Notes on anObsession

by Olivier Dupon

• June 2018 •

Each month in this column, I will share my se-cret jewellery discoveries with you; a selec-tion of up to five jewellery pieces based on their craftsmanship and inspiring creativity. Only one-of-a-kind (or limited edition) jew-els, chosen from all around the world, will make the cut. It is not about value (pieces could start from a few thousands up to mil-lions), yet these pieces could be as much a good financial investment as an emotion-al one. There will be no theme other than uniqueness in all aspects. It is exclusively on Deluxe Pad for you to peruse, appreciate and eventually make your own.

Olivier Dupon

Notes on an Obsession

Notes on an ObsessionJune 2018

These mesmerising earrings come straight from the Red Carpet Collection 2018 by Chopard. Like fresh orchids that have just been freshly picked, their lifelike quality is what makes them so precious. While there is no better symbol to evoke elegance and sensuality than the orchid flower, the attention to detail is impres-sive. It has taken one year for Chopard’s ateliers to achieve these cascading beau-ties, and all the trades of the workshop have been involved. Part of two distinct pairs of ‘orchid’ earrings, this bright and ravishing version is composed of a gold stem and green buds paved with 4,800 tsavorites, lips (labellum) adorned with white opals, and petals set with pink sapphires surrounded by tinted titanium se-pals coated with a fine layer of white ceramic.

www.chopard.com

Orchid Earrings in 18K gold, titanium and ceramic set with white opals, tsavorites, and sapphires; Red Carpet Collection 2018. POA.

A teaser from the 2018 Tiffany & Co Blue Book, which will be unveiled later this year and the first of new chief artistic officer, Reed Krakoff, this Art Deco-inspired necklace plays on classical graphic lines with a twist. Indeed there is no symmetry in the way the aquamarines are positioned, or in the shapes of the diamond-paved links. Moreover some aquama-rines are darker than others, which adds another lay-er (it took a year to ethically source and cut the gem-stones). First seen on Gal Gadot at the 2018 Oscars, this sautoir piece is definitely more than meets the eye. Effortlessly chic and timeless, it augurs well for the 2018 Blue Book (Tiffany & Co’s annual high jew-ellery collection).

www.tiffany.com

Notes on an ObsessionJune 2018

Important Necklace in platinum set with one 27-carat aquamarine drop, more aquamarines and over 1000 diamonds (total weight of gemstones is 61 carats); 2018 Tiffany Blue Book Collection. POA.

There is something pictorial about these earrings by Indian fine jewel-ler Anjali Bhimrajka, a.k.a. Abfjewels. See how the flowers and buds are almost hand drawn. It is this very organic quality that makes these ear-rings so covetable. The rose gold adds to their delicacy, and one can easily picture them with a pair of jeans or a summer gown. It is said that at the young age of twelve, Anjali Bhimrajka “helped her maternal grandmother, the matriarch of Raipur’s affluent Rai Sahab family, orga-nise their ancestral jewellery collection”. She took that opportunity to sketch some of those vintage pieces and interpret them in her own way. Here is certainly a clue to our first impression.

www.abfjewels.com

Notes on an ObsessionJune 2018

Astral Fleur Ear Tops in 18K rose gold set with 4.17 carats of

round-cut diamonds and 0.50 carat of flat diamonds. POA.

Notes on an ObsessionJune 2018

Bird of Paradise Earrings in sandblasted and anodised aluminium, yellow and red gold set with sapphires, spessartites and tsavorites. POA.

Withered Hydrangea Brooch in anodised aluminium, red and green gold set with rubies from Burma, spinels, white and brown diamonds. POA.

You probably have not yet heard of Emmanuel Tarpin, or you may have come across some of his creations at the recent GemGenève jewellery fair, or have attend-ed the Christie’s Magificent Jewels in New York last December, where Tarpin’s lifelike geranium pair of earrings was sold. In any case, this young emerging talent is a very private and discreet jeweller. Having grad-uated from the HEAD school of art and de-sign in Geneva, Tarpin worked for a few of the place Vendome houses before settling

as an independent jeweller under his own name. Effortlessly switching between archi-tecture- or nature-inspired subjects, Tarpin revels in experimenting with the potential of metals, from aluminium to gold, in or-der to get the precise textures and colours he seeks. Here are two prime examples of his fascination with flora and fauna: an ab-stract evocation of a bird of paradise for a pair of earrings and a brooch composed of seemingly real hydrangeas, except for the exotically psychedelic colour scheme.

www.emmanueltarpin.com

This extraordinary suite is the out-come of a very interesting collabo-ration between Italian master jewel-ler Mauro Felter and Geneva-based, pearl-provider Shanghai Gem S.A. Organic cluster formations made of tightly paved diamonds is one of Mauro’s signatures and here it serves as cement in order to hold the var-ious natural pearls together. This is also precisely the natural quality of these pearls that allows such an ar-ray of enchanting colours. Rarely do we get clam, conch and modiolus pearls in one same composition; so here is a chance to see how well they complement each other in terms of size and hue. Besides the random and asymmetrical distribution of the pearls celebrates spontaneous pat-terns that could be found in Nature. It is a ravishing pearl and diamond set, but unlike most, this one is ex-ceptionally unique.

Notes on an ObsessionJune 2018

Necklace in 18 K white gold set with 11.18 carats of brilliant-cut white diamonds, 117.22 carats of

clam pearls, 22.56 carats of conch pearls and 5.29 carats of modiolus pearls; Earrings (sold

separately) in 18K white gold set with 5.06 carats of brilliant-cut white diamonds, 35.15 carats of

clam pearls, 7.04 carats of conch pearls and 6.2 carats of modiolus pearls. Both POA.

www.maurofelter.comwww.shanghaigems.com

Notes on an ObsessionJune 2018

Ring in 18K white gold set with one 2.39-carat cushion-cut no heat ruby from Burma and one 1.77-carat round-cut white diamond, 194 white diamonds (6.52cts) and 215 rubies (8.51cts); Red Carpet Icons collection. POA.

The Cannes Film Festival is an important rendezvous for de Grisogono, an event the high jeweller describes as “a fortnight pulsating with the energy of passion and exuberance”. With this in mind, de Grisogono ceremoniously unveils high jewels at the festival that fit the mantra – flamboyance, glamour, vitality. This year is also special as the high jewellery house celebrates its 25th anniversary, so from the many dazzling new pieces, I have cho-sen a dazzling toi et moi ring, a play on mirroring, from the Red Carpet Icons section. It is certainly a signature item: the generous proportions, the use of black accents (here interspersed among the rubies to enhance the hues of the latter), the colours arranged in colour block formation. It is quite sensational in its deceptive simplicity.

www.degrisogono.com