Celebrity Life

We take a look at some zodiac-inspired high jewellery, perfect for winter this year.

Our long-established fascination with the stars has led us to some celestial fine jewels and more...

Van Cleef & Arpels: Zodiaque Collection

The new Zodiaque collection from Van Cleef & Arpels draws inspiration from two of the Maison's most cherished inspirations, nature and astronomy. It also references the coloured pendants from the 1970s. The 12 long necklaces in the collection reinterpret the signs of the Zodiac, with motifs adorning both sides of the medallions in gold and rare ornamental stone.

Jessie V E: Constellation collection

Jessie V E first designed her Constellation collection back in 2014. It’s been a bestseller since then — no small wonder, given that our fascination with the heavens dates back millennia. The designs are delicate, featuring rings, glittering necklaces and little hoop earrings dotted with your choice of star sign, which makes them great for giving, either for yourself or loved ones.

Chanel: Escale à Venise collection

Paying homage to the lion — both as a symbol of power and Gabrielle Chanel’s astrological sign — the new Escale à Venise high jewellery collection features the city’s patron saint, the Lion of St Mark, in a beautiful set of rings, earrings and necklaces. This ring features a blue 30.92-carat sapphire flanked by two diamond lion heads.

Gucci: Hortus Deliciarum

There’s a whole universe captured in Gucci's second high-jewellery collection, Hortus Deliciarum, from exotic horticulture and majestic beasts to striking constellations. The Gucci nightfall necklace, inspired by a starry night sky, features an explosion of 57 fancy diamonds and 357 diamonds.

Shahla Karimi: Zodiac Reveal Rings

In Shahla Karimi’s Zodiac Reveal rings, diamonds representing stars are spread throughout the band, so ascertaining the constellation and wearer’s zodiac sign is like discovering a little secret. With a thick band of 14k ethical gold, the rings look best worn on the pinky finger.

The post What’s Your Star Sign?: Zodiac Jewellery for Winter 2021 appeared first on Prestige Online - Hong Kong.

Gabrielle Chanel discovered adventure and joy in Venice, which quickly became her favourite destination. The latest Chanel high-jewellery collection, Escale à Venise, documents the mesmerising city through her eyes.

Chanel’s high-jewellery collections always come with beautiful narratives, inspired by founder Gabrielle Chanel’s lifestyle, travels and inspirations. We’ve seen breathtaking collections inspired by the Coromandel screens that so lavishly decorate her apartment at 31 Rue Cambon, by her favourite flower (the camellia), as well as by her star sign (Leo). This time, it’s Venice that plays a role in the Chanel Escale à Venise high-jewellery collection, which features 70 one-of-a-kind creations that capture the spirit of the floating city. Chanel first paid a visit to Venice in 1920, shortly after the death of the love of her life, Boy Capel. It was a trip organised by her dearest friends in a bid to pull her out of her grief, distracting the young woman with the best things the city had to offer: the charming canals, winding alleys, museums, restaurants and rich architecture. It’s said that Venice soon became her favourite destination.

There she discovered a new attraction to gold and found lifelong inspiration in its symbols and history – the patron saint of the city, the Lion of St Mark, no doubt resonated with her love for the Leo sign, too. Under the creative direction of Patrice Leguéreau, the Escale à Venise collection is divided into four distinct chapters that paint a contemporary look at Venice as if through Mademoiselle Chanel’s eyes. The director of jewellery creation was careful to weave all the codes of the maison into the collection, from camellias, lions and stars, to sautoir pearl necklaces and chains, creating pieces that are precious and whimsical, yet truly and distinctly Chanel.

The first theme, Sérénissime, celebrates the architectural wealth of Venice. The Eblouissante set, composed of white and pink geometrical designs, recalls the facades of the palaces and the polychromatic marble floors of the churches in delicate pink spinels, white diamonds and pearls. The Sérénissime set, on the other hand, captures the Byzantine spirit of the mosaics of the “golden basilica” in a contemporary light, using onyx, diamond squares, pink, yellow and orange sapphire tesserae, as well as spessartine garnets with a 27.09-carat oval mandarin sapphire centre stone. The Gran Canale is another major inspiration, featuring pieces that interpret the city quite literally.

Elements of the lagoon are featured in lapis lazuli and diamonds, from the blue-and-white-striped mooring poles used by the gondolas to the canotier straw hats edged with red ribbons worn by the gondoliers. When you visit Venice, you don’t just visit the city. The surrounding lagoon islands are home to some of the most beautiful Italian crafts, from Torcello’s ancient mosaics, to Murano’s stunning glasswork. The Isole della Laguna consists of three sets dedicated to these métiers d’art. The Camélia Byzantin necklace and ring set celebrates Chanel’s favourite flower in a mosaic-like design in carnelians and fire opals, and is a beautiful tribute to Torcello.

The island of Murano is represented in the Camélia Vénitien set, showcasing the camellia flower in twisting ornamental garlands of yellow gold and rock crystal.And lastly, most majestically, is Spirito di Venezia – the spirit of Venice – expressed through the patron of the city, the Lion of St Mark, which sits high above every piazza and adorns every historical building in the city. The lion motif, so dear to Chanel herself, now appears in this collection in five distinguished sets. The monochromatic Lion Secret necklace, inspired by bas-relief, displays the profile of two white gold lions set with pear and shuttle-cut diamonds, with a centre pear-shaped diamond of 15.55 carats. The Lion Céleste set features the winged lion itself, while the Constellation Astrale set is inspired by the background of the winged lion as seen on the facade of Saint Mark’s Basilica, in a striking necklace carved from lapis lazuli mosaic with yellow sapphire stars.

Find out more here

The post Escale à Venise: Chanel Celebrates Venice with New High-Jewellery Collection appeared first on Prestige Online - Hong Kong.