High Jewelry Finds Inspiration in Lace and Ribbons

The world of haute joaillerie took heavy inspiration from high fashion and luxury fabrics this season. This delightful collision of worlds has led to breathtaking designs that mimic the textures and qualities of haute couture materials.

Victoire de Castellane, creative director at Dior Joaillerie, zeroed on the multitude of intricate laces, applying the look and feel smartly to Dior's latest haute joaillerie offerings.

"I wanted to capture the sensation of ethereal lightness and the haute couture signature of lace which, like ribbons, silk and draping, is essential to the Dior lexicon," explains de Castellane. As such, she dug into the Dior archives, which teem with detailed lace patterns used over the years. The resulting collection was named Dior Dior Dior, which also celebrates the brand's 20th year in haute joaillerie.

Yellow, rose and white gold was worked like silk threads and the resulting necklaces, bracelets and rings play on the transparency of lace, featuring an array of openwork and honeycomb effects. These delicate designs were then further ‘embroidered’ with emeralds, sapphires, yellow diamonds and spessartine garnets.

Meanwhile, playful ribbons were the inspiration behind the Jeux de Rubans collection of 40 pieces from Mikimoto, which were presented in the Japanese house's first ever presentation during Paris Couture Week. The jeweller transformed traditional-looking rows of pearls into intricate Peter Pan collars and delicate cuffs. Or, you found designs that could be gracefully knotted in large bows around the neck or in the middle of a long cravat pendant. 

Pierre Hardy, the brainiac behind the shoes and jewellery at Hermes, riffed on the houses's 80-year-old Chaîne d’Ancre design, boldly displaying pieces with a safety pin motif as the centrepiece. Elsewhere, there was a strong emphasis on fluidity with the creation of the bridle-like Voltige necklace which exploited the supple qualities of gold chains.

©Louis Canada

“Fluidity is inseparable from the chain: its essential nature is to be flexible. Sometimes I make it disappear, turning it into a ribbon, a flat expanse; this is the Hermès Voltige narrative,” Hardy says.

This story was first published on Keyyes.com (October 2018)