Celebrity Life

The breadth and depth of Lucia Silvestri’s knowledge of gemstones can only be surpassed by her fierce love for them, a passion that emanates magnificently from Bulgari’s new Baroque-inspired high-jewellery collection, Barocko.

I’ll never forget my first encounter with Lucia Silvestri, the vivacious woman behind Bulgari’s jewellery collections. She walked into the room aptly accessorised, naturally – and, along with her effervescent presence she carried a pouch filled with what I would soon discover to be a heap of beautiful, coloured gemstones. She then carefully poured the precious contents onto a table, shaped them into a magnificent necklace and said: “At the very heart of Bulgari’s jewels are the stones; our jewels begin, evolve and culminate with the stones.”

Silvestri assumes two crucial roles within the Italian luxury brand. As its creative director, she oversees Bulgari’s entire sweep of jewellery collections – fine and high – and as director of gem acquisitions, she’s also responsible for ensuring that the house has the right gemstones to work with. Silvestri was just 18 when she began her career at Bulgari, working at its gemmological department where she fell madly in love with gemstones – with the colours, their multiplicity and the energy they emanate. Quickly earning the company’s trust, she very soon began travelling the world, on buying trips to Geneva, New York, Antwerp, Jaipur and Colombo, to name a few. At that time, the brand had just five shops worldwide, a far cry from the major luxury goods player Bulgari is today, with more than 300 stores spread across 18 countries.

One thing she’s learned over the decades is to select and acquire gems only if she could see the potential in them. “I acquire them only if I could see a possible use for them,” she says, “which means that in the very act of purchasing, even before the design and realisation phases, I’m already envisioning compositions of colours and forms that might suggest the pieces of jewellery they would ultimately become. Which is why I say that at Bulgari, it always will begin with the stone.

“From these stones, I come up with a creative idea, which I then present to the team. For high-jewellery collections, there’s an extra layer of care and consideration, and we start working very far in advance; we’d give two to three years to amass the gemstones we need for any given collection. We then evaluate the proposal, see to it that it’s consistent with the stylistic code and image of the brand, paying particular attention to the choice of materials used, as well as the processes and techniques involved. We then bring to the fold Bulgari’s designers and expert craftsmen to make these exceptional one-of-a-kind pieces.”

While Silvestri’s role has broadened in scope and importance over the years, her passion for gemstones – and finding them, for that matter – has never waned. “My job has evolved over the years, but gemstone acquisition will always hold a special place in my heart. Nowadays, we put a lot of attention into the search process, given that gemstones are as rare as ever and demand is higher than ever. I have a dedicated team that I work with closely on this and our searches take us all over the world.

“Each time I begin a search, I have no idea what kinds of gemstones I’ll find. I’m always discovering different ‘gifts of nature’ and each time is a unique and special surprise! One of the most unforgettable experiences I’ve had as a gem-buying director was reaching the crater of a mine in Mozambique and walking on a carpet of rubies. The soil was so rich in minerals that they surfaced, like shells on the beach. It was the ultimate ‘red carpet’.”

And with that extraordinarily powerful imagery, we arrive at the topic of Bulgari’s new high-jewellery collection, which was unveiled this month. Called Barocko, the collection is inspired by Bulgari’s home city, Rome – it’s a celebration of how the city stands as a monumental triumph of Baroque extravagance, audacity and exceptional design. And Barocko is also an embodiment of Bulgari’s reverence for colour gemstones, and the brand’s incredible pride in its roots and what it’s achieved in the last 130 years – a motivation that could hardly be more apt.

“Now, more than ever, we need to rediscover a sense of wonder in the world,” says Silvestri, “and this is the aim of the Barocko collection. We live in a time when the world desperately needs a sense of re-birth and well being. And because this collection is all about light and colour, we hope the jewels will bring optimism, energy and joy to the person wearing them. "

“I found inspiration in Rome, which has been a muse for the brand’s creations for more than a century. This collection is rooted in the marvel of the Baroque artistic movement, born in Rome in the 1600s, and draws inspiration from great artists of the time, such as Bernini, Caravaggio and Borromini. Most of the pieces are composed of gemstones of incredible colours and cuts, with balance and perfect proportions taken into consideration. The collection’s aesthetic is as much about strength as it is creativity, innovativeness as it is about timelessness.”

And, as expected, the collection is rich in coloured gemstones, including sapphires, emeralds, rubies and diamonds. Silvestri, though, is quick to add that although Bulgari acknowledges the intrinsic value of these so-called precious stones, it doesn’t classify them as such. “To us, both precious and semi-precious stones fall under a very vast category of colour gemstones, and they’re all precious,” she argues. “On the topic of intrinsic value and based on trends, the demand for spinels, rubellites and paraiba tourmalines – stones that in the past didn’t garner much fanfare – has increased and as a consequence they’ve become more difficult to come by and increased in value. But in this regard, Bulgari was always ahead of the curve, because we’ve been setting such stones in our high-jewellery way before other brands started to do so.”

While there are several impressive stones featured in this collection, certainly one of its headliners is the Green Dream necklace, which flaunts five exceptional Colombian emeralds, all vividly coloured and remarkably vibrant. “These five were selected from numerous other gemstones I searched and hunted for around the world for more than a year. Their very ‘elegant’ cut creates a stunning contrast with the delicate diamonds and emeralds that surround them – the way they capture and reflect the light is simply extraordinary,” she says.

One of Silvestri’s favourites in the Barocko collection, however, is the Lady Arabesque necklace, which she describes is “an homage to the baroque aesthetic. The necklace also shows a quintessentially Bulgari colour palette, with an unexpected combination of fancy pink and violet sapphires and paraiba tourmalines and emeralds. It’s a necklace that highlights the femininity of the wearer, and likewise exudes joyfulness and elegance.”

The bold manner with which Bulgari so consistently creates its pieces has come to characterise the brand’s inimitable aesthetic. While other jewellery maisons embrace subtlety, Bulgari exudes the more-is-more philosophy – who could forget the brand’s powerful Mai Troppo (never enough) campaign? – with unexpected colour combinations and, simply put, sensational designs.

I have to say, though, there are nuances to the Barocko collection. While it maintains Bulgari’s distinctly daring stylings, with the utter provocativeness we’ve come to love about the brand, Barocko feels more introspective and, dare I say, deeply inspired. Silvestri expresses her hope that these jewels will stir within those who would come to see and, for those lucky enough, own them, a sense of wonderment, enlightenment and verve. To that I’d say, mission accomplished.

The post Bulgari’s Overseer of Stones Lucia Silvestri on The House’s New Collection Barocko appeared first on Prestige Online - Hong Kong.

How about we start the New Year with a bang and a whole lot of beautiful bling? We pick some epic necklaces that raise the bar in terms of craftsmanship, gemstone selection and design ingenuity

Chopard

Chopard’s annual Red Carpet Collection never fails to present us with pieces that literally make the jaw drop and this spectacular necklace is one of them. Made from Fairmined gold and aluminium, the necklace — which is one of the 73 pieces that make the collection — features a 19.3-carat pear-shaped citrine that’s surrounded by a suite of spessartite garnets, citrines, diamonds and white opal cabochons. This time around, Chopard’s artistic director Caroline Scheufele, a great lover of nature, designed the jewels along the themes of flora and fauna, and all were made at its high-jewellery atelier in Geneva by its in-house artisans, jewellers, gem-setters and polishers.

Van Cleef & Arpels

This playful yet magnificent Pompon Margaret long necklace watch by Van Cleef & Arpels is made with rows of cultured pearls and in a tassel-like fashion that highlights a 6.19-carat Sri Lankan sapphire — the star of the piece. The remarkably intense colour of the sapphire contrasts stunningly with strands of immaculately white pearls and lapis lazuli beads. Hidden beneath the central motif is a secret dial that reveals itself by pressing one of the diamonds. Meant to be worn in several ways, this piece can transform into a secret watch, a shorter necklace, and different bracelets.

Cartier

I bet you’ve never seen panther fur quite like this before. Cartier reinterprets it in this incredible Hemis necklace that’s made in platinum and set with a cushion-cut kunzite and a suite of opals, and pink and white brilliant-cut diamonds. The star of the piece is undoubtedly the flawless 71.80-carat cushion-shaped kunzite that boasts an intense pink colour with a hint of purple, which is highlighted by opals of a wide array of colours — ranging from blue to purple-grey — translucency and shapes. The multidimensionality of the piece was achieved with its use of irregular-shaped opals that were polished to look like shiny pebbles, a vision that required hundreds of hours of work and numerous discussions between the designer, gem cutter and the gemstone expert to realise.

Bvlgari

Celebrating Bulgari’s passion and long ties with the silver screen, the Cinemagia high jewellery collection uses daring colour combinations, unconventional materials and a myriad of gemstone cuts to create bold and imaginative pieces. Case in point is this necklace mad e in pink gold that features eight outstanding oval-shaped stones, namely a27.28-carat topaz, 22.98-caratrubellite, 21.92-carat citrine quartz, 17.98-carat amethyst, 16.71-carat morganite,16.09-carat Iolite, a 14.83-carat green quartz and a 5.21 carat apatite. These vibrant stones are complemented by rubellite and peridot beads, and pavé set diamonds.

Gübelin

This Gübelin masterpiece called Blushing Wing, which is characterised by its blush colour and design that resembles a bird’s feather, is set with a 12.10-carat cushion-shaped padparadscha sapphire from Sri Lanka, 120 sapphires in different shades and brilliant-cut diamonds. Much thought was put into selecting the pastel-hued sapphires, which were carefully coordinated to match the play of colours within the padparadscha sapphire that was set on red gold to further highlight the stone’s inner fire. The variety of cuts, colours and shapes seen in this piece harks back to Gübelin’s rich and glamorous creations from the 1950s and 1960s.

Chanel

The Weed Graphique necklace by Chanel hails from the French brand’s tweed-inspired high jewellery collection, Tweed de Chanel. Made in white gold and set with onyx and diamonds, including a 5.03-carat round-cut, the necklace realises the litheness and suppleness of handwoven Scottish woollen cloth through specially developed articulation techniques that enabled the craftsmen to mould precious metals and set gems while
maintaining the jewel’s fluidity.

Feng J

Last year, Phillips auctioned off a breathtaking necklace by Chinese jewellery designer Feng J called Jardin de Giverny. Featuring a 19-carat fancy light pink diamond, the necklace was inspired by Claude Monet’s The Artist’s Garden at Giverny and Feng J’s love for the romantic fountains of Paris. Feng J designed it as a garland, using her signature floating-set technique in which the precious metal is hardly — if at all — visible, in setting the numerous double rose-cut coloured sapphires, aquamarines, spinels, tanzanites and tsavorites and rose-cut and brilliant-cut diamonds she used for this piece. The rare fancy light pink diamond has pride of place as it sits at the very heart of the garland necklace.

Tiffany & Co

When you have a stone as magnificent as the 128-carat Tiffany Diamond, that’s all you need to make a spectacular necklace. The legendary rock, which, according to Tiffany & Co chief artistic officer Reed Krakoff, rarely makes a public appearance and usually stays inside its vaults, is an extremely rare fancy yellow diamond unearthed in 1877 as a 287.42-carat rough diamond from the Kimberley mines in South Africa, which was eventually procured by Charles Lewis Tiffany. In 1878, the rough diamond was cut in Paris into a 128.54 carat cushion shape brilliant with an unprecedented 82 facets, revealing the stone’s extraordinary fire and beauty. It’s graced the necks of Audrey Hepburn, who wore it at an event promoting Breakfast at Tiffany’s, and likewise by Lady Gaga, who wore it during a performance at the Academy Awards in 2019.

Boucheron

Claire Choisne, creative director of Boucheron, doesn’t disappoint with her 67-piece Contemplation high-jewellery collection, which is said to be her most personal and intimate yet. Taking on a sensory approach, Choisne invites the wearer to feel the sensations that come with these jewels. Case in point is this Goutte de Ciel necklace, on which she endeavoured “to capture what cannot be caught: a piece of sky to wear around your neck”. Boucheron’s two-year search for a material that could reproduce not only the sky’s infinite palette of blues, but also its fleeting, indefinable essence led to a special substance composed mostly of air and silica that’s used in space by Nasa to gather stardust, which Choisne then encloses in a shell of rock crystal set with diamonds and made into an extraordinary talisman that hangs from the choker.

Moussaieff

Famous for its inventory of incredibly rare fancy colour diamonds and precious stones, London-based Moussaieff Jewellers doesn’t fall short when it comes to jaw-dropping jewels. A stunning testament to this is this high jewellery necklace that features 68.99 carats of Colombian emeralds and 39.48 carats of diamonds, set in rock crystal. This astounding piece shows not only Moussaieff’s extraordinary access to precious stones of such quality, but also how the otherwise traditional jeweller is increasingly creating pieces that are more daring, creative and instinctive

Hermès

In a collection described by Hermès creative director for jewellery Pierre Hardy as one “oriented towards intimacy”, Lignes Sensibles was inspired by objects that are used to listen to the body, such as the stethoscope. Hardy uses a range of gemstones in colours close to skin tone, with the goal of creating pieces that, when worn, will be at “one with the skin”. A standout piece in the collection is this Contre la Peau necklace in rose gold that features an astounding 867 brilliant-cut diamonds totalling 45.3 carats. To weave this necklace, so to speak, so that it rests delicately on the contour of the neck like a second skin, minuscule triangles of gold were interlocked with chatons in which the diamonds are set, thus forming a fluid lace-like mesh.

The post 11 Epic Necklaces That Are Absolute Head-turners appeared first on Prestige Online - Hong Kong.

Jewellery artist Cindy Chao makes a grand entrance in mainland China with an impressive and luxurious showroom in Shanghai, envisioned and created in much the same way as her jewels – with meticulous attention to detail and exceptional quality.

Cindy Chao The Art Jewel has just opened a luxurious private showroom in Shanghai – and along The Bund, no less. And as Chao endeavours to strengthen her presence in this important luxury market, she set her sights on one of the waterfront’s most prestigious addresses, the Somekh Building, home also to the Rockbund Art Museum. She spared no expense for the project, bringing together some of the world’s most esteemed artists and designers to create a space worthy to present her art jewels.

The jewellery artist reunited with renowned Dutch architect Tom Postma, with whom she collaborated to design her booth at TEFAF Maastricht last year. A long-time admirer of Postma, Chao instantly formed a connection with him, sharing his views on creating designs that are practical as much as they’re beautiful. For the Cindy Chao Shanghai Maison – as the space is called – Postma took cues from the architectural elements of the Somekh, bringing its facade into the showroom and later making that the prevailing theme of its interiors.

The space is teeming with both Eastern and Western influences. an approach Chao also famously adapts in her jewels. The design at the entrance references early Eastern and Western religious architecture, while timber panels on either side were sculpted by a Dutch master carver. A focal point in the showroom, however, is a bronze showcase sculpted by Postma himself, where Chao’s masterpieces are presented.

The showroom’s stately 400kg bronze door was designed by French-Swedish artist Ingrid Donat; as imposing at it’s stunning, it comprises eight hand-carved bronze panels. If that doesn’t take the breath away, the VIP room’s golden back wall certainly will – it’s designed with Baka patterns inspired by the primitive and tribal art that’s also found in the same space (also a creation of Donat). The patterns were hand-made on aluminium, with patina applied to make it appear to come alive.

It’s also hard to miss a pair of magnificent cabinets with Chinese lacquered panels, which were customised by French designer Hervé Van der Straeten and took more than 1,200 hours to complete. All this is presented under ambient lighting, which not only gives the otherwise luxurious space a warm and welcoming atmosphere, but also highlights the rich textures and dimensions of its interiors.

While Chao’s extraordinary art jewels are most certainly the highpoint of any visit, viewing them in such an alluringly tasteful environment will surely heighten the experience a hundredfold.

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ILIA founder Stanley Chu is determined to change people’s mind about jadeite through contemporary designs and education

While my classmates played with toy cars and Lego, I played with jadeite,” says Stanley Chu, co-founder of jadeite jewellery brand ILIA. He shares his fond memories as we sit at his Landmark boutique in Central, which opened earlier in the year. Starting ILIA was, in a way, a long time coming; Chu’s family has been in the jade business for more than 60 years, but largely in the oft-unseen and low-key business of wholesale.

Chu’s childhood home had a jade workshop attached to it, where his parents worked and their craftsmen cut and polished jadeite before turning it into jewellery. “I was exposed to jadeite at a very young age,” he says. “My sister and I knew how to appreciate jadeite even as children and we’d play games, like guessing how much the jadeite was worth.”

At that time, and indeed until now, his family business supplied the industry with some of the rarest and most precious jadeites. Eventually, through ILIA, it’s been able to use these precious stones in its own creations under its own brand name.

Chu partnered with a family friend who also happened to be one of the biggest jadeite collectors in the world. With their strong ties and network among Myanmar’s jadeite miners, coupled with their lifelong experience dealing with the gemstones and making top-quality jewellery, they’ve earned an unrivalled reputation in the industry. But it was their shared deep passion for the gem that sealed the deal.

“Appreciating the beauty of jadeite isn’t something people can learn easily; it’s something, I believe, that’s instilled or passed on from a parent to a child, or from an experienced craftsman to his apprentice,” Chu says. “I love jadeite; it’s in my blood. And my partner, my good friend, shares this sentiment – and through this brand we can share this passion to the world and educate people about this stone.”

Their design mantra? That no two jewellery pieces they make are alike, because indeed, no two jadeite pieces are alike. They also strive to change the misguided perceptions that people might have about jadeite, for instance that it’s for more mature wearers, and isn’t nearly as valuable as rubies, emeralds or sapphires. That attitude is completely unjustified, says Chu, as top-quality jadeite is in fact just as rare as exceptional pink and blue diamonds.

“Unfortunately, despite its rarity, top-quality jadeite is still grossly undervalued,” Chu explains. “Case in point, while the auction price of a top-quality white diamond is around US$150,000 per carat, or US$2.5 million per carat for a pink diamond, or US$300,000 per carat for emeralds, the highest record price per carat for an Imperial Green jadeite is only at US$120,000. But the reality is that Imperial Green jadeite, which is like the Pigeon’s Blood of rubies, is just as rare as top-grade fancy-colour diamonds.”

Thus, a major goal of ILIA is to change people’s perceptions of jadeite – and, according to Chu, the way to do that is to modernise its image while educating people of its intrinsic value. “The younger generation is hungry for information,” he says. “They ask questions, such as what’s the investment value of jadeite, so they must have access to this information.

However, traditional jadeite designs are keeping them away from purchasing this beautiful gemstone and so the most direct way to change their impression is to include innovative and contemporary designs in our collection, working with young jewellery and fashion designers, locally and overseas. We understand that looking cool is just as important as looking elegant for the millennials.”

In fact, it seems as if the gemstone that’s been an underdog for far too long is well on its way to becoming appreciated by a much wider and younger clientele, and acknowledged for the precious gem it truly is.

The post How ILIA is paving the way for Jadeite Jewellery to Shine appeared first on Prestige Online - Hong Kong.

Inspired by the rich patterns and chromatic palette seen in the artisanal tie-dye technique, Victoire de Castellane presents the Tie & Dior high jewellery collection comprising more than 100 jewels made with a cornucopia of stunning precious gemstones.

COMMISSIONING EDITOR CHARLENE CO / PHOTOGRAPHY BRIGITTE NIEDERMAIR 

The post Discover The Colourful Tie and Dior High Jewellery Collection appeared first on Prestige Online - Hong Kong.

The 549-carat Sethunya is a crystal-clear diamond of exceptional purity, high lustre and high colour, and estimated to be one to two billion years old.

The post Louis Vuitton’s 549 carat Sethunya Diamond on display in Singapore appeared first on The Peak Magazine.

The 549-carat Sethunya is a crystal-clear diamond of exceptional purity, high lustre and high colour, and estimated to be one to two billion years old.

For more stories like this, visit www.thepeakmagazine.com.sg.

The new Tie & Dior High Jewellery collection by Dior Joaillerie blends abstract motifs and textures with a medley of coloured gemstones and exotic pearls in a masterful interpretation of an artisanal textile dyeing technique.

Tie & Dior pays tribute to the maison’s inventiveness by reimagining the tie-dye. Comprising over 100 coloured pieces designed by Victoire de Castellane, creative director of Dior Joaillerie, the free-spirited collection reveals a new dimension in her creativity and showcases the maison’s savoir faire.

[caption id="attachment_212371" align="aligncenter" width="1022"] White gold earring with diamonds, white cultured pearl, tanzanites and sapphires; white gold ring with diamonds, white cultured pearl, tanzanites and sapphires; white gold necklace with diamonds, white cultured pearl, tanzanites and sapphires.[/caption]

Like a hypnotic trail of ink spreading out on paper, the gemstone colour gradient here evokes movement. Pearls in an array of hues – from candy pink to pistachio green – accentuate the intensity of the precious stones, while adding texture with their silky lustre.

[caption id="attachment_212372" align="aligncenter" width="1024"] Yellow, white and pink gold earring with diamonds, white cultured pearl, pink sapphires, tsavorite and spessartite garnets, and yellow sapphires; white and yellow gold necklace with diamonds, purple cultured pearl, pink sapphires, tsavorite and spessartite garnets, and yellow sapphires.
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The audacious creations showcase a variety of exquisite gems in different sizes. Rubies, sapphires, emeralds and grey spinels in round, oval, pear and marquise cuts are artfully combined in alluring colour gradations – from blue to green, and pink to white.

[caption id="attachment_212373" align="aligncenter" width="1024"] Platinum and yellow gold ring with diamonds, golden cultured pearl, emeralds, yellow and blue sapphires, and tsavorite and demantoid garnets.[/caption]

Akin to beautifully written prose, lines of diamonds and gemstones in graduated tones act like punctuation, lending rhythm to asymmetrical earrings, necklaces, bracelets and rings set in platinum, and white, rose and yellow gold.

[caption id="attachment_212374" align="aligncenter" width="1024"] Platinum and yellow gold earring with diamonds, golden cultured pearl, emeralds, blue and yellow sapphires, and tsavorite and demantoid garnets.
[/caption]

An expansion of the gem Dior and Dior Et Moi lines, the Tie & Dior range also features classically designed suites adorned with white diamonds in a multitude of shapes and sizes, highlighting de Castellane’s creative genius in combining volume and texture.

[caption id="attachment_212375" align="alignncenter" width="1024"] Yellow gold earring with diamonds and golden cultured pearl; yellow gold necklace with diamonds and golden cultured pearl; yellow gold bracelet with diamonds and golden cultured pearl.[/caption]

This story first appeared on Prestige Singapore

(All images: Dior)

The post Tie-Dye Gets a Glittering Reinvention in Dior Joaillerie’s Tie & Dior High Jewellery Collection appeared first on Prestige Online - Hong Kong.

Subtlety was never one of Bulgari’s stronger suits and this boldness would come to define the brand’s distinct aesthetic. Its heritage curator Lucia Boscaini explains to us how the maison has remained faithful to its roots while keeping its sights trained on the future.

Show-stopping, unapologetic and magnificently audacious – such were Bulgari’s high jewellery pieces in the past and so they remain today. The Italian brand is known for going where many established and historic jewellery maisons dare not, as we see in its use of vivacious colour combinations and daringly unconventional designs, with the ultimate objective of achieving maximum impact.

We had a glimpse of this brilliance at the recent Master of Colours Heritage & High Jewellery Exhibition held in Hong Kong in August, where Bulgari brought in some of its most prized and storied jewels from its archives. Many of the pieces displayed were from the 1950s to the 1960s, a period that proved to be a turning point for the brand in establishing its unique aesthetic.

Lucia Boscaini, brand and heritage curator for Bulgari, explains that it was in the mid-1950s that the brand began to truly forge its unmistakeable – and unapologetically Italian – style, such that designs were big, daring and, unlike most jewellery at the time, used yellow gold and a copious amount of cabochon-cut stones in a variety of colours. “These were the founding elements of what we love to call ‘Bulgari’s revolution’ in the jewellery universe,” she says. “At that time, the dominating French school of jewellery dictated that only a single coloured stone could be mounted on a jewel – and mostly on platinum and, almost always, paired with diamonds.

[caption id="attachment_212214" align="alignnone" width="1024"] Part of the Bulgari Heritage collection, which to date has more than 800 pieces from the late 19th century to early 200s. (Image: Bulgari)[/caption]

“As years went by, Bulgari’s passion for colour experimentation included semiprecious and hard stones. Regardless of the intrinsic value of the gems, Bulgari’s aesthetic research was focused on impactful yet very balanced juxtapositions that expressed a joyful and effortless elegance. Hence also the predilection for yellow gold – less pompous and more wearable than platinum – which perfectly embodies the warm, sunny and colourful facet of Bulgari’s Italian style.”

Bulgari’s love for colour was evident, even in its earlier pieces. “The larger-than-life attitude and the colours’ energy just takes over the jewel. The pieces are incredibly vivacious yet balanced, in the unmistakable alchemy that only Bulgari can bring,” Boscaini says. There were magnificent examples of these vibrant pieces at the exhibition, such as the 1967 necklace and earring set made in gold and platinum, and set with emeralds, rubies, sapphires and diamonds. It showcases one of Bulgari’s most favoured colour combination: red, green and blue.

The set was once part of the collection of Brazilian socialite Carmeno Mayrink Veiga, who in the mid-1950s was considered one of the most elegant women in the country; in a 1981 issue of Vanity Fair she appeared on a list of the most stylish women in the world. This attention-grabbing parure was later worn by Keira Knightley at the Academy Awards ceremony in 2006.

[caption id="attachment_212216" align="aligncenter" width="1024"] Gold and platinum necklace set with emeralds, rubies, sapphires, and diamonds (1967), once owned by Brazilian socialite Carmen Mayrink Veiga. (Image: Bulgari)[/caption]

There was also the spectacular yellow-gold necklace set with a medley of gemstones, including emeralds, diamonds, amethysts and turquoises, which once belonged to American socialite and It-girl Lyn Revson, a one-time wife of the founder of the make-up giant Revlon. “This was testament to our belief that, regardless of the intrinsic value, we would combine semiprecious and high-value stones for the sake of an impactful chromatic effect. This is the colour revolution introduced by Bulgari that subverted the rules in jewellery and marking a watershed in the decades to come,” Boscaini says of this piece.

To date, the Bulgari Heritage collection has more than 800 creations from the late 19th century to the early 2000s, which aside from jewellery includes watches and objects made in gold – cigarette cases, vanity cases and evening bags. And because Bulgari’s objective is to illustrate the evolution of the Bulgari style and craftsmanship over the decades and in the most complete way possible, its heritage department has more than 60,000 documents, vintage photographs and original sketches, as well as editorials and historical advertising campaigns in its archives.

[gallery ids="212218,212215"]

“An archive traces the history of a company, because only with a deep knowledge of our past can we build an aware future. There are some sketches or jewellery creations in the archives that represent unexpected experimentations – and they’re crucial, too, to better understand how the style evolved to finally achieve Bulgari’s strong identity. Moreover, the thousands of sketches we have are fundamental to state the authenticity of the pieces we find at auctions or from private collectors. In some cases, we only have the sketch in our archive but, as you can imagine, a sketch is a hypothesis of a jewel and we can never be sure that jewel has been produced until we see it in front of us. This is true in particular for jewels from the 1920s and 1930s, when often the mark wasn’t present.”

Boscaini and her team have a mandate to locate and buy back heritage pieces from major auction houses and private collectors around the world. “The buy-back process never stops. Of course, we have budgetary constraints and we can’t buy whatever we want! Following an accurate gap analysis, every year, we decide how to focus our research. Having said this, the ‘surprise factor’ is always around the corner, so it might happen that a jewel we’ve been searching for over decades suddenly appears – and in this case we’re set to ‘fight’ to have the jewel ‘back home’. It always comes with great emotion whenever we have a much-coveted jewel joining the Heritage Collection, and excited and happy for the people who will admire it.”

[caption id="attachment_212219" align="aligncenter" width="1024"] Legendary model Verushka shot by Vogue US in 1969 wearing the 860mm-long Bulgari sautoir featuring a 127.35-carat, heart-shaped emerald pendant and a chain set with rubies, amethysts, citrines, topazes, turquoise, emeralds and diamonds (1969). (Image: Bulgari)[/caption]

One of the exciting finds Boscaini is referring to was included in this exhibition – a 1969 sautoir that features an astounding 127.35-carat, heart-shaped emerald pendant, with a chain set with cabochon rubies, amethysts, citrines, topazes, turquoise and emeralds, and enhanced with brilliant-cut diamonds. “This magnificent sautoir is a jewel so representative of the house’s unbridled creativity in the late 1960s and 1970s; it’s an explosion of colour and so exuberant also in terms of size, as the chain is 860mm long,” she says.

After years of searching for the piece – and just when hope started to wane – it emerged at a Sotheby’s auction in Geneva in 2018. An intense bidding war ensued and Bulgari acquired the piece, which was once owned by an affluent woman called Patricia Bemberg, who’s now 93 and lives in Switzerland. The extraordinary piece was a gift from her husband while they were in Rome to celebrate their 23rd wedding anniversary. In 1969, it was worn by legendary model Verushka for a shoot that was published by Vogue US.

[caption id="attachment_212221" align="aligncenter" width="709"] Elizabeth Taylor wears her Bulgari 23.44-carat step-cut emerald brooch (1958) on the set of the film The VIPs. (Image: MGM/ Photofest)[/caption]

Craftsmanship and design aside, provenance also gives the jewel its very special charm and value. The Bulgari Heritage collection does include several pieces that belonged to stars such as Elizabeth Taylor, Anna Magnani, Gina Lollobrigida, Anita Ekberg and Audrey Hepburn. “It’s a kind of magic, as these jewels really reflect the charisma of their owners.”

Case in point, Elizabeth Taylor’s spectacular emerald necklace, which was given to her by actor Richard Burton in 1964 at their wedding in Montreal. The exceptional piece is mounted with 16 step-cut octagonal Colombian emeralds totalling 60.50 carats, each surround by brilliant-cut and pear-shaped diamonds. The pendent, meanwhile, is a jaw-dropping 23.44-carat step-cut Colombian emerald, which was incorporated by Bulgari in 1958 as a brooch that Burton gave to Taylor on their engagement in 1962. The actress would be seen in this extraordinary piece on many occasions, such as at the 1967 Academy Awards when she accepted an Oscar, and on the set of the film The VIPs in 1963.

[caption id="attachment_212220" align="aligncenter" width="909"] Exceptional necklace mounted with 16 step-cut Colombian emeralds totalling 60.50 carats and a 23.44-carat step-cut emerald pendant once owned by Elizabeth Taylor (1962). (Image: Bulgari)[/caption]

While at the very heart of Bulgari’s conscientious archive-keeping is documenting the evolution of the brand’s style throughout its 130-year history and establishing how the brand has come to a design aesthetic that’s distinctively theirs, it’s also very much about continuity. “Our style is perpetually evolving, and our designers still constantly look back to our past and are inspired by our hallmark pieces, such as the 1960s ‘bib’ design for the necklaces, or the 1970s sautoirs, but they interpret them in a contemporary way, so while they’re in a sense ‘new’ they’re still distinctly Bulgari.

The post Lucent Legacy: Examining Bulgari’s Predilection for Heritage and Flamboyant Jewels appeared first on Prestige Online - Hong Kong.

For its latest high jewellery collection, Van Cleef & Arpels looks into its archives to recreate three jewels of distinguished provenance. We discover these pieces and the passion behind their creation.

Epic jewels once owned by an Egyptian princess, a Hollywood legend and a former First Lady of the United States inspire Van Cleef & Arpels’ latest high-jewellery pieces, using three of what are perhaps the world’s most revered gemstones. We've always admired the manner in which Van Cleef & Arpels would weave beautiful narratives around its collections, and this is no exception.

By tradition, Van Cleef & Arpels has unveiled two high jewellery collections every year. One would revolve around a conceptual theme often inspired by a literary masterpiece, while the other would be focused on gemstones. In the case of this gemstone-oriented collection – called Homage to High Jewellery in Place Vendôme, as the jewels were made in its workshop located in this famous Parisian square – emeralds, rubies and diamonds take centre stage.

Looking back at Van Cleef & Arpels’ archives, the maison has owned some of the most important and remarkable gemstones in history. The Arpels brothers’ journeys to Asia between the 1950s and the ’70s – “jewel safaris” as they called them – in search of gems were the stuff of legend. Claude Arpels’ frequent trips to India, in particular, were widely talked about in social circles, earning him the moniker “Diamond King of Bombay” or the “Friend of the Maharajas”, alluding to his access to royal courts, where it’s said he discovered magnificent stones and jewels.

“The courtyard was covered with jewels of every hue. They lay glistening in the sun against the background of the old velvet cases in which they had lain for hundreds of years. I was momentarily blinded by their brilliance. Emeralds of every shape and size lay side by side with diamonds that reflected the colours of sapphires and rubies,” Arpels wrote, describing one of his visits to a Mughal palace.

One of the extraordinary stones Van Cleef & Arpels would come to own is the Blue Heart, a 30.82-carat heart-shaped blue diamond that the maison bought in 1953. It would later be set on to a necklace and sold to a German baron; today it’s the property of the Smithsonian in Washington, DC. Then there’s the extraordinary Thibaw ruby, named after and once owned by King Thibaw of Burma, which was re-cut into a 24.82-carat cushion-cut gem to be set on a ring. And, of course, the 95-carat pear-shaped yellow diamond once owned by opera singer and socialite Ganna Walska, which was later set on a gold flying bird that’s now known as the Walska brooch.

These are but a few of the numerous precious stones the maison would come to possess, which were set in bespoke pieces and, in more recent years, in its two incredible annual collections.

This year’s Homage to High Jewellery in Place Vendôme collection draws inspiration from three famous pieces made for three prominent historical figures: Princess Faiza of Egypt, Marlene Dietrich and Jacqueline Kennedy-Onassis.

First, the Merveille d’émeraudes necklace, which is inspired by a magnificent collaret necklace once owned by Princess Faiza of Egypt that dates to 1929. It features 10 drop-shaped emerald pendants suspended from a geometric mount set entirely with diamonds, and was added to the Van Cleef & Arpels collection in 2014.

This astounding necklace is commemorated in this new piece, which is set with five Colombian emeralds totalling 70.40 carats cut in slender pear shapes. Look closely and you’ll see the emeralds’ tips with subtle notches on the culet – signs of its previous life. These pendants were once split into two pear shapes to show more of the delicate and unique make-up of the emeralds. Van Cleef & Arpels preserves its pear shape, which is now punctuated with diamond- encrusted ribbons. Staying true to the Faiza necklace, where its clasp hangs down at the back, this piece features a diamond train that rests on the nape of the wearer.

The architectural, voluminous design approach and bold setting of the Rubis en scène bracelet, meanwhile, is reminiscent of one of Marlene Dietrich’s favourite pieces of jewellery, the ruby- and diamond-encrusted Jarretière bracelet. Dietrich bought this piece from Van Cleef & Arpels in 1937, and was often photographed wearing it; most famously, she wore it in Alfred Hitchcock’s movie Stage Fright.

A 2020 recreation of this famous piece is set with 72 Burmese rubies weighing more than 84 carats. The rubies are set on two asymmetrical moon-shaped clasps that hug the wrist, and are supported by an openwork structure made from white gold, intended for both aesthetic impact and comfort. The rest of the cuff is encrusted with round, square-shaped and baguette-cut white diamonds.

Remarkably, rarely in the maison’s history has it brought together so many rubies of such quality. Each stone has been re-cut into a cushion shape, and was chosen for its deeply saturated colour, that ranges from
bright red to purple. The result: A synchronised display of intense, vibrant crimson flares.

Last but definitely not the least is a piece made after a pair of earrings Aristotle Onassis gave Jacqueline Kennedy-Onassis in 1968 as a wedding gift. These stunning floral-motif earrings set with diamonds and ruby cabochon pendants are recreated through the Tendresse étincelante earrings, with each diamond-encrusted petal – made realistic with veins – unfurling around a pear-shaped diamond. Dangling on these floral earrings are detachable pendants made of two pear-shaped diamonds, each more than 10 carats.

And so with these new high-jewellery pieces, Van Cleef & Arpels perpetuates the passion set forth by the Arpels brothers, as well the house’s mission to honour its past and further enrich its legacy with creations that are faithful to its canons but cognisant of the fact that it must remain relevant.

The post Van Cleef & Arpels’ New High Jewellery Collection Breathes Life Into Archival Designs appeared first on Prestige Online - Hong Kong.

The iconic motif of Van Cleef & Arpels Alhambra collection made its debut in 1968 and is now an emblem of the Maison. The initial offering was a long, plain yellow gold necklace, and many women were enchanted by this lucky charm motif that symbolises luck, health, fortune and love. This year, Van Cleef & Arpels has new additions […]

The post Van cleef and Arpels Alhambra collection appeared first on The Peak Magazine.

The iconic motif of Van Cleef & Arpels Alhambra collection made its debut in 1968 and is now an emblem of the Maison. The initial offering was a long, plain yellow gold necklace, and many women were enchanted by this lucky charm motif that symbolises luck, health, fortune and love. This year, Van Cleef & Arpels has new additions […]

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