clous de Paris motif on the dial and the crown decorated with a sapphire cabochon, while the indices at the 3 and 9 o’clock positions are oversized, to recall the year 1893, when the brand’s first boutique opened in Paris.
A jeweler foremost, throughout its company history, Graff Diamonds has drawn on the elegance and grace of the butterfly in its new iconic ladies’ watch the Disco Butterfly depicting the silhouette of a butterfly mid-flight, with delicate wings in marquise and pear-shaped diamonds, hovering above gemstones, powered by an inner rotor.
Hublot’s Big Bang celebrates its 10th anniversary this year with its new 45mm Big Bang Unico “10 Years” Haute Joaillerie in titanium with a ceramic bezel. It is powered by Hublot’s manufacture Calibre Unico HUB 1242. The ten timepieces are lavished over with gemstones having a combined value of 10 million dollars.
To help you get over your fear of skulls de Grisogono presents its new one-of-a-kind Crazy Skull watch. It has two quartz movements, and a specially cut 1.5-carat heart-shaped diamond as a nose. Set with rubies it took a year of research and development and 250 hours of intricate jewellery work.
Piaget’s Traditional Oval watch originally crafted in the 1960’s is very feminine, and very luxurious. The oval shape gives it a playful look and its bezel is set with brilliant cut, colorless diamonds. For decades Piaget has shown true mastery in crafting precious gold bracelets made from very fine links, such that they are almost impossible to but which wears like a second skin.
Fashionable Times
Dior watches were launched just 15 years ago but have evolved from fashion accessories to high end watchmaking. It has three tempting new collections - Frou-Frou, Envol and Cancan: each being the name of a collection or dress by Monsieur Dior. The Dior Grand Bal watches resurrect the legendary parties at the end of the 1940s, which were held in high regard by the designer. One of these is the ceramic Dior VIII Grand Bal Cancan adorned with white and blue feathers.
Timex Group Swiss Luxury Division presents eye-catching collections from Versace such as its V-Signature watch which reflects the style and glamour of the fashion brand. As this year also marks the 25th anniversary of the first watch designed by Gianni Versace, it has developed an iconic limited line - the DV-25. Its dynamic V-Ray is a masculine chronograph dominated by strong colour contrasts which this year has been enlarged with a bold bracelet version. It also offers the Dylos Limited Edition watch for men powered by the automatic ETA 2824 movement with a special display for the hours and minutes on rotating disks.
In Swiss watch brand Hermes’s new Slim d’Hermes collection, French porcelain greets the 19th century Japanese art of aka-e painting for the first time. Master artisan Buzan Fukushima depicts scenes from Koma Kurabe, a famous Japanese horse race that still takes place once a year in spring in the 678 AD temple of Kamigamo. Blending subtly graded shades of red and ochre and an ultra-fine layer of gold, it’s followed by three firings to fixate it on the porcelain. It’s powered by the brand-new ultra-flat Calibre H1950.
Injecting a dose of Italian design into the world of sport, the 2015 Gucci Dive collection extends to eight new quartz versions. Its sporting allure is accentuated by a rotating bezel, a characteristic feature of a dive watch. Water-resistant to 200 metres, it comes in three sizes with a diameter of 32, 40 or 45 mm.
With a removable little fur collar called “Glamy,” the colourful and joyful Fendi My Way watch comes in two new 50-piece limited series. The owner can choose to wear the watch fur-free or with the Glamy for a style statement. The four limited series are fitted with an Elaphe snakeskin strap in a colour to match and are studded with diamonds.
Its Selleria pays tribute to the traditional crafting technique used for the creation of Fendi’s Selleria bags, conceived with the iconic Cuoio Romano leather used in the hand-stitched, colourful straps and the Roman numerals on the dial.
The Santorini Flower collection from Folli Follie is sure to brighten up a woman’s day. Swiss Made it consists of rose gold plated stainless steel timepieces. The characteristic mother-of- pearl Santorini Flower motif highlights each dial and it is available in ceramic and chained ceramic bracelets, as well as on leather straps; so it is merely necessary to choose among bright white, elegant brown, seductive black and playful purple colours.
The Jewelled Pathway
There was an interesting blend of several trends such as floral, marine and even avian in the world of jewellery offering precious, opulent and masterfully crafted pieces set with richly coloured gems. Bulgari launches its new high jewellery collection Giardini Italiani unfurling more than 100 unique creations inspired by the art of gardening during the Italian Renaissance. An ensemble of spectacular jewels, fences and flower beds’ sumptuous geometry, that comes to life in the Sparkling Hearts necklace, where fancy-cut diamonds add an utterly romantic touch.
Natural pearls are among the rarest gems in the world, and a new high jewellery Naturale necklace from Japanese pearl master Mikimoto incorporates three extremely rare, non-nacreous pearls highlighting their lustrous sheen and colours with diamonds in a simple but elegant pendant design, the Melo pearl, the Giant Clam pearl and the Conch pearl. The perfect match to it are a pair of Hyacinthia earrings with baroque South Sea cultured pearls, tanzanite and diamonds.
Continuing to seek ‘Green Carpet’ glory is Chopard ever since it signed up with Eco Age to produce sustainable luxury collections using Fairmined gold. Its second project supports miners in the Bolivian highlands and the brand now presents new haute joillerie jewellery for the Green Carpet Collection as well as another watch in the L.U.C Fairmined line: produced in a limited edition of 250 timepieces.
Making its first appearance in the Chanel High Jewellery world in 2012, the Lion once again takes centre stage in the new jewellery collection entitled Sous Le Signe Du Lion in two new design themes: Lion ‘Arty’ taking its form out of a single gold monolith and Lion ‘Pépites’ with its lion sketched out in curved lines. Both pay stunning tribute to its famous founder Coco Chanel’s star sign – Leo and her love for the lion motif. We bring you striking looking bracelets and glamorous necklaces from the line.
American style icon, Tiffany & Co’s unveils new interpretations of Tiffany Victoria™, Tiffany Bow and Tiffany Infinity, sculpting them in metals of harmonious colors highlighted with diamonds. Introduced in 1998, Tiffany Victoria™ is a graphic floral pattern of marquise diamonds, set in platinum pendants, bracelets and earrings. From its much-awaited Blue Book collection we pick two stunning statement bracelets inspired by the amazing diversity of coral reefs and set with a magical mix of precious materials.
Underpinning the Pandora universe of jewellery is a brand DNA that combines contemporary design with traditional craftsmanship. It takes the Murano glass charm to a new dimension by creating a springtime still life installation called ‘Wild Flowers’, which gives the effect of a meadow within the glass. A product of Italy, Murano glass is transported to Thailand where it is shaped into Pandora’s charms. Its SS 2015 collection delightfully captures a tropical holiday and features palm trees, waves, the blue sky and dolphins.
Italian fine jewellery brand Fope presents new designs in its best-selling collection Solo offering 18k rose, yellow and white gold flexible bracelets featuring gold and diamond rondels covering the entire piece. Last year, the brand achieved Certification by the Responsible Jewellery Council and won awards for its bewitching Wild Rose collection.
De Beers Diamond Jewellers first introduced the use of rough diamonds in its jewelry with the Talisman collection a decade ago and first set into medallions. To mark the occasion it presents striking new designs featuring rough diamonds in their purest form. We feature the Talisman Wondrous Sphere a necklace highlighted by a central 13-carat olive green rough diamond set as if it were floating, surrounded by a three-dimensional sequence of rare diamonds.
Angles, lines, curves, and spheres, architectural contrasts are transformed into jewels in Carrera y Carrera’s new Prisma collection offering baroque pieces featuring white gold, diamonds, and onyx with impeccable finish and purity of form. The earrings in white gold with diamonds come in an original design that follows the shape of the ear to give movement. On the other hand, the “patchwork” concept remains visible in necklaces, earrings, and rings, while the butterflies in yellow gold flutter on the pieces as a prelude to the transformation of day into night.
In tune with the creative boldness cherished by Piaget, in its ‘Secrets of Samarkand’ collection, the radiant blue turquoise hard stones strike a fine colour contrast with emerald-heart flowers. Creations present themselves like timeless work of art: “Secrets of Venice”, magnified by virtuous exponents of feather art, enamelling and engraving, evoking the architectural splendor of the Clock Tower, restored by Piaget in 1997.
It has been rightly said, that it is in freedom and details that you find luxury and de Grisogono epitomizes the statement. It follows its ‘Beauty of Audacity’ motto with strikingly attractive creations blending exceptional stones, whose cut and colour is enhanced by state-of-the-art setting techniques. A one-of-a-kind necklace set with a precious flurry of diamonds, rubies and emeralds was the star of the show at de Grisogono which plays with the cuts and textures of sublime coloured gemstones in a mesmerizing way.
Garrard unveils the new Bow and Regal Waterfall stunning collection pieces, plus unique high jewellery suites and a beautiful engagement to commemorate its 280th year. The Bow collection comprises 14 innovative new designs that are a modern interpretation of three diamond bow brooches that Garrard designed and crafted for Queen Victoria in 1858. The Regal Waterfall pieces combine symbolic themes from Garrard’s unique heritage.
Marco Bicego is back to celebrate nature, the absolute passion that has always been his muse.
He does it with Lunaria, his new collection born from the boundless knowledge of 18k gold and his taste for organic shapes as essential expressions of the brand which marks 15 years. Marco Bicego celebrates the occasion with latest pieces in this collection, named after a plant, whose delicate flowers inspired the charming necklaces, bracelets, earrings and rings, in a gleaming combination of diamond pavé and aquamarine.
British designer Stephen Webster’s inspiration for his new Goldstruck collection is ‘The Cheapside Hoard’, the world’s largest collection of Elizabethan and Jacobean jewellery discovered in London in 1912. Highlighted by a deconstructed look, these jewels offer exciting and contemporary designs set with exotic gemstones and that Gothic touch which is part of the brand’s design DNA.
The explosion of colour – unusual for Utopia – in the Bollicine collection brings blue and pink sapphires, and rubies to create the effect of a wave enfolding the pearls. Its Duetto, fine jewellery features Australian and Tahitian pearls, or in versions without pearls. The polished gold nuggets in Cover give a hint of character to bracelets and individual or contrarié rings in a cutting- edge look, concealing an internal device for adjustments.
Swarovski marks its 120th anniversary this year by offering some new cuts and colours in its Zirconia collection. Renowned across the world for its precision stone-cutting the 120 facets are perfectly calibrated to encapsulate refraction of light. Of course, this exclusive new feature bears the Swarovski Zirconia signature, engraved by laser. In addition to this, Swarovski also offers a Pentagone cut with facets forming a star motif at the centre.
Since 1917, the famous jeweller Fabergé has not produced any more of its coveted Imperial Class eggs. The one-of-a-kind Pearl Egg presented at Baselworld 2015, some 100 years later, was produced in collaboration with the renowned Al-Fardan family. It is inspired by the beauty of pearls as well as by the formation of a pearl within a mussel and comprises 139 fine, white pearls with a golden lustre; 3,305 diamonds; carved rock crystal and mother-of-pearl set on white and yellow gold.
Its Secret Garden High Jewellery unveils floral jewels evocative of Russian artist Marc Chagall’s depictions of flowers and effusive bouquets, expressing vivacity and life. Founded in 1842, Fabergé achieved worldwide renown for both its objets d’art and its jewellery and timepieces.
Boucheron’s iconic Serpent Bohème first appeared in 1888 but was properly launched in 1968. At Baselworld 2015, the brand launched an original Serpent Bohème haute joaillerie and bridal collection, symbolised by a droplet shape recalling the head of the snake. This is extended by a twisted rigid chain for the rings or a flexible chain for the long necklaces. In the haute joaillerie version, the oversized droplet symbol is entirely set with diamonds. For the first time, Boucheron offers a bridal Serpent Bohème collection composed of solitaire rings and wedding bands.
Italian jewellery designer Roberto Coin adores carnivals and masks, so he created a precious version of a mask in gold and diamonds named Tanaquilla, after a legendary noblewoman of ancient Roman times. Visitors to his stand at Baselworld 2015 were able to take selfies wearing it. The collection by the same name has one of the most astonishing necklaces, featuring a lace-work of yellow and black gold using Etruscan design and techniques topped with brown diamonds and danburite. His Garden Collection celebrates the gorgeousness of a blooming garden.
Pasquale Bruni took inspiration from the Maharaja’s turban for its Lady Taj collection of large cocktail rings decorated with sapphires, topazes, amethysts, cornelians, rhodolites, iolites, agates, mother-of-pearl and diamonds. The gems are fused in bright colour combinations to create forms that evoke flowers with five petals and navette cut leaves.
Established in 1960 in Capri, jewellery brand Chantecler has evocative new collections, Majolica, Giardino Improbabile and Dandelion, in addition to one-off pieces and limited editions. Its Capuano–Chantecler collection was the first to combine pink pearls with fancy diamonds. It has now created unique pieces in titanium, which are very light, combining blue titanium with turquoise, pink titanium with coral, and both with gold.
Annamaria Cammilli has rightly hailed as the ‘Lady of Flowers’ for jewellery collections paying joyous ode to the floral kingdom. The distinguished sculptor and painter turned jewellery designers pieces are sculpted and organic three-dimensional timeless works of art where nature and art unite influenced by her home town of Florence.
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