In July, the 1st arrondissement of Paris became the epicenter of the exhibition of fine jewelry. Parisian heritage brands open boutiques to showcase the latest creations. They are joined by other major jewelers who have shops in the same area. Those who do not have retail space in Paris open up venues in world-class hotels in the area.
Among the jewelers who presented their salons were Cartier, Piaget, Boucheron, Mellerio Dits Meller, David Jurman, Anna Hu and Reza. This year's trends include the widespread use of precious stones and minerals to play on themes from desert landscapes, architecture and culture of little-known Italian islands, classical music and even the city of Paris.
Cartier
Cartier used his boutique Rue de la Paix. New creations, which will be on sale in the fall, keep in the spotlight products with decorative hard stones, which are usually not found in high-quality jewelry. For example, diamonds are combined with rutted quartz, sapphires sit in addition to matrix opals, emeralds are paired with rock crystal.
A high Cartier Magnitude jewelry necklace with Mozambique ruby beads embodies this approach, it uses more than 107 carat Mozambique ruby beads mixed with watercolor tourmalines, turquoise amazonites, onyx and diamonds. Some of them have geometric qualities resembling art deco decorations.
In the manufacture of jewelry, the luxury brand decided to minimize the use of precious metal (a modern technique that very few jewelers use), giving the product an appearance that better captures the movement of light.
Anna Hu
At Place Vendôme, in the ballroom at the Ritz Paris, jeweler Anna Hu, a native of China, unveiled her most powerful jewelry collection to date. A formerly competitive cellist often uses musical themes for his jewelry, and her five pieces, entitled Silk Road Music Collection, are no exception. In this case, she says that the motive is based on the music of the trade route of the Great Silk Road connecting the eastern and western worlds.
Among the outstanding works is the jade brooch for cello, inspired by Picasso's Violin Hanging on the Wall.
The product consists of four unusual pieces of jadeite, ranging in size from 1.43 to 34.93 carats. Hu used gold to outline the body of the cello with a wide, curved pattern, paved with yellow and white diamonds.
Another thing worthy of attention is the Rachmaninoff bracelet, named after the Russian composer and virtuoso pianist. It is created with colorful cacophony from multi-layered and textured colored stones and white diamonds. The painting is based on an aerial view of St. Basil's Cathedral in Moscow.
This year, Paris Couture was special for Hu, as she was the first Chinese native to become a member of the Fédération de la Haute Couture et de la Mode, an exclusive organization of fashion brands that promotes French fashion culture through traditional know-how and modern technology. She was appointed to the organization’s highest jewelry committee. At a small ceremony, Federation Executive President M. Pascal Moran handed Hu a certificate welcoming her to the organization.
Renaissance Pavé Cuff
Also at Ritz, David Jurman showed off several collections of new designs. Among the outstanding was the Renaissance Pavé Cuff ring in 18k. Highly detailed yellow gold design with geometric shapes based on Italian art and 14th century architecture. Structurally durable bracelet lined with white diamonds.The same materials, patterns, design and technique can be seen in narrow bracelets, rings and hoops Renaissance.
Mellerio dits meller
Next to Cartier, on de la Paix, is Mellerio dits Meller, the oldest family jeweler in the world, working for over 400 years! It is currently run by 14 and 15 generations of family members. The firm introduced a collection of tall jewelry inspired by the Borromean Islands located on Lake Maggiore in northern Italy. The village where Mellerio first began his activity is located nearby (before moving to Paris in 1796).
The family is still resting on these small islands, which are known for their elaborate gardens and Baroque architecture.
The collection was designed by Laure-Isabelle Mellerio and made by Isola dei Pescatori, the smallest of these islands and the only inhabited year-round. The master was inspired by water, a pattern of fishing nets and pebbles on the alleys of the island. Water is the common denominator of the entire collection.
Golden oasis
Next to Mellerio, Piaget introduced his Piaget Golden Oasis collection.
It was inspired by the bends and changeable sand of desert landscapes, the changing light of barren terrain, glimpses of water and vegetation. Gold mixed with multi-colored precious diamonds is the main material used in the collection.
Reza lyhan
At Reza's Place Vendôme, the jeweler presented many products with superb gemstones, exquisite craftsmanship and sophisticated modern versions of traditional designs that are the hallmarks of the company. Most of the creations were rings with geometric patterns centered with a gem or a pair of gemstones.
Boucheron
An original jeweler at Place Vendôme, Boucheron presented his collection inspired by the architecture and culture of Paris. A long Boucheron Armoiries necklace with imperial topaz of 32.22 ct pear decorated with diamonds and yellow gold.
