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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.

This residential retreat for a family in Sonoma County, California, is also a charming cooking laboratory.

The post Luxury homes: a chef’s minimalist, barn-style hideaway clad in corten steel appeared first on The Peak Magazine.

This residential retreat for a family in Sonoma County, California, is also a charming cooking laboratory.

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

Top 20 Best Interior Designers in NYC⇒  We are constantly inspired by designers and enjoy being a part of the evolving world of design. Some have influenced the way people think about design by making it more accessible, others were selected because they are iconic and a source of inspiration for many, and others yet because of the way they challenge and inspire through their media presence… So, we selected the Top 20 Best Interior Designers in NYC that we feel have made an impression on the design industry in a big way.

Continue reading Top 20 Best Interior Designers in NYC at Luxxu Blog.

As we welcome another year, we look back at some of the most notable fine jewellery collections unveiled in 2020. From completely new collections to fresh takes on beloved classics, here are some of our favourites, which most certainly will make worthy additions to your go-to everyday accessories.

Clash de Cartier XL

Cartier’s badass fine jewellery line Clash de Cartier has just gone even bolder with an XL-sized version, seeing its contemporary beads and studs forming generously proportioned rings, earrings, bracelets and necklaces. Look closely and you will see how skilfuly each bead/stud is mounted and polished, and try it on and you'll love how the piece just moves with you, thanks to an articulated mechanism developed for this line. So chic!

Chopard Happy Hearts Wings

If you fancy something more feminine, Chopard has added a new and delightful variation to one of its most well-received and iconic fine jewellery lines with the Happy Hearts Wings. It comes in necklaces, bracelets, earrings and a ring, all made from ethically mined gold featuring dancing diamonds and red hearts arranged like butterfly wings.

Louis Vuitton Volt

One of the year’s most talked-about launches was Louis Vuitton’s new LV Volt fine jewellery collection. Created by its artistic director for watches and jewellery, Francesca Amfitheatrof, the collection puts the spotlight on the letters L and V, incorporating them in an architectural and graphic design that makes the pieces appealing to either gender. Made from in gold and set with diamonds, these pieces play with texture, volume and dimensions, and can be worn stacked, with your other favourite pieces or, by all means, on their own.

Chanel Coco Crush in sizes

Coco Crush is a collection that’s managed to appeal to a wide range of tastes – from minimalists to the overindulgent – and across age groups and genders. And because Chanel has grown the selection of its rings to include more sizes, you can now wear rings on your index finger and if you so desire, your thumb too, while making them look like they absolutely belong – adios ill-fitting rings. The Coco Crush fine jewellery pieces in a new Beige Gold alloy also stand out, but not necessarily clash with the rest of your jewellery, for its unique sheen and shade, as it’s neither pink nor yellow gold, but awesomely in between.

Bulgari B.zero1 Rock

The B.zero1 Rock is the latest B.zero iteration inspired by Bulgari’s Tubogas choker made famous for its ’80s studs. And who better than the fun and fierce American actress and singer Zendaya to promote this stylish line, lending her star power to Bulgari’s Mai Troppo campaign set against the scenic streets and villas of Rome, adorned with these versatile and sleek fine jewellery pieces.

Van Cleef & Arpels Perlee Tartelette ring

A bold Tartelette ring created by Van Cleef & Arpels in 1948 that remained popular through the 1950s makes a comeback of sorts as the latest addition to its Perlee collection. The ring has a robust body composed of gold gadroons that embrace the finger comfortably, while its crown features a gold dome paved with diamonds and executed with a relief effect, making it look more voluminous. Now that's one statement ring!

Fred Chance Infinie by Annelise Michelson

Known for her contemporary and feminine jewellery designs that play with proportions, Paris-based South-African-born designer Annelise Michelson was tapped by Fred to re-interpret one of the brand’s classics motifs, the Chance Infinie — its signature small loop interlaced with a large one — through an XL Capsule Collection that comprises a ring, torque, cuff bracelet and earring in yellow gold.

Dior Rose des Vents Open Rings

Dior’s ever so dainty Rose des Vents now has open ring options, giving your digits some breathing room while looking so stylish. The fine jewellery rings are edged in a twisted rice grain motif, framing the Rose des Vents and Rose Céleste medallions with a vibrant hard stone and set with a diamond.

Louis Vuitton Vivienne

Louis Vuitton’s adorable mascot, Vivienne, which has appeared in many of the maison’s decorative objects, has made its way to its fine jewellery line. Available in two sizes and in various styles, Vivienne’s small pendants come in three gold variations, and in gold and diamond with red or black lacquer. A medium version, on the other hand, comes in three gold variations or half-paved, and can also be worn as a brooch.

Tiffany & Co Victoria Vine

Tiffany & Co this year unveiled the Tiffany Victoria Vine collection, inspired by patterns found in nature and taking cues from its everyday rhythms, symmetry and fluidity. The selection of necklaces, bracelets, earrings and pendants are intricately crafted using a variety of diamond cuts and settings.

Boucheron Quatre in Bleu de Paris

We’ve seen a few iterations of Boucheron’s Quatre fine jewellery, playing on its contemporary style and exploring textures, colours and gold variations. It’s been presented in black, white and red, and this autumn it comes in Bleu de Paris, which brings a fresh, new look to its graphic motif. We might have found that one accessory that you can wear with every outfit, and occasion, and throughout the year.

Van Cleef & Arpels Alhambra in new stones

Van Cleef & Arpels’ Alhambra collection welcomes four new long necklaces, with the famed motif presented in chalcedony, grey mother-of-pearl and blue agate. The fourth, the Magic Alhambra, comes with a yellow gold guilloche pendant.

The post 12 Hottest Fine Jewellery Launches in 2020 appeared first on Prestige Online - Hong Kong.

Indeed this year has found many of us staying in more than we ever have, and perhaps more than wish to. Home is now a place we work, live and well, even socialise, albeit virtually. And while the hope is that we'll be inching towards some semblance of normalcy in the coming year, it will be a while so why not inject some newness into your homes? We've curated a list of delightfully handsome luxury pieces of furnishings and decor that will give your living, dining and sleeping areas a welcome upgrade. 

Louis Vuitton Marcel Wanders Lounge Chair

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Designer Marcel Wanders describes the lounge chair as "an unfolding and portable oasis for relaxation". Comprised of three individual modules, all of which fit into each other, are made in high-tech carbon fiber, making the chair light but sturdy. The chic lounge chair is upholstered in soft leather on the outside and microfiber on the inside to keep it comfortable, while the leather straps that hold the modules together are reminiscent of Louis Vuitton’s iconic travel pieces and made in natural dyed leather that will patina beautifully with age. We just love that it can be folded and tucked away, and easily carried perhaps out to your porch for an evening of stargazing.  

HK$ 345,000 at Louis Vuitton

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Heveya Organic Latex Mattress

One can never underestimate the importance of a good night's sleep, and the Heveya mattress by Okooko will most definitely help you achieve that. Made of 100% natural organic latex, the Heveya range is available in a variety of heights and firmness to meet everyone's requirement, while its 7-zone mattress design ensures comfort. Ideal for those sensitive to allergens, the mattress is resistant to dust mites and mould, and comes with a washable cover. Its pincore holes and open-cell structure ensure breathability and minimises humidity inside the mattress. As a show of good faith, Okooko is offering 100 nights free trial. 

HK$19,500 to 28,500 at Okooko by European Bedding

Heveya Organic Latex Pillows

Provide your head and neck with the right support during your sleep with these Heveya pillows made of 100% natural organic latex. They feature an open cell structure and are designed with ventilation holes to ensure good breathability and moisture regulation for comfortable sleeping temperature. Naturally anti-mould and dust mite resistant, each pillow is encased in a soft and luxurious bamboo cover that can be removed for easy cleaning.

HK$1,100 at Okooko by European Bedding

Hermès Cordélie Rugs

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Designed by Gianpaolo Pagni, these Hermès rugs were made with a delicate embroidering process whereby cotton cords have been meticulously woven onto fine linen by hand. The result are vibrant and intricate patterns of intersecting lines that will make stunning accents in your home. 

HK$ 312,400 each at Hermès

Altfield Silverware 

Accent your coffee and console tables with Altfield's collection of solid silverware, which are hand-crafted by Asian silversmiths. The pieces in the collection have Chinese and South East Asian influences, reworked with a Western flair, and can be displayed on its own as a decorative object or added as an accents in table settings and mixed with your other favourite trinkets  

HK$5,000 to 15,000 each at Altfield

Lalique Ox Sculpture

Welcome the Year of the Ox in style and sophistication with this Lalique Ox sculpture.  Made with clear crystal, its dimensions are 10.10 cm x L 14.30 cm x l 5.30 cm and is handcrafted in France. 

HK$ 5,200-5,600 

Happy Pills Vases by Fabio Novembre

Inject some 'happiness' and humour into your home with these Happy Pills vases designed by Fabio Novembre. These blown handmade glass were made using the Incalmo technique in Italy.  Novembre wanted to mimic pharmaceutical capsules, even etching the chemical symbols on their sides, hoping that they can take the place of actual medi cation to make their owners happy. Each colour combination represents a different hormone, testosterone, adrenaline, oxytocin, phenethylamine and estrogen, and measures 4.52 x 12.99 inches.

HK$ 16,730 each at Andante 

Black Belt Vases by Peter Marino

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Should you fancy something more sophisticated, you can go for the Black Belt vases designed by Peter Marino. Limited to only 349 pieces, these numbered vases are blown handmade glass made in Italy. For this collection, Marino splashes bold black streaks of across a crystal clear canvas. The vases come in 15 designs and in shades of pink, green and tea, with black bands applied on the surface that surround the vases. 

HK$ 16,000 - 43,800 each at Andante 

Cotodama Lyric Speaker Canvas

When music melds into graphic art, the Cotodama Lyric Speaker Canvas happens. Two interconnected panels of this wifi-connected speaker are designed to evoke vinyl LPs, and are meant to lean  against the wall. The back panel contains two high-fidelity metal speakers, and the front one displays lyrics in sync with your streaming music from a vast library maintained by Cotodama. Thanks to its unique Lyric Sync Technology, the Cotodama Lyric Speaker Canvas analyses each song’s mood and structure to create animated graphics, choose fonts and develop movement patterns for the lyrics that match the song’s cadence. It measures 15.5  x 19 x 4.75 inches.

HK$14,980 at Moma Design Store at K11 Musea

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Gregory Bed by Flexform

Sleep in style and comfort with Flexform's Gregory bed with a sturdy yet chic design. It rests on a metal frame and cast aluminum feet, and come in various finishes of cowhide webbing strips:  tobacco, dark brown or black. Its padded headboard is designed for comfortable support, and can be removed entirely and tailored in either fabric or leather. Its platform is made with plywood and comes with polyurethane foam padding, covered with a protective laminated fabric. 

The post 10 Items to Get Your Home Spruced Up for the New Year appeared first on Prestige Online - Hong Kong.

Van Cleef & Arpels is and always has been unapologetically romantic – an approach that seeps even into the oft-bravado world of high watchmaking. We rediscover the house’s enduring dance with complications and poetry through its new Lady Arpels Ballerines Musicales timepieces

The drapes part and ballerinas enter to fluid arabesques, grand jetés and elegant pirouettes, dancing to the music of Gabriel Fauré, Igor Stranvinsky and Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky, then the drapes close. Such is the enchanting 20-second sequence you can play whenever and wherever you fancy, and it sits right on your wrist. Just like many of Van Cleef & Arpels’ timepieces, the Lady Arpels Ballerines Musicales is not meant merely to be worn but, rather, experienced and inevitably connect with.

[caption id="attachment_212784" align="aligncenter" width="2560"] Lady Arpels Ballerine Musicale Rubis[/caption]

The Lady Arpels Ballerines Musicales is Van Cleef & Arpels’ newest addition to its suite of Poetic Complications, which is inspired by one of the Arpels’ other loves: ballet. Louis Arpels was known to often walk to the Opéra Garner, a short distance from his Place Vendôme boutique, to see a ballet with his nephew Claude. Such was their love for the artform that in the early 1940s, by which time the family had moved to New York, Van Cleef & Arpels created its first ballerina clips, which today is one of the house’s most distinguishable designs.

Inspiration

This affinity with ballet only profoundly deepened as Claude met choreographer and co-founder of the New York City Ballet, George Balanchine, with whom he shared a passion not only for ballet but also for gems. This led to Balanchine producing a ballet called “Jewels”, which made its debut in 1967 in New York, with each of its three acts linked to a particular gemstone and composer – Emeralds set to the music of Fauré, Rubies to Stravinsky, and Diamonds for Tchaikovsky.

[caption id="attachment_212785" align="aligncenter" width="1707"] Lady Arpels Ballerine Musicale Diamant[/caption]

More than 50 years later, Van Cleef & Arpels revisits this ballet with magnificent timepieces that connoisseurs will find well worth perusing and, among those with a predilection for the finer things in life, owning. Each piece alludes to the three movements of Jewels: Lady Arpels Ballerine Musicale Émeraude with its green tones, Rubis in red, and finally Diamant comes in a combination of white, blue and golden hues. And on the upper crown of each creation, the stone it’s referenced to.

Just as in all its other creations, Van Cleef & Arpels always starts with the idea of a story it hopes to tell, from which the team endeavours to find the means to bring this tale to life. For this, it was a collaborative effort between expert watchmakers, musicians, enamellers, engravers and jewellers, whose fresh perspectives brought the idea to fruition.

Sight to behold

Aesthetically, the pieces are striking. At once you’re drawn to its baroque stylings. Upon closer inspection, you admire it for its beautiful intricacies, and from arm’s length, its imposing heft. These timepieces have been conceived as three-dimensional tableaux of an actual theatre stage, hence the multitude of details infused into them. For instance, the upper-dial, fully paved with diamonds, represents a grandiose chandelier and curtains, while the rotating disc features sculpted, engraved and hand-painted draperies revealing five ballerinas in miniature paintings, dancing to the music. And then there’s the combination of various crafts whose impeccable execution results in quite an enchanting scene. The beauty of it all is that the animation is on-demand.

[caption id="attachment_212786" align="aligncenter" width="1707"] An artisan handprints the ballerinas unto the dial[/caption]

To give birth to these timepieces, Van Cleef & Arpels worked with several watchmakers and craftsmen from different disciplines, including lapidaries, stone-setters, miniature painters and engravers. For the sound, they collaborated with concert musician, Michel Tirabosco, who brilliantly adapted and simplified the three composers’ music to just two instruments: the carillon and the music box, chosen to produce good quality sound – a real musicality, if you will, and a perfect pitch for the melodies.

Achieving musicality

Having these two instruments work together posed a tremendous challenge as they had to be carefully tuned, according to one of the experts involved in the project. An important consideration was that these musical pieces had to be complementary, producing a unique sound – and, indeed, the carillon provides sustained and rather low tones, while the music box plays the short and high tones.

[caption id="attachment_212787" align="aligncenter" width="1707"] The case demonstrates the house' high-jewellery setting techniques but was also designed so that the sound comes out beautifully[/caption]

It was also important that they were able to create a specific watch architecture that integrated high-jewellery setting techniques in such a way that the sound comes out beautifully, while also protecting the mechanism. The case of the watch was constructed such that the melody offered by the carillon and music box is amplified, transmitting it through a diamond-paved surface. To heighten the listening experience, each watch comes with a birchwood and walnut marquetry case that was developed alongside luthiers and acoustics experts and enriched with an electronic amplifier.

No stone left unturned

The technical complexity of these watches cannot be overstated: the project required seven years of research and development to resolve the issues surrounding a manual-winding mechanical movement and the on demand animation alone. And yes, the piece does tell the time, a function which – though fundamental to any watch – almost feels like a secondary requirement for this fascinating piece. In fact, it tells the time magnificently, through a retrograde function at the top of the dial, indicated by a star – in homage to the Paris Opera’s danseuses étoiles – demonstrating the passage of time on a graduated 12-hour scale.

[caption id="attachment_212788" align="aligncenter" width="1707"] Engraved bas-relief illustration at the back of the watch[/caption]

Turn the timepieces over and the storytelling continues with an engraved bas-relief illustration that portrays a ballerina dancing in front of the Van Cleef & Arpels’ Fifth Avenue boutique where Claude hosted Balanchine in 1966 for a private viewing of the maison’s creations. And there, Van Cleef & Arpels manages to demonstrate its prowess in jewellery and watchmaking, all while narrating a special love story between its founders and the world of ballet.

And as I immerse myself deeper into the world of this profoundly beautiful brand, I’m increasingly made aware that it exists in a field separate from those of other legacy houses. Van Cleef & Arpels embraces innovation without stripping its pieces of the romance and wonderment that only traditional savoir-faire and good old storytelling can bring. The maison manages to meld hopelessly romantic and sentimental tales into their pieces – unapologetically – but that never come across as contrived. And with its creations, there’s always a sense of novelty – and unpredictability – that can bring even the most cynical consumers to their knees. Now isn’t that truly precious?

The post The Poetry Behind the New Lady Arpels Ballerines Musicales Timepieces appeared first on Prestige Online - Hong Kong.