You’d be forgiven for thinking that Cartier had resorted to a bit of sorcery in crafting these three rings, part of its latest fine jewelry collection, Sortilège de Cartier. Instead, it charged its craftsmen with creating a unique gem-within-a-gem setting in which a precious stone is enclosed in a custom-cut semiprecious stone, to luminous effect. “It creates a sort of illusion—you don’t know what the material is,” explains Pierre Rainero, director of image, style, and heritage at Cartier International.Surrounded by pavé diamonds set in platinum, an 8.29-carat cushion-cut yellow sapphire with citrine (below left) showcases the nuances of two similarly hued gems, as do the dramatic 7.78-carat pear-cut yellow sapphire set in a sharply hexagonal citrine (below center) and the 2.77-carat brown diamond and amethyst pairing (below right). Says Rainero: “A stone lives differently when it’s close to another stone.”
Photo courtesy of Cartier
In 1926 Coco Chanel designed the costumes for Jean Cocteau’s play Orphée, using a juxtaposition of light and dark. The latest Chanel fine jewelry collection, Contrastes, runs with the idea, pairing black and white—one of the designer’s favorite combinations—in these brilliant spinel, diamond, pearl, and moonstone earrings.
For six decades Georland has been designing jewelry for some of the biggest names dotting the Place Vendôme—and for private clients who have included Queen Sofia of Spain and Princess Diana, for whom it made a very particular platinum, diamond, and sapphire necklace. Now the brand, known for its impeccable workmanship—some pieces have required up to 30 craftsmen to execute—is debuting its own Private Collections. Take this delicate, lacy cuff inspired by the Silk Road: Minuscule honeycombs and lattices of white gold covered in 5.1 carats of diamonds form a tiaralike setting for a blinding 2.78-carat green tourmaline. Discreet? Perhaps not—but certainly fit for royalty.
Born into a famed jewelry family, Marina Bulgari managed to make a name for herself when she founded her own line of baubles, Marina B, in 1976. She became known for her geometric shapes, spring-mounted necklaces and bracelets, and unusual treatment of colorful precious stones, and her creations were a huge hit among her European jetsetter pals (and such movie stars as Sophia Loren). She sold the line in 1999, but fortunately today’s girls-about-town can discover her work for themselves. The design team behind Windsor Jewelers delved into the Marina B archives and even turned to the same Italian artisans with whom Bulgari worked to revive the line, starting this fall with pieces like this geometri 18-karat gold choker with an assortment of diamonds and cabochon rubies.
India Hicks, TV host, author, perfumer, interior decorator, and mother
of four is adding fine jewelry designer to her resume with her new
self-titled collection. While inspiration for the "Initials" line
(pictured below) came directly from her father, interior designer David
Hicks' joined H logo from his famous Chelsea shop, her fascination with
jewelry is a product of English royal heritage (her mother is Lady
Pamela Mountbatten). "My grandmother's time as the last Vicrine of
India, and before that even, her well-documented life as a flag bearer
for the Jazz Age led her to build a spectacular collection of jewelry,"
says Hicks, who also served as a bridesmaid to Lady Diana in 1981. "My
grandfather [Lord Mountbatten], as the great grandson of Queen Victoria,
was able to add to his wife's collection such extraordinary things as
the Star Tiara. It's not surprising that I would venture into jewelry
design."
India's grandparents in ceremonial robes; India's father's drawings.
India Hicks' 18 carat 12mm Initial Pendants with cable chain, $595
Though named for a flower, Harry Winston’s
timepiece, the Rosebud, is
actually more of
a chameleon. A freestanding 18-karat white gold watch
case encrusted with diamonds, it comes with accessories that enable it
to be worn in a number of ways: a white gold chain from which it can
hang as
a pendant; a satin band to wear on the wrist;
and a pin
backing that converts it into a brooch. Adding to its versatility, the
Rosebud’s face is equipped with a cover that can be swiveled on or off,
allowing it to function as a watch or simply a
bauble. “We were looking
for something that is
a jewel and a timepiece,” says Sandrine de Laage,
art director and vice president of design for Harry Winston. The
Rosebud’s glam packaging also does double duty: When opened, the black
lacquered Reuge music box plays Chick Corea’s jazz tune “Children’s Song
No. 1” (at Harry Winston,
New York; $81,900).
