There were as many high and fine jewelry presentations as couture shows this week in Paris. Nature ran riot in wheat and flower themes dominated by yellow gems, with sea greens running a close second—and not always in the stones one might expect. Here, a last look at some of the highlights from in and around the Place Vendôme.
Photo: Courtesy of Louis Vuitton1/11Louis Vuitton
The house’s renowned four-petal flower was the springboard for the Blossom collectsion; a 43.05-carat aqua green beryl (related to the emerald) becomes a petal on a diamond and chalcedony pendant.
Photo: Courtesy of DeBeers2/11De Beers
The London-based jewelry house showed a collectsion inspired by its native city—here, the Thames Path necklace—and made a dazzling case for 10-plus carat white diamond solitaires from the lower range of the alphabet.
Photo: Courtesy of © Matthew Donaldson3/11Repossi
A master of the “camouflage-big” piece, Gaia Repossi offered up a new twist on diamond earrings, and a newly redesigned Place Vendôme flagship by Rem Koolhaas and OMA.
Photo: Courtesy of Mellerio dits Meller4/11Mellerio dits Meller
Artistic director Laure-Isabelle Mellerio is a member of the Mellerio family’s 14th generation and the first woman to helm the house. Appointed last year, she started out in interior design before earning degrees in art history and, most recently, gemology. The Cape Cod ring in onyx with deep fancy yellow diamonds gives an idea of where she’s headed.
Photo: Courtesy of Bulgari5/11Bulgari
For the Diva’s Dream Necklace, executive director and gem-buyer Lucia Silvestri convinced a gem-cutter to whittle a 48-carat oval sapphire to a 45-carat cushion cut. The result was the standout of the house’s fashion show–cum–garden party. Meanwhile, while the house’s latest take on the Serpenti—in pendant form—took home the National Cheap Replica Handbags Institute award.
Photo: Courtesy of Cartier6/11Cartier
Building on the house’s long-standing floral heritage, the Cactus de Cartier collectsion celebrates the desert flower. The headliner: a bold necklace in gold, emeralds, and brilliant-cut diamonds.
Photo: Courtesy of Tasaki7/11Tasaki
In honor of its first boutique inside the Ritz Paris shopping passageway, the Japanese pearl specialist created a multi-piece collectsion inspired by the hotel. The hero: a take on the Ritz’s famous masked balls, the Quintessence of Ritz Paris necklace in white gold set with nearly 25 carats of sapphires and 20 carats of diamonds. Pieces by creative director Thakoon Panichgul are also featured in-store.
Photo: Courtesy of Kova8/11Kova
Newcomer Katie Kova offers up architectural statements with her first haute couture collectsion. Here, she tells a story of Couture in a ring with nephrite, cultured pearl, and diamonds on white gold.
Photo: Courtesy of Ana Khouri9/11Ana Khouri
Brazilian-born indie designer Ana Khouri showed a fine jewelry collectsion spanning accessible stitchlike diamond studs to the ear-spanning diamond loops shown here.
Photo: Courtesy of Monique Péan10/11Monique Péan
The New York–based designer finished this fancy yellow pear diamond necklace just in time for couture, and it debuts exclusively here: 5.73 carats in an antique rose cut, hand-set in a recycled platinum, reversible setting.
Photo: Courtesy of Emerald House11/11Emerald House
A former high-yield securities trader, Ina Lazarov knows how to gauge risk; she is also a meditation devotee who was inducted by the yogi Sadhguru. “Literally, I went from a world in white and black to a world in color, and that’s what I want to express,” she explains of a collectsion that ranges from accessible pavé disc rings to statement one-offs like her black diamond Lotus ring, shown here. The brand is named for her favorite stone, which turned up compellingly in a series of stackable rings that editors lined up to try on.
