Country & Town House - Jewellery & Watches A/W 2017

JEWELLERY

&WATCHES AUTUMN/WINTER 2017

REBEL WITH A CAUSE

Coco Chanel’s glittering legacy

RED ALERT

The ruby renaissance

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171 NEW BOND STREET LONDON W1S 4RD 0207 907 8800 THE FINE JEWELLERY ROOM HARRODS LONDON SW1X 7XL 0207 907 8899 HARRYWINSTON.COM

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GOLD TIDINGS Annabel Davidson and Avril Groom bring you the latest luxe jewellery news WATCH THIS SPACE Up-todate horological happenings,

by Simon de Burton RAINBOW NATION Multi-coloured jewellery RUSSIAN TWIST Pieces with imperial flair INTERGALACTIC ADVENTURE We’re ascending to outer space BROKEN RULES Non gender specific gems A STRAP ON THE WRIST Timepiece bracelets are getting more exotic by the minute PRICE SENSITIVE Outstanding watches all at £3,000 and under

ON THE COVER Styling by Nicole Smallwood. Photography

by Dan Kennedy. Make up by Lisa Valencia using Chanel. Elfy Scott @ The Squad wears jacket, My Red ring, My Green ring, My Chain ring, My Chain earrings from the Gallery Collection, all by Chanel

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TIMEPIECES OF DISTINCTION The L.U.C collection, handcrafted since 1860 for distinguished gentlemen.

A truly individual statement in time.

L.U.C TIME TRAVELER ONE (161942-5001), MANUFACTURE CALIBRE L.U.C 01.05-L AUTOMATIC

2017/802 - Country & Town House / Chopard UK - 001Travel - 225 x 298 mm - UK - 25/09/17

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Features 54

RIPPING UP THE RULE BOOK Coco Chanel was a real fashion revolutionary, and her legacy lives on, as exemplified by the house’s latest jewellery and watches launches, says Annabel Davidson 60 BEHIND CLOSED DOORS Why high jewellery brands are selling their big pieces more discreetly 65 THE DIGITAL DESIGNERS Francesca Fearon reports on the new breed of young, well-connected and hugely talented designers 70 A GLITTERING JOURNEY Avril Groom traces the travels of a diamond, from the earth to the end wearer 74 HIGH TECH TIME What’s in your watch, asks Simon de Burton 76 ACID HOURS Time goes psychedelic.

Photography by Matthew Shave 87 BACK TO THE SIXTIES This oft-forgotten era in jewellery is enjoying something of a modern renaissance 90 GIRLS ON TOP Avril Groom meets two female CEOs, who are at the top of their game 93 KING OF GEMS Now that rubies are being ethically mined thanks to Gemfields in Mozambique, the red stones are back in the spotlight, says Joanna Hardy 96 RUBY RED REVOLUTION Red is the colour and rubies are the stones. Art directed by Ursula Lake 104 JEWELLERY BY NUMBERS Figuring out Cartier’s beautiful Bengalore necklace

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EDITOR’S LETTER CONTRIBUTORS

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60 YEARS OF ADVENTURE AND DISCOVERY

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C& TH JEWELLERY & WATCHES | Editor’s Letter

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hat a year. Whether you find recent world events challenging or terrifying there is no doubt that big changes are afoot. A hundred years on from the Russian Revolution, the human talent for upheaval has not lessened. In the luxury world of jewellery and watches, change also comes at an increasing speed but it is to be celebrated, not feared. That is why we have called this the Revolution issue, looking at how a very traditional industry is embracing the 21st century.

Our cover story on page 54 shows Chanel jewellery as you have never seen it before. Forget ladylike pearls and delicate diamonds – this is tough, street-fighting stuff. Coco Chanel was the original fashion revolutionary and I like to think she would approve. Annabel Davidson explores Chanel’s jewellery legacy for the modern age, including an equally startling high jewellery collection – sapphire sailor’s tattoos, anyone?

Social media is also changing the industry, in the shapely form of talented and well-connected young women who design beautiful jewels and use social platforms effectively to portray their designs and their enviably glamorous lifestyles. Francesca Fearon, no stranger to this world, joined them for a peek into the lives of the international jeunesse dorée (p65).

Talking of women, two major houses now boast female CEOs – I talked to both these cool and very bright women and have no doubt they are the standard bearers of a new movement.

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96 The watch world is arguably even more traditional but today’s high-tech materials are blowing that image apart.

Simon de Burton explores how materials from the auto and aviation industries create timepieces that are lighter, more accurate, more durable and lower-maintenance than ever before, and look the avant-garde part too (p74). Even the way high jewellery and haute horlogerie are sold is different today – clients, not the need for publicity, call the shots and spectacular pieces are now often sold with the utmost discretion, not a blaze of headlines. We explore why this is happening (p60).

There are nods to other revolutions too – diamonds were always portable wealth in times of trouble and they still travel, but for less dramatic reasons. We look at the surprising journey a rough diamond takes before it is sold as a sparkling gem (p70). And the 1960s, the last revolutionary period, are back in design favour, offering great vintage buys at sometimes advantageous prices – we explore what is available.

We hope you will enjoy this thoughtprovoking issue and will be inspired to choose a jewellery piece or watch in a style you never embraced before.

Start your own design revolution!

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C E L E B R AT I N G 5 0 Y E A R S O F D E S I G N C O L L A B O R AT I O N

“TO BE, NOT TO SEEM” V I V I A N N A TO R U N B Ü LO W- H Ü B E

W W W. G E O R G J E N S E N . CO M

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CONTRIBUTORS

DAN KENNEDY

What is your favourite gemstone?

Emerald – it’s my wife’s birthstone.

Which famous revolutionary would you like to have dinner with? Gandhi showed that power doesn’t have to be about violence, or even control.

His peaceful approach to politics is something we should all be reminded of right now.

Which watch is on your wishlist? The Omega Seamaster – a timeless classic.

What do you think we should be making revolution about today? I’m getting more into nutrition and health as I get older and I recently watched a documentary called What The Health, which was a shocking reminder that, as humans, we need to be much more aware of what we are putting into our bodies.

JOANNA HARDY

BELLA SICILIA AGRUMI Diamond, gold or silver necklace pendants Cassandra Goad 147 Sloane Street London SW1X 9BZ Tel: 020 7730 2202

cassandragoad.com

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What is your favourite gemstone?

Spinel, pink sapphire and tourmaline.

Which famous revolutionary would you like to have dinner with? Malala Yousafzai; I have two teenage children and I would talk to her about how she sees the next generation coping with our modern society.

Which watch is on your wishlist? I wear my late father’s Omega Constellation, so I can’t see that changing.

What do you think we should be making revolution about today? The internet and how we use it has a lot to answer for today. We seem to have developed a blame culture and often lack respect for each other, especially online.

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CONTRIBUTORS

ANNABEL DAVIDSON

What is your favourite gemstone?

I’m crazy about chalcedony, which is only a semi-precious stone but comes in the most heavenly lavender blue.

Which famous revolutionary would you like to have dinner with? I’d adore to chew the ear off Suzanne Belperron, the great 20th-century jeweller whose work still looks resolutely modern over 70 years later.

Which watch is on your wishlist? I’m not really a watch girl, but the new Code Coco genuinely gets me excited.

What do you think we should be making revolution about today? If the recent global weather events aren’t getting those in charge to take the environment seriously, we’re doomed. We need a revolt, not a revolution.

URSULA LAKE

For stockist information please visit

www.londonroadjewellery.com Telephone: 0844 8718454

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What is your favourite gemstone?

I love aquamarines for their gorgeous colour but, in an ideal world, I think they need a diamond or two alongside them.

Which famous revolutionary would you like to have dinner with? Pablo Picasso. I’m sure he was a lot of fun with plenty of tall stories and I think the wine would flow.

Which watch is on your wishlist? The Cartier Tank Française.

Ideally a vintage one on a leather strap, please.

What do you think we should be making revolution about today? I am an advocate for a global vegan revolution. We all need to cut down on our dairy and meat consumption. The impact on both our health and the environment is profound and something we can’t ignore.

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CO U N T RYA N DTOW N H O U S E .CO.U K

Jewellery & Watches EDITOR Avril Groom EDITOR IN CHIEF Lucy Cleland SUB EDITOR Anastasia Bernhardt LUXURY BRANDS DIRECTOR Maya Monro-Somerville RETAIL EDITOR Rosalyn Wikeley SALES EXECUTIVE Olivia Milligan CREATIVE DIRECTION & PRODUCTION Parm Bhamra ONLINE EDITOR Rebecca Cox DIGITAL ASSISTANT Clementina Jackson IT MANAGER Mark Pearson CREDIT CONTROLLER Penny Burles OPERATION AND ACCOUNTS MANAGER Millie Mountain

ACCOUNTS CONTROLLER Jane Todd FINANCE DIRECTOR Jill Newey PUBLISHER Julia Carrick MANAGING DIRECTOR Jeremy Isaac CONTRIBUTING EDITORS

Simon de Burton, Annabel Davidson, Joanna Hardy EDITORIAL editorial@countryandtownhouse.co.uk ADVERTISING advertising@countryandtownhouse.co.uk ACCOUNTS accounts@countryandtownhouse.co.uk SUBSCRIPTIONS subscribe@countryandtownhouse.co.uk COUNTRY & TOWN HOUSE JEWELLERY & WATCHES is an annual publication distributed with Country & Town House to AB homes in Barnes, Battersea, Bayswater, Belgravia, Brook Green, Chelsea, Chiswick, Clapham, Coombe, Fulham, Holland Park, Kensington, Knightsbridge, Marylebone, Mayfair, Notting Hill, Pimlico, South Kensington, Wandsworth and Wimbledon, as well as being available from leading country and London estate agents. It is also on sale at selected WHSmith, Waitrose and Sainsbury’s stores and independent newsagents nationwide. It has an estimated readership of 150,000.

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For subscription enquiries, please call 020 7384 9011 or email subscribe@ countryandtownhouse.co.uk. It is published by Country & Town House Ltd, Studio 2, Chelsea Gate Studios, 115 Harwood Road, London SW6 4QL (tel: 020 7384 9011).

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“When I judge art, I take my painting and put it next to a God made object like a tree or flower.

If it clashes, it is not art.”

Copyright © 2017 Country & Town House Ltd. All rights reserved. Reproduction in whole or in part without written permission is strictly prohibited. Materials are accepted on the understanding that no liability is incurred for safe custody. The publisher cannot be responsible for unsolicited material. All prices are correct at the time of going to press but are subject to change. Whilst every care is taken to ensure all information is correct at the time of going to press, it is subject to change, and Country & Town House Ltd. takes no responsibility for omissions or errors.

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Bespoke design, made with integrity.

Triptych Collection

enquiries@sw-jewellery.com +44 (0) 20 7490 0665

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C& TH JEWELLERY & WATCHES | Jewellery News Messika campaign – Gigi Hadid by Mert & Marcus and (below) Messika

by Gigi Hadid earrings

GOLD TIDINGS The latest luxury jewellery news. By Avril Groom and Annabel Davidson

SEEING RED

Mozambique is one of the newest sources of rubies (see Joanna Hardy’s feature on page 93), and Tiffany & Co is celebrating the fact by featuring the bright red stones across some of their most iconic pieces – the first time they’ve done so in over a decade. From vintage Schlumberger designs (one of the brand’s most celebrated designers) to contemporary Tiffany T pieces, we’re quite literally seeing red. tiffany.co.uk

MODEL DIAMONDS The first-ever ambassador for Messika is the perfect fit for the social girls’ favourite diamond brand. Model du jour Gigi Hadid was already a fan before Valérie Messika approached her to both collaborate on design and front a campaign shot by top photographic duo Mert and Marcus.

Messika by Gigi Hadid is derived from the classic Move rectangle, with the motif opened to resemble a stylised G but, cleverly, the diamond does not fall out. From £730. messika.com

Tiffany T smile necklace in 18kt white gold with rubies

BIGGER, BETTER CARTIER

WILLIAM AND SON HO!

Award-winning jeweller Sarah Ho now concentrates mainly on the private customer market for her intricate, often unique pieces. You will, however, find her style showcased at William & Son, where the second installment of a collaboration that began in 2014 is about to arrive. Ho has added to her first collection, which featured cocktail rings with a central stone flanked by a delicate, diamond-set, scrolled pattern taken from gun engravings in the house archives – it is also a noted gunmaker – a beautiful pendant with two stones and matching earrings.

From £5,570. williamandson.com

Sarah Ho gold cabochon citrine and diamond ring from the first collection and gold cabochon amethyst and diamond earrings from the second installment

The spectacular redevelopment and expansion of Harrods’ Fine Jewellery Rooms, opening before Christmas, will include a new, unique Cartier Room, which will be the biggest area of the Rooms. A changing display of unique high jewellery will be a permanent feature, kicking off with pieces displaying fabulous gems – pigeon’s blood ruby earrings, a necklace and ring with outsize emerald beads and abstract panther pavé earrings. harrods.com

PEARL ONE Yoko London creates some of the most spectacular pearl jewellery in the world, including very unusual coloured natural pearls such as lilac or moss green. Understandably, such rare, often unique items are very expensive and now the brand has a Knightsbridge showcase, it is showing that pearls can also be modern, everyday jewellery. First step is the Halo collection – simple gold items with one or two statement pearls and the occasional diamond.

From £850. yokolondon.com

Cartier ruby earrings at Harrods

WOODEN HEART Inspired by the wooden churches that designer Annoushka Ducas saw on childhood visits to her mother’s native Russia, and her mother’s wooden ring which she touched for luck, her new Touch Wood collection takes the idea and runs with it into the realms of diamond-scattered or carved milky aquamarine onion domes. But however grand, each piece contains a little sliver Annoushka 18kt gold, of ebony for that touch of luck. diamond and ebony Touch From £595. annoushka.com Wood ring

Yoko London Halo collection bracelet

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MASTERPIECE DIAMOND RINGS

STRATFORD-UPON-AVON 01789 267 072 WWW.PRAGNELL.CO.UK

BY APPOINTMENT AT: BERKELEY SQUARE, LONDON.

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C& TH JEWELLERY & WATCHES | Jewellery News

A DROP OF SCOTCH

150-year-old Scottish jewellers Hamilton & Inches’ new Dewdrop collection is a refined, relaxed take on a classic. Featuring brilliant-cut diamonds, the bracelets and necklaces feature from ten to 42 diamonds linked by fine gold chain. The jewellers are also celebrating the fact that they will be retailing the very first batch of refined Scottish Gold, which their master craftsman will have turned into jewellery in their Edinburgh workshops. hamiltonandinches.com

Nadine Aysoy’s delicate jewellery

Hamilton & Inches Dewdrop bracelet

COLOUR CHAMELEON Kiki McDonough is known for her love of colour, eschewing the usual stones for more interesting options. In her new Special Editions collection, a rainbow of hues comes via some lesser known but no less beautiful gemstones.

Watery green amethyst, dusty pink morganite and pale lemon quartz are just some of the gems featured across flamboyant cocktail rings, dramatic drop earrings and eyecatching pendants, all unique and not to be repeated. Pendant, £4,900. kiki.co.uk Kiki McDonough Spinel pavé pendant

Lion in white gold, diamonds, yellow diamond and emerald by José Maria Goñi

BRIGHT GEMS

September’s IJL is where the British jewellery industry goes to spot the best new names.

This year’s crop was global – eight Russian designers with ornate styles, flamboyant coloured stones from Chilean designer José Maria Goñi or Art Deco-style cufflinks in amber, jet and opal from Polish designer Beata Gregorczyk.

Awards are richly deserved – Bright Young Gems like Ishtar Liljefors, with her melted, moulded, Viking-influenced silver, or the more established Nadine Aysoy’s delicate work in gold, pearls, diamonds and bold, unusual stones. jewellerylondon.com

Zambia emerald and diamond kissing ring and Columbia emerald and milky quartz necklace, both Boghossian

Choose your words – George Pragnell bracelet

BOLD GOLD

THE ART OF IT

Perhaps influenced by the back-in-vogue mid-century gold jewellery that its vintage arm features, George Pragnell is introducing its own, modern version with a new take on personalisation. At first look it’s a chunky, almost geometric, smoothly linked chain bracelet in 18 carat gold but the links are in fact cunningly subtle letters. Choose your own words. £7,850 to order. pragnell.co.uk

PACKARD AND TOWN HOUSE More than a shop, almost a home – that’s the thinking behind Tessa Packard’s new town house showroom in Chelsea. Like others who have taken this route, it puts the fast-rising designer’s work into context, the setting geared to illustrate her own interests, such as taxidermy, and her tastes as she has chosen all the furnishings. Vitrines are placed at intervals, displaying Packard’s work with many inspirations, from planets to porcelain animal miniatures and her new collection based on gemstone facets, in enamelling as well as jewels. tessapackard.com

Tessa Packard Copy-cat ring in ruby and gold

Last month’s Paris Biennale cemented its reputation for showing art quality jewellery with five very individual designers. Glenn Spiro, under the monogram G, dug deep into ancient materials like Mesopotamian cornelian or Roman resin seals and set them to look utterly modern. Boghossian uses ancient techniques, inlaying one stone into another, but in modern settings, while Moussaieff showcases truly astonishing stones, not least a 180-carat sapphire.

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THE WOODLAND CHARM BRACELET

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C& TH JEWELLERY & WATCHES | Watch News

WATCH THIS SPACE Simon de Burton rounds up the watch world’s most timely news

WOMAN OF THE WORLD?

New portal Skolorr promotes more boutique watch brands

Patek Philippe has created a beautiful version of its legendary World Time watch especially for women. The 36mm diameter, white gold watch is set with 62 diamonds around the bezel and 27 more on the clasp of the soft blue alligator strap that matches the irresistible grey-blue of the hand-guilloché dial... it tones wonderfully with jeans.

Reference 7130G, £37,040. patek.com

Patek Philippe 7130G

HOW BOODIFUL

Launched 17 years ago, Boodles’ celebrated Raindance creations are said to have been inspired by ‘gleaming raindrops gliding down a marble sculpture at the Chelsea flower show’. And now the 220-year-old jeweller has slipped in a four-model women’s watch range to the Raindance collection, with each version featuring a raindrop design formed from high quality diamonds. They are on sale now and can be had in 24mm or 32mm sizes, in red or white gold and with a choice of blue aventurine or mother-of-pearl dials. Prices range from £22,500 to £32,500. And yes – they are water resistant. Ho ho! boodles.com

SKY’S THE LIMIT

Boodles Raindance watch

THEY’VE GOT WINGS Aviation watch maker Bremont will release a series of limited-edition chronographs this month to mark the forthcoming centenary of the RAF, which was officially formed on 1 April, 1918. Each ‘Bremont 1918’ will feature a propeller-shaped winding rotor incorporating a sliver of wood from a century-old RAF SE5A together with aluminium from Blenheim, Spitfire and Hurricane fighters. An edition of 275 examples of the watch will be made in steel and 75 each in white or rose gold. Part of the sale proceeds will be donated to the RAF Association. Chocks away! From £8,495 to £16,995. bremont.com

Bremont 1918

A new web-based platform called Skolorr aims to bring the arcane world of niche watch making into the limelight by promoting artisan and boutique brands which are often so small that they don’t have the time or resources to market themselves.

Founded by Sky Sit, an e-commerce expert who has worked in the watch business for a decade, the site launched in July with 20 brands including Manufacture Royale, Akrivia and Hautlence.

It combines sales with an online journal featuring new brands, interviews with artisan makers and advice on how to choose a watch from an independent brand. skolorr.com

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PRECISELY YOUR MOMENT DS PODIUM LADY AUTOMATIC MOVEMENT WWW.CERTINA.COM

Beaverbrooks - Ernest Jones - Jura Watches - WatchShop - www.certina.com/store-locator

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C& TH JEWELLERY & WATCHES | Watch News

A NICE SET OF BRISTOLS

Only Watch auction takes place on 9 November

Aviator – like Bremont, another aircraft-inspired watch brand, recently launched in the UK – has released a new, 45mm steel model which pays homage to the Bristol Scout biplane that operated during the first half of WWI. The watch honours the efforts of the two grandsons of Scout pilot Flight Lieutenant Bunnie Bremner, who found parts of the faithful plane that he flew tucked away in a garden shed following his death. They used the bits as the starting point of a decade-long, £100,000 restoration of serial number 1264, which they completed last year.

Aviator The Aviator Bristol Scout watch Bristol Scout can be bought in matt or polished steel, or with a blackened or bronze coating. It features a Sellita automatic movement. £895–£995. aviatorwatch.ch

ANYTIME AT TIFFANY’S

The first women’s watch from Tiffany since they took timepiece design in house is just what the brand needs. Made in Switzerland with both quartz or, for purists, an automatic movement, the Metro looks the business watchwise and alludes to Tiffany’s jewellery heritage.

It is made distinctive and feminine with asymmetrical, curved lugs reflected in the sinuous bracelet design, a pretty, guilloché dial and diamonds – one with a unique serial number on the crown and hour markers that mix brilliants with baguettes. Two sizes, steel or gold, wide choice of dial and strap colours, from £3,700. tiffany.co.uk

ONLY €25 MILLION

Tiffany Metro

QUICKLY DISPATCHED Belstaff – famous maker of kit for motorcycling – has added a wristwatch to its burgeoning line of accessories. The new Rider’s Field watch was penned by top British designer Nick Munro after he saw one of the rugged, ankle-length leather coats worn by motorbike messengers during the world wars. The £295 watch can be had with a black, white, blue or ivory dial and is supplied on a hand-waxed, black or brown leather strap inspired by the heavily patinated coat. Limited to 500 examples, each one comes in an oilcloth roll based on a motorcycle tool pouch and fitted with a metal edition plaque. belstaff.com

Belstaff Rider’s Field watch

Lots donated for this year’s Only Watch charity auction have embarked on a ten-stop world tour before being sold

by Christie’s in Geneva on 11 November. A total of 49 brands – including Audemars Piguet, Chopard, Patek Philippe and Zenith – have provided special or oneoff pieces for the seventh edition of the biennial event, which has raised more than €25m towards research into Duchenne muscular dystrophy.

Only Watch was founded by former Monaco yacht show CEO Luc Pettavino after his son was diagnosed with the rare illness. onlywatch.com

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C& TH JEWELLERY & WATCHES | Shopping

RAINBOW NATION Gems of technicoloured dreams

Missoni

1 KIKI MCDONOUGH Beryl special edition necklace, £21,000. kiki.co.uk 2 MING JEWELLERY Lapis Pool ring, POA. mingjewellery.com 3 LOQUET Rainbow stud, £290. loquetlondon.com 4 JAMES GANH Tiara bangle, £28,000. jamesganh.com 5 SOLANGE AZAGURY-PARTRIDGE Tri-Di ring, POA. solange.co.uk 6 LEYLA ABDOLLAHI Chain ring, £9,000. plukka.com 7 NIQUESA Dahlia earrings, POA. niquesa.com 8 PIPPA SMALL Earrings, £3,500. pippasmall.com 9 MARCO BICEGO Jaipur Sunset bracelet, £21,610. harveynichols.com 10 GFG JEWELLERY Ring, £1,250. gfgjewellery.com 11 MAVIADA Cavallo Cascade midi earrings, £1,200. maviada.co.uk 12 SAMMIE JO COXON Stellar ring, £3,100. sammiejocoxon.com 13 PHILIPPE PFEIFFER Ocean Garden bracelet, £1,500. philippepfeiffer.com 14 ROBINSON PELHAM Totem earrings, £5,990. robinsonpelham.com

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C& TH JEWELLERY & WATCHES | Shopping

RUSSIAN TWIST Pieces with imperial flair

Gaultier

1 ANNOUSHKA Touch Wood ring, £9,800. annoushka.com 2 BENTLEY & SKINNER Kokoshnik diamond tiara, POA. bentley-skinner.co.uk 3 CASSANDRA GOAD Iguminov gold bracelet, £1,885. cassandragoad.com 4 BOUCHERON Hiver Imperial collection Caviar ring, POA. boucheron.com 5 FABERGÉ Imperatrice tassel earrings, £14,545. faberge.com 6 HOUSE OF GARRARD Enchanted Palace collection necklace with detachable brooch, POA. garrard.com 7 YANA Tassel ring, POA. yana.fr 8 ILGIZ FAZULZYANOV Dragonfly earrings, £38,300. annoushka.com 9 ROBERTO COIN Double flower rings, from £3,215. robertocoin.com 10 LILY GABRIELLA Czarina double finger ring, £5,500. lilygabriella.com 11 MARCO BICEGO Masai collection earrings, £7,270. marcobicego.com 12 NADINE AYSOY Tsarina fire flake earrings, £9,840. nadineaysoy.com 13 RODRIGO OTAZU Necklace, £510. rodrigootazu.com

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C& TH JEWELLERY & WATCHES | Shopping

INTERGALACTIC ADVENTURE Pieces that are out of this world

Dior

1 ADLER Interstellar ring, POA. adler.ch 2 AMRAPALI Bracelet, £7,971. 020 7584 4433 3 AUTORE Spiral Galaxy ring, £9,920. autorepearls.com.au 4 CASSANDRA GOAD Severine moonstone ring, £3,990. cassandragoad.com 5 CHUPI Your North Star ring, €289. chupi.com 6 DELFINA DELETTREZ Seal double hoop earring, £3,045. doverstreetmarket.com 7 LAPPONIA Planetoid Valleys necklace, £2,030. lapponia.com 8 MARIA TASH Diamond Lighting Bolt threaded stud, from £228. liberty.co.uk 9 RALIEGH GOSS Astraeus limited edition cuff, £41,290. ralieghgoss.com 10 JESSIE V E Constellation earrings, £1,850. jessieve.com 11 THEO FENNELL Celestial Night opening ring, £15,950. theofennell.com 12 LONDON ROAD JEWELLERY Starry night earrings, £250. londonroadjewellery.com 13 CALLEIJA Amaya cuff, £23,180. calleija.com 14 JESSICA DE LOTZ Zodiac necklace, from £279. jdljewellery.co.uk 15 ASTLEY CLARKE Mini Saturn pendant, £495. astleyclarke.com

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BROKEN RULES Jewels that don’t conform to sexual stereotypes Burberry

1 AMBUSH Charm bracelet, £1,085. doverstreetmarket.com 2 ARA VARTANIAN Shark ring, £2,400. aravartanian.com 3 EKRIA Arm cuff, £517. wolfandbadger.com 4 APRIATI Mix bracelet, £3,270. apriati.com 5 ELIZABETH GAGE Leo band ring, £4,560. elizabeth-gage.com 6 FABERGÉ Sapphire blue enamel cufflinks, £4,090. faberge.com 7 HANNAH MARTIN Vincent’s Empty Medallion, edition of 45, £7,750. hannahmartinlondon.com 8 MESSIKA Move Titanium necklace, £690. harrods.com 9 STEPHEN WEBSTER England Made Me Switchblade pendant, £4,500. stephenwebster.com 10 TIFFANY City HardWear link bracelet, £5,600. tiffany.co.uk 11 SHAMBALLA JEWELS Braided bracelet, £26,900. shamballajewels.com 12 ROBINSON PELHAM Evoke cufflinks, £290. robinsonpelham.com 13 MINAS Bracelet, £290. minastudio.com 14 TATEOSSIAN Bracelet, £155. tateossian.com 15 CAROLINA BUCCI Blade ring, £1,500. carolinabucci.com

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Magnipheasant Collection

stephenwebster.com

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C& TH JEWELLERY & WATCHES | Shopping

A STRAP ON THE WRIST Watches are getting more radical in their bracelet choice. Which piques your fancy?

1 BACKES & STRAUSS Lady Victoria sapphire, POA. backesandstrauss.com 2 HARRY WINSTON Emerald timepiece, POA. harrywinston.com 3 LONGINES Legend Diver with Milanese strap, £1,640. longines.com 4 PATEK PHILIPPE 5072R Aquanaut, £63,380. mappinandwebb.com 5 BLANCPAIN Date Moonphase with interchangeable straps, £12,100. blancpain.com 6 BULGARI Serpenti Twist Time watch, £6,350. bulgari.com 7 CHANEL Boy.Friend tweed, £31,500. chanel.com 8 GUCCI Le Marché des Merveilles watch, £590. gucci.com 9 HUBLOT Big Bang One 39mm, £12,100; cuddly cuff, £1,100. hublot.com 10 MAPPIN AND WEBB Campaign watch in stainless steel, £950. mappinandwebb.com 11 TIFFANY East West watch, £6,500. tiffany.co.uk 12 ZENITH Pilot Type 20 Extra Special in aged steel, £4,900. zenith-watches.com

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PRICE SENSITIVE A handsome watch doesn’t have to cost the earth. These beauties all come in at, or under, £3,000

1 BELL & ROSS BRV2-92, £2,450. bellross.com 2 CARTIER Ronde Solo de Cartier, £2,610. cartier.co.uk 3 DIOR La Mini D de Dior, £3,000. dior.com 4 FARER GMT Automatic, £1,175. farer.com 5 HERMÈS Nantucket, £1,850. hermes.com 6 TUDOR Black Bay Bronze, £2,730. tudorwatch.com 7 ORIS Atelier Grande Lune, £1,750. oris.ch 8 LONGINES Symphonette, £2,800. longines.com 9 NOMOS GLASHÜTTE Aqua Club neomatik, £2,350. nomos-store.com 10 HAMILTON Broadway day date quartz, £460. hamiltonwatch.com 11 BULOVA Rubaiyat, £659. bulova.com 12 TAG HEUER Monaco, £1,800. tagheuer.com

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MAIN PHOTO BY DAN KENNEDY; STYLING BY NICOLE SMALLWOOD; MAKEUP BY LISA VALENCIA @ CAROL HAYES USING CHANEL; HAIR BY LOUIS BYRNE @ LONDON STYLE AGENCY; MODEL: ELFY SCOTT @ THE SQUAD

The Code Coco watch pays homage to Chanel’s 2.55 handbag with its chunky clasp and quilted motif. Black and white jacket by Chanel

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The Jewellery Revolution | C& TH JEWELLERY & WATCHES

RIPPING UP THE RULE BOOK Coco Chanel was a true fashion revolutionary, and the maison’s latest watch and jewellery collections are no different. Annabel Davidson reports

MAIN PHOTO BY DAN KENNEDY; STYLING BY NICOLE SMALLWOOD; MAKEUP BY LISA VALENCIA @ CAROL HAYES USING CHANEL; HAIR BY LOUIS BYRNE @ LONDON STYLE AGENCY; MODEL: ELFY SCOTT @ THE SQUAD

‘W

e’re not expecting everyone to like it,’ says Frédéric Grangié of Chanel’s new fine jewellery and watches launches, Gallery Collection.

‘It’s not that sort of range.’ That’s quite the statement from the French luxury house’s Head of Watches and Jewellery but, then again, it’s entirely what you would expect – a devil-may-care attitude to launching potentially polarising collections, particularly in the watch and jewellery category.

Coco Chanel was always a fashion revolutionary, whether she was enticing women to ditch corsets and stays for trousers and jersey, popularising the suntan, or making the colour black fashionable outside of funerals and widows’ wardrobes. But she was also a revolutionary in terms of jewellery.

Where before costume jewels were for those who couldn’t afford the real thing, Chanel made multiple strands of faux pearls and glass gemstones fashionable for even her wealthiest clients, who would mix them with a smattering of the expensive stuff. In fact, her 1932 collection of diamond jewels was the first and only ‘high jewellery’ range she designed, featuring platinum-set comets, enormous starbursts, bow-ties and fringed hair pieces, all in white diamonds. Rife with house codes (the stars, the ribbons, the comets) and flamboyantly displayed on wax busts for all to see (as opposed to in the traditional boxes), it was, typically, a sensation.

Fitting, then, that the latest high FROM TOP RIGHT: Sailor Tattoo bracelet, Golden Braid earrings, bracelet and ring and Sailor Tattoo rings, all from the Flying Cloud collection by Chanel High Jewellery

jewellery collection from Chanel, Flying Cloud, should be not just historically apt, with plenty of recurring motifs for Chanel enthusiasts to spot, but also highly designed. For while Grangié is happy to give me the scantest details about the new fine jewellery Gallery Collection during our interview, we’re here to talk about high jewels. ‘It’s not just big stones,’ says Grangié in the garden of La Pausa, the only house Chanel built herself, high above the Med in Roquebrune-Cap-Martin in the South of France. The house has recently been bought back – and Autumn/Winter 2017 | COUNTRYANDTOWNHOUSE.CO.UK | 55

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FROM LEFT: Sapphire Stripes earrings, watch and bracelet from the Flying Cloud collection; My Green necklace, My Green ring, My Golden Link earring and My Green bracelet, all from the Gallery Collection by Chanel Fine Jewellery

brought back to its original state – by Chanel, and it is here that the new collection was previewed to the press this summer. ‘Yes we have some big, important stones in the collection,’ Grangié continues. ‘But it’s also about design, and showing that real design is just as crucial as the materials used.’

Named for the boat owned by Chanel’s lover, the Duke of Westminster, the Flying Cloud is an ode to sailing, with that particular Chanel flair – Breton stripes decked out in rows of sapphires and diamonds, strands of pearls dangling from tiny life buoys made from semi-precious lapis lazuli and white gold, sailors’ tattoos curving around fingers as rings, and naval buttons and braid rendered in gold and diamonds. It’s as crisp and nautical as precious rocks and metal can be. Most of the pieces are one-offs, and won’t be seen again once they’ve been whisked off to their new homes around the world, but a few will be repeated, and perhaps even seen to influence future collections, if we’re lucky.

But onto the next collection, Gallery, and Grangié’s admittance that it’s not for everyone. What he means, of course, is that the new collection isn’t necessarily one for the masses, with its striking, geometric lines and boldness of scale. This isn’t flimsy jewellery to decorate oneself with unobtrusively – it’s dramatic, high-octane

stuff with a heady whiff of 1980s power player about it, a dash of Art Deco and a little 20th-century savoir faire.

It’s also quite unlike what we’re used to from Chanel’s fine jewellery category, which is often focused on the immensely wearable – think tiny diamonds and ladylike yellow gold, dainty enough to suit everyone, and leaning more towards classic than edgy.

Recent examples have seen finely diamond-encrusted Chanel motifs like stars, camellias, feathers and ribbons sprinkled across classic styles, be it a slender bracelet or a sweetly diminutive pair of drop earrings. But then the storied maison surprises every now and then with a collection with a totally different vibe, like the recent Coco Crush range with its matelassé or quilted fabric motif, all heavy yellow and white gold.

The Gallery Collection is another beast entirely.

Taking, as always, inspiration from house codes, this particular range focuses its gaze on two of them in particular – the chain of the 2.55 handbag and the octagonal shape of Place Vendôme. Chanel

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aficionados will recognise the eightsided shape as the same one that sits atop each bottle of Chanel No 5 perfume, in tribute to the Parisian square where Coco Chanel had rooms at the Ritz hotel, and where the Chanel watch and jewellery boutique is now situated. But in the Gallery Collection, the octagon becomes a heavy chunk of metal or gemstone, with an enhanced, 3D heft and faceted angles mimicking those of cut gemstones.

Take the My Green ring, for example. Featuring a large 1.87 carat tourmaline, emerald-cut in a way that closely mimics that ever-important octagon, the central stone is set in diamond-encrusted yellow gold, surrounded on three sides by flat planes of forest-green malachite. The fact that there are octagons within octagons within octagons here doesn’t really matter – decoding that isn’t as important as the final result, which is a gleaming chunk of a cocktail ring with seriously precious elements.

Yes, it pays tribute to the costume jewels Chanel is famed for (the huge cuffs, the bold colours usually achieved with foilbacked glass), but this is fine jewellery – that category that sits between fashion jewellery (think faux, but contemporarily so) and high jewellery (insanely valuable, one-of-a-kind pieces accessible only to the seriously wealthy.)

What’s interesting about this particular collection – which is to be an ephemeral one with new designs presented every two years – is that it’s a relatively small range for quite a radical look. Just 12 pieces, neatly divided into four categories; the aforementioned My Green in tourmaline and malachite, My Red with bold red ceramic planes, My Golden Link in yellow gold and diamonds, and My Chain featuring rutilated quartz. This last stone is a fascinating variety of quartz featuring tiny hair-like crystals, in a golden hue which has a spun-sugar quality about it.

In the My Chain bracelet, a large 12.5-carat emerald-cut quartz (that octagon again) is juxtaposed with a diamondstudded gold frame in the same shape, all sitting on a triplechain bracelet mimicking that of the 2.55 handbag’s.

It’s a complex, intricately designed piece that could hold its own against any of the house’s High Jewellery designs, without the use of majorly valuable stones. It’s also streetwise without pandering to trends – the retro feel puts paid to that, and although there is a single, lobeclimbing earring in the collection that is of a very ‘now’ style, on the whole it feels entirely original.

And this is what Chanel does so well – staying relevant despite so many new launches, constantly reinventing itself yet never abandoning its roots, finding inspiration from its archives without being repetitive, and even coming up with entirely new things in a saturated market. Cue the third major launch from Chanel this year, Code Coco, a watch that also pays tribute to the 2.55 handbag, only this time its chunky clasp and quilted motif. The new watch comes just as Chanel celebrates 30 years in watch making, and while it has an unmistakable Chanel look, it has some really unique new design elements.

‘It’s like a bracelet that tells the time,’ is all that Grangié would reveal when we spoke, but since then the watch has been unveiled, and it’s quite something. At first glance it’s a chunky steel bracelet, its surface quilted like the iconic handbag, yet sharply so, as opposed to the puffy-looking quilts of the Coco Crush range. Look closer, and the bracelet is a watch that closes just like the bag, with a sturdy click, a space at one end of the bracelet fitting snugly over the face of the watch. The black dial is either framed with a diamond-set bezel or a minimalist steel one, while the clasp twists to conceal or reveal the tiny hands on the dial’s face. It’s feminine, resolutely modern and quite revolutionary – just like the woman who started it all. n

CLOCKWISE FROM TOP: My Chain necklace, My Chain ring, My Red ring and My Chain bracelet, all from the Gallery Collection

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CAVALLO LONG 18ct solid gold drops, freshwater baroque pearl

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High jewellery launches used to be big media events but not anymore. Now the clients are rulers of their own very private world. Avril Groom investigates

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BEHIND CLOSED DOORS

n an unseasonably sweltering New York evening in late spring, people stopped to look as several armoured vehicles drew up on Fifth Avenue. No celebrities or despots emerged, just men with strongboxes hurrying into jeweller Harry Winston’s temporary store. They had come all of 200 yards, from Winston’s HQ and workshop, currently under refurbishment, but such security was necessary because of the undisclosed millions of dollars’ value of their cargo, including the 101.73-carat Legacy diamond, bought for $26.7m by the brand four years ago under its then-new Swatch Group ownership.

The private showing of the 22-piece Legacy collection was not even for the benefit of the super-rich and/or famous, but for a scattering of the world’s press, who were mostly sworn to secrecy about it until the jewels had toured potential clients in its major markets, while top customers had been invited to see it in New York before the press clapped eyes on it. Not long ago it might have been very different, with a well-publicised client launch and press following on, and it is all the more surprising as this is the first major high jewellery collection under the ownership of Swatch and its chairman Nayla Hayek, who is also Winston’s CEO. An extraordinary collection it is too, each piece containing at least one super-sized, pear-shaped diamond (eight carats plus) that the brand feels bears comparison

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with the Legacy, widely considered to be one of the most perfect DIF diamonds ever, in terms of clarity and proportion. The diamonds set with each stone – in the classic Winston ‘cluster’ cuts of pear, brilliant and marquise – would be notable in any other context but are dwarfed here. Most of the pieces are necklaces – the classic way to show off a major pear shape – but each is surprisingly different, designed by the Winston studio to set off the individual stone at its heart.

Some are classically beautiful, with even, intricate arrangements sale, we wanted a way to share of diamonds on either side, the magnificent qualities and leading the eye to the centre aspects of the diamond with stone. Others are more laidback, our audiences around the even playful – an asymmetric, world and decided to create almost lace-like effect of a collection that embodied brilliants on one side, graduated these traits – pieces with all marquises and pears on the D-coloured internally flawless other, or angle-set pears and diamond centre stones.’ brilliants looping around the Making the collection was central pear, or the main stone FROM TOP RIGHT: Harry Winston’s Legacy collection centres on large pear-shaped understandably a slow process. nonchalantly suspended from one diamonds; Legacy diamond; the wave ‘Sourcing diamonds of this side while the other snakes around form of this Legacy necklace is one of the hardest to make; creating quality and calibre is not an easy it. There are also rings, some in classic a Legacy piece feat. Perfect, pear-shaped drops with cluster mode, others with the stone tip impeccable character are incredibly up like a diadem, and earrings. hard to come by. It is not just about the The collection was inspired directly by the colour and clarity of the stones, but their Legacy diamond, according to Nayla Hayek. proportions as well,’ says Hayek. ‘Overall, it took ‘Important diamonds and gemstones have always nearly two years to obtain all of the diamonds.’ been fundamental to the history of the house. Since Even with today’s growing total of billionaires, the acquiring Harry Winston, our goal has been to preserve number of potential clients for such pieces is small and what makes the brand so special. Harry Winston was known must be carefully targeted. ‘It is not that we wanted as the ‘King of Diamonds’, so when a perfect stone such as to launch the collection in a private way – but due the Legacy was brought to our attention, we instantly knew to the nature of the pieces we wanted to make the launch that this diamond was destined to be part of the brand’s feel special and to initially unveil it to a more intimate story,’ she says. ‘As the Winston Legacy Diamond is not for audience,’ says Hayek. ‘Over the next year though, the collection will travel to select salons for special events and private appointments.’ For its stately progress through certain Far Eastern and European cities, including London, any pieces under negotiation are removed. They can always be reinstated if a sale falls through. At a time when jewellery is giving a better return than more traditional vehicles for investment, that may not be a problem but for any items that hang fire, a little carefully managed press can make the difference.

Harry Winston may not have intended an overly private launch but some brands increasingly do. Cartier launched its 60-piece Résonances de Cartier collection in London over the summer and at first planned on no press coverage while planning to launch part two of the collection to the press in New York late this year. That changed, especially in relation to an evening when London’s social media glitterati – rather than clients – were invited. But, for two weeks, a host of the house’s top clients came and went anonymously through the picturesque back garden of the Reform Club to gaze at the stunning new pieces which are a clever mix Autumn/Winter 2017 | COUNTRYANDTOWNHOUSE.CO.UK | 61

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FAR RIGHT: Cartier Carbonado ring RIGHT: Van Cleef & Arpels Le Secret collection BELOW: Necklace from Bulgari’s Festa collection

of mould-breaking design and others based on truly special stones, some antique.

There were also pieces from previous high jewellery collections, jewellery watches and vintage items that the house has restored – with over 300 pieces it was one of the largest exhibitions they have mounted.

At the press launch of Louis Vuitton’s new high jewellery in Paris – a mix of Art Deco design inspiration and notably unusual main stones – some pieces were not on show as their new owners did not want any publicity. At Chanel’s launch on the Riviera (see page 54) security men stepped in politely to prevent photography of certain pieces.

Both Van Cleef and Arpels’ launch for Le Secret – a wide-ranging collection with hidden unexpected twists to every piece – and Bulgari’s colourful and playful Festa collection were peppered with ‘sold’ symbols, the items displayed with the owners’ blessing, while others had withheld permission for pieces to be shown. Bulgari held a lavish Venetian party for global press – a few years ago it used to mix in clients at its festivities.

So why are top jewellery clients suddenly so shy abut their purchases? The easy answer is security – Harry Winston himself, who often carried large diamonds in his pocket, never allowed himself to be photographed.

Now, after several high-profile jewellery thefts from individuals, people are worried for their own safety and that of their jewels, preferring them not to be identified by being

featured in magazine articles or online, even though the owner’s name is not revealed.

And although one might assume that the super-rich have impeccable security as a matter of course, last year’s highway robbery from two Saudi Arabian princesses travelling by car in France shows that even the highest can be vulnerable. Another factor is competition. Clients are notoriously keen to be first to see new pieces and stones, and often demand that houses show large numbers of items to no-one else until they have seen them, even though there is no guarantee they will buy.

This can be awkward for the brands – one jeweller told me that their top salespeople, who build up good relations with certain clients, can be even more competitive on their behalf and have to tread a fine line between client and employer. There is also the vexed question of client behaviour that they, and the brands, might prefer the press did not see. Tales abound, at jewellery launches around the Mediterranean, of clients demanding that trays of jewellery be shown in the privacy of their yacht, rather than them being seen coming to a shore location.

One Cartier client is said to have demanded to be taken to the recent exhibition in a horse-drawn carriage.

That could be regarded either as entering into the spirit of historic London, or as folie de grandeur, but today’s high jewellery client obviously views discretion rather differently from previous generations. And as long as they hold the purse strings, the jewellery houses must pander to them, even if that means exquisite examples of design and the best stones being seen by ever fewer eyes. n

PHTOSO: VAN CLEEF & ARPELS – PHOTO BY SONIA SIEFF

After several high profile jewellery thefts from individuals, people are worried for their own safety and that of their jewels, preferring them not to be identified by being in a magazine

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A new wave of bright young designers is shaking up the jewellery market using social media as much as their social connections, says Francesca Fearon Autumn/Winter 2017 | COUNTRYANDTOWNHOUSE.CO.UK | 65

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ne of last summer’s most glamorous parties was the joint celebration of landmark birthdays for Crown Prince Pavlos of Greece and his daughter Princess Olympia. Held at a grand country pile in the Cotswolds festooned with balloons, flowers and sculptures, the 5021 Revolutionthemed party invited guests to ‘revolutionise your black tie’, which they did with aplomb.

Instagram posts were filled with evocative images of European royalty, designers and society beauties including the Hiltons, Gettys and Niarchoses in gorgeous dresses, glittering headpieces and beautiful jewels. This was a magical evening to remember and it will be, through the power of social media.

Among the bright young things posting photographs of the night were Eugenie Niarchos and Sabine Getty, both rising stars in the world of precious gems. An epic party is the perfect occasion to display jewellery, and an atmospheric image is a useful way of supporting a young jewellery brand. ‘It’s part of telling the story,’ explains Eugenie Niarchos, granddaughter of shipping billionaire Stavros Niarchos, who launched her jewellery brand Venyx in 2013.

‘I’m hesitant about putting that element of my lifestyle on Instagram, but I find that a still-life of a jewel receives fewer “likes” than if it is worn.’

Sabine Getty, who debuted her eponymous line shortly after graduating from the Gemological Institute of America in New York in 2012, sees social media as ‘aspirational and relatable. It taps into an emotion. It’s their [her 53,000-plus followers] perception of my life that they like’. Using social media for brand promotion is a balancing act.

‘Eugenie and I talk about this all the time,’ says Noor Fares, another talented designer in the same, socially

FROM TOP RIGHT: Venyx Kaleidoscopic Tiger ray ring; Venyx Theiya Obscura pendant; Eugenie Niarchos, who founded Venyx in 2013; Sabine Getty launched her eponymous line in 2012; Sabine Getty Green Topaz Ziggy necklace; Sabine Getty Baby Memphis ring

mobile group. ‘Visual media can be a great tool, but an image of a product or inspirational painting will not get so many “likes” as a photograph of you with the jewellery, because unfortunately that is the way the world functions.’

The designers are all cautious about how social media can present a skewed vision of their reality. ‘If you post pictures that make life seem like one long holiday that’s counter-productive when people are putting so much work and energy into it [their jewellery brands],’ says Fares, who, far from partying, spent two years from 2012 doing a masters in design at Central Saint Martins alongside running her business.

These fledgling jewellery brands are not the sparkly playthings of privileged young ladies but serious businesses that have attracted key retailers and a slew of private clients. Browns and Harrods picked up Fares’s first collection and her subsequent talismanic creations are now available at Saks and Bergdorf Goodman in New York, Maxfield in Los 25 4 Angeles. Dover Street Market in London and on Net-a-Porter. Browns snapped up Sabine Getty’s renaissance and modernist collections, which have been spotted on Rihanna, Emma Watson and Charlize Theron. Eugenie Niarchos’s first collection was a black gold and rose cut diamond collaboration 12 years ago with childhood friend Gaia Repossi of the famous French jewellery house, who was revamping her family brand for a younger audience.

The 19-year-old Eugenie was so captivated by the experience that she completed a GIA course, did an internship at Christie’s in New York and then launched Venyx. Her designs range from fantastical to organic-

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The Social Revolution | C& TH JEWELLERY & WATCHES

looking creations that draw inspiration from nature and sci-fi, with themes ranging from reptiles and the ocean to mythology (which taps into her Greek heritage). ’I loved writing stories as a child and now I do this with jewellery.’ Dover Street Market and Montaigne Market in Paris were her first stockists.

When business is slow in the summer, the savvy Eugenie and her chum Noor head to the Mediterranean to open seasonal pop-up shops where potential clients are holidaying.

All these young women benefitted from a childhood in families who enjoyed jewellery.

Sabine Ghanem, who married Joseph Getty in Rome two years ago, is the daughter of an Egyptian interior designer and a Lebanese financier. She recalls her mother in the 1980s wearing Cartier and Bulgari gems. ‘She has a very good eye and wore it to complete her outfit. For her and her friends, jewellery was their fantasy and, oh, the glamour... my god, I love glamour. It was my first step to loving jewellery.’

Lily Gabriella Elia, another of the young designers, launched her eponymous range in 2010. She had studied fine art and then took the GIA course before working at Christie’s in Geneva appraising jewellery, followed by a spell at Lanvin with Alber Elbaz. However, as the granddaughter of Lily Safra, whose jewellery collection is legendary, she was around the finest gems from childhood. Her Brazilian-born grandmother is a renowned philanthropist and auctioned some FROM TOP RIGHT: Lily Gabriella Ouh Lala black gold, rubies ear climber; Lily Gabriella Elia launched her range in 2010; Noor Fares, whose first collection was picked up

by Browns and Harrods; Noor Fares opal ring; Noor Fares Akasha Sri Yantra choker

of her famous gems for charity in 2012, raising $3m, so Lily Elia has a developed eye for quality and value. ‘My grandparents and parents never told us we couldn’t touch this. Whenever my mother and grandmother were dressing for events I was always watching them. I would see these shining jewels and naturally wanted to touch them.’

Temptation was the same for Lucrezia Buccellati, the fourth-generation jewellery designer, and first female designer in the family business, founded by her great-grandfather Mario Buccellati, a master goldsmith, in Milan in 1919. The young designer shared a very close relationship with her grandfather Gianmaria, and he or her father would collect her after school and take her to the office. ‘I remember the huge safe and lots of little boxes full of gems and looking through them and the jewellery that was being made, and being told by my father to stop playing with the stones because I would make a mess,’ she says. ‘He would get mad at me, but as a kid, they were fascinating.’

163 Like Lily Elia, Lucrezia grew up surrounded by beautiful jewels and so it felt inevitable after her studies that she would join her father and learn to interpret the Buccellati style for a new generation of customers, although the house is now majorityowned by Chinese investors. Lucrezia designs the Blossom silver collection and the Romanza range of honeycomb gold and diamond wedding rings, which was introduced when she married art collector David Wildenstein. They now have two small children.

She shares design with her father on the Opera collection and some high jewellery pieces, but living in New York means a lot of conversations over Skype and she makes a trip to Milan every three months to work with her father. ‘He has the experience, the

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C& TH JEWELLERY & WATCHES | The Social Revolution

FROM LEFT: Buccellati Blossoms Daisy silver cuff and earrings; Lucrezia Buccellati, a fourth generation jewellery designer; Dalia Daou; Daou Jewellery Phoenix ear climbers

knowledge and the craftsmanship, while I am just starting. We are both stubborn, but discussion brings the best work out of us.’

Along with Fares, Getty and Elia, Dalia Daou is another of the young Lebanese diaspora, and has a family heritage in jewellery. Her grandfather Georges Daou founded the business in Beirut in the 1930s, but died young. It was revived in the 1960s and ’70s by her father, attracting stars like Brigitte Bardot and Princess Grace of Monaco, and a royal warrant from the King of Jordan, but the establishment was destroyed during war in Lebanon. The family moved to London, where her father headed another jewellery brand, but in 2015 Dalia revived the name with her colourful, contemporary, light-refracting RIGHT & designs, having previously worked in BELOW: Jessica McCormack; finance before going to design college.

Jessica McCormack Chi Chi four-row ‘My father thought I was a little necklace bold to start a brand straightaway, but I wanted to prove I could do this on my own,’ says Daou. ‘I wanted to establish my own distinct look and then, when I won New Designer of the Year at the Jewellery Awards, I turned to the family heritage and launched Phoenix, which is based on one of the Daou heritage designs.’

Despite Lily Elia’s family wealth – her mother’s family have been in banking since the Ottoman Empire – she shares that same hardworking commitment to her brand. ‘I don’t want to look back at my life when I am 80 and wonder what I have achieved.

There is a sense of legacy that keeps me going and I have a responsibility to do something,’ she says. She was encouraged to become a designer by her mentor and family

friend the acclaimed jeweller JAR (Joel Arthur Rosenthal), who spotted her talent and urged her to pursue her dream. Her designs, made by artisans and goldsmiths in Italy, are inspired by both her Lebanese and Brazilian roots, such as the Spira group of rings and cuffs that look primeval but, at the same time, reminiscent of a Frank Gehry building.

These women, however, are not the first wellconnected revolutionaries to launch independent jewellery lines. Solange Azagury-Partridge opened her first shop in 1995 and worked as designer at Boucheron in the early 2000s before dedicating herself to her growing business.

In Paris, Marie Hélène de Taillac launched her exotic technicolour jewels in 1996 and, like Noor Fares, produces her jewellery in Jaipur. Gaia Repossi revived her family business and New Zealander Jessica McCormack established an elegant townhouse in Mayfair to showcase her contemporary jewellery.

Like their forerunners, these fledgling jewellers have ambitions: Lily Elia and Noor Fares aspire to design high jewellery. Intriguingly, Sabine Getty is planning on going in the other direction, so alongside her playful, gemstudded pieces, currently based on the graphic creations of the 1980s Italian 114 Memphis Movement, she is launching a Baby Memphis collection. Lowerpriced and simpler, with fewer diamonds, it will be available from Nordstrom stores in the US this autumn. ’I will keep designing highend jewellery, but people also want to buy jewellery to wear everyday – and not worry abut losing it.’

Having caught the moment, and with the growing appetite of the digital generation for beguiling jewels, it will be fascinating to watch these social jewellery revolutionaries strengthen their foothold in an increasingly competitive scene. Their heritage and work ethic are strong secret weapons. n

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DELUXE BRAND

LONDON 168 WALTON ST, CHELSEA, LONDON SW3 2JL ATHENS | MYKONOS | SPETSES | PARIS | NEW YORK SHOP ONLINE | WWW.APRIATI.COM

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A GLITTERING JOURNEY

Diamonds are proverbially transportable in the upheavals of revolution. But travel is a big part of every diamond’s life, as Avril Groom finds out

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s Coco Chanel once said about diamonds, ‘They represent the greatest worth in the smallest volume’. In other words, portable wealth. There are many stories of jewels being spirited away from war-torn countries in petticoats or corsets and, a hundred years on from the Russian Revolution – after which a number of such items made it to the West – a little portion of diamonds’ value is still down to the niggling thought of their use in troubled times.

So diamonds have always been associated with epic journeys, not least the one from deep in the earth and billions of years ago, to the surface, to be scooped up from alluvial deposits by wonderstruck individuals or mined in huge, open pits. So rare, so amazing when transformed by the cutters’ and polishers’ skills from a dull crystal into glittering glory – no wonder that they were reserved for kings to wear, were thought to hold magical powers of protection and have always cost – well – a king’s ransom.

Part of that cost comes from the hidden journey that every diamond makes. The process that takes it from the mine to your finger is complex and time consuming, involving many different people and skills. But without them it would not be the stone you fell in love with. Jewellers’ skills may be age-old but the industry has changed beyond recognition. The large, top quality rough diamonds coming on to the market in recent years, especially from Southern Africa, owe their existence primarily to modern technology, says Jody Wainwright, head of gem buying at his family company Boodles.

‘Today’s equipment can survey the rock very accurately and pinpoint exactly where the diamonds are,’ he says. ‘This

The rough diamond used for De Beers Awakening Lotus high jewellery necklace

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The Revolutionary Journey | C& TH JEWELLERY & WATCHES

ABOVE: A rough diamond that would later become an Ashoka diamond sourced

by Boodles from Goldberg in New York LEFT: Ring by Boodles

De Beers Soothing Lotus high jewellery necklace

means they can be extracted gently and brought out whole, whereas in the past they might be broken because of the cruder equipment.’

It is a wonder that the largest gem-quality rough ever found, the Cullinan, which was mined in South Africa in 1905 and weighed over 3,000 carats, emerged unscathed given the equipment of the time. It journeyed to Britain where it was presented to King Edward VII as a gift from South Africa, and then to Amsterdam to be cut. Its largest polished stones ended up in the British Crown jewels and several others were bought by Edward VII to make into jewellery for his wife, Queen Alexandra. They were known by the late Queen Mother as ‘Granny’s chips’ and are still worn by members of the royal family. But it is significant that of the 60-plus, best-known rough diamonds weighing over 200 carats, about half were found this century. These include several examples from the modern Karowe and Letseng mines in Botswana and Lesotho, and a number from Russia.

The gems are mostly sorted and graded on site, a complex process as De Beers’ executive vice president Andrew Coxon explains. ‘The rough has to be thoroughly cleaned, including boiling in hydrochloric acid – which does not affect it – then weighed and finally graded to one of 4,000 different price points, on size, colour, quality and shape. The process takes a minimum of six weeks.’ Roughs over five carats are auctioned alone by sealed bid, smaller ones put into bundles of similar types, and all are offered to sightholders – invited dealers who inspect the stones and assess their value before bidding. ‘Most diamonds used to come through London where De Beers had its HQ,’ says Coxon. ‘Now it has mines in Botswana, setting up an industry there with help from the Botswana government, bringing employment and investment to the area, so now the dealers come to the stones and it is the same elsewhere – Canada and Russia [which worked with De Beers for 50 years] have their own efficient sightholder and auction systems.’

The next stage is expert cutting and polishing which turns the rough into the beautiful stones we know.

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C& TH JEWELLERY & WATCHES | The Revolutionary Journey

of the top-quality stones that can be created from it.’

This information is passed on to, and refined by, the cutter and polisher that the new owner has employed, in specialist centres all over the world. De Beers has trained its own cutters in Botswana, who work on all but the largest and rarest gems – this means many of their diamonds do not travel like others but it makes tracing them from the mine onwards very easy. Russia also has its own expert cutting centres. Mumbai has become the main destination for cutting smaller diamonds – their prices cannot be matched elsewhere, according to Wainwright.

The largest and clearest still generally go to the traditional expert cutters of Antwerp or New York, though even that is changing. ‘Until about 20 years ago, about 70 per cent of cutters in Antwerp came from the traditional Jewish diamantaire families,’ says Wainwright. ‘Now some of them have relocated to Tel Aviv, where the industry has grown, and have been replaced by Indians, while Hong Kong has also risen as a cutting centre.’ All Boodles’ diamonds, says Wainright, are screened, ‘so we know exactly where they come from, but this is still a close-knit industry where everybody knows each other and it self-regulates through trust.’ Cutting and polishing has benefitted from modern technology in other ways. ‘There is less emphasis now on cutting for sheer size, but more to get the best light refraction, fire and sparkle – for sheer beauty,’ says Coxon. ‘Computer analysis helps here too because it shows exactly at which angle each facet needs to be. Get more than two or three out of line and the stone starts to leak light.’

Graff is a majority shareholder in the Letseng mine and an experienced polisher of some of the biggest recent roughs – its latest D-coloured acquisition is over 373 carats. The brand takes risks – controversially, last year owner Laurence Graff sent the completed Venus (the world’s largest heart-shaped stone at over 118 carats) back to the wheel to remove a tiny flaw near the heart’s cleft. The risk was that the stone would shatter – it did not and the stone received the coveted D flawless certification, gaining greatly in value. Vartkess Knadjian, CEO of the world’s oldest diamond company Backes and Strauss, now best known

LESSONS IN STONES

Messika boutique in Paris

If you are intrigued by diamonds and how they become beautiful stones, diamantaire and directional jeweller Messika in Paris offers free Diamond Discovery classes at its glamorous Rue St Honoré flagship, explaining how the diamond is formed and the differences in cut, colour, clarity and weight. Classes average about 90 minutes and can be tailored to the audience’s needs – please give three business days’ notice.

for its diamond-set watches, says, ‘We once made a watch with 1,060 diamonds on its dial, case and buckle – as every diamond has 57 facets and a table, that means a total of 60,000 facets, all achieved by human hand and eye. The cost of a diamond reflects a prodigious number of man hours in sorting [which takes a year to learn], cutting, polishing and assessment of its finished quality by prospective buyers.’ Backes and Strauss buy a mix of finished and rough stones – the latter, says Knadjian, ‘go to whichever polisher on our list we think best for that stone. We send the largest to Antwerp; others are cut in Armenia, India or China.’

Even then, a diamond’s journey is not over. It must be certified by the Gemological Institute of America with offices all over the world but the biggest stones must go to its headquarters in New York. Some, such as the rare, relatively small and extremely valuable pink diamonds from the Argyle Mine in Australia, are not sold until after they are polished – they then go on a world tour of invited potential buyers who tender for individual stones. Last year Boodles managed to obtain precisely two. Once a jewellery house has a diamond in its possession it may be years before it re-emerges as the centrepiece of a stunning design. Most houses invite clients to a launch in a suitably luxurious location, but not all can make it, so off the remaining pieces go again, on a global tour of wealthy cities.

Only once the diamond is finally sold does its restless life of travel stop. Then either it is proudly worn on special occasions for the world to see, or it disappears into a bank vault, a private investment rather than a public pleasure. Until, years later, it emerges on to the market again, doubtless costing far more than it did first time round. n Argyle Everglow 2.11 carat radiant shaped Fancy Red

PHOTOS: GETTY IMAGES; NICOLAS MATHÉUS

BELOW: Graff’s Venus diamond RIGHT: Backes & Strauss Lady Victoria watch

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PROMOTION Elle et Lui hoops in white and yellow gold with yellow beryl

RISING STAR

Tsarina rings

Cosmopolitan and chic best describe award-winning jeweller, Nadine Aysoy

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adine Aysoy, who launched her eponymous brand in 2017, has fast become recognised as one of the capitals ‘go-to jewellers’.

Her jewels are exquisite, intriguing and timeless, and recently won her the muchcoveted ‘Editor’s Choice Award’.

Aysoy’s eye for fashion has enabled her to create an irresistible collection of high impact jewellery; classic jewels that, on closer look, transform into something more extravagant, modern and chic. The designer understands her clients, and the aesthetic and consideration that she puts into her collections enable her to create pieces for grown-ups and designs that last forever – transcending fashion. Her jewels have drama, intrigue and beautiful craftsmanship.

Born it Antwerp, where she grew up with diamonds in her DNA, her grandfather P. N. Ferstenberg was honored as ‘Dean of the Diamond Industry’, it is therefore fitting that her atelier and design team are based at the heart of the diamond industry, where she works to select gemstones and diamonds to bring her designs to life.

With such heritage, it is no surprise that Aysoy has created a unique and versatile collection of jewellery that is perfect for today’s woman. Inspired by the beauty of nature, it has four core collections: Tsarina, Petite Tsarina, Elle et Lui and Mille et une Feuilles.

Stand out pieces include her award-winning

Nadine Aysoy Nadine’s grandfather, P.N. Ferstenberg with Gina Lollobrigida

Mille et une Feuilles ring

ring in the Mille et une Feuilles collection, which features diamondencrusted golden ivy leaves that gently wrap around the finger forming a ring across two fingers and the fabulously glamorous, diamond-encrusted and transformable Tsarina Collection.

A fashion editor favourite, these have delicate diamonds to replicate frosted snow, creating sensational chandelier earrings in pale pink morganite, blue topaz and pink sapphire that can easily transform into a versatile earring stud.

The Petite Tsarina offers smaller and more delicate pendants and rings and the art deco-inspired Elle et Lui collection features gemstones intertwined in a jewelled dance with pearls.

Nadine Aysoy jewellery has also caught the attention of stylists and has fast become a favourite jeweller for red carpet appearances.

Hermione Corfield and Laura Whitmore were both spotted wearing Nadine Aysoy at the EE BAFTAs and fans include Oscar-winning actress Julie Walters.

The Nadine Aysoy collection is available from the following London-based boutiques: Kabiri, La Maison Couture, Curated by Victoria. nadineaysoy.com

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HIGH TECH TIME

Some watchmakers are pushing the boundaries when it comes to the materials they use in their timepieces, says Simon de Burton

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teel, brass, glass and the odd ruby have long been the basic raw ingredients of watchmaking, and for good reason: they are workable, durable, affordable, easily obtainable and, above all, proven. But that hasn’t prevented makers from exploring the potential of more exotic materials that variously promise greater strength, less weight, reduced wear and longer maintenance intervals.

The serious search for radical new materials picked up in the early years of this century, when brands became flush

with cash thanks to the resurgence in mechanical watchmaking. Harry Winston introduced its patented ‘Zalium’ used for its Z-series models (the latest being the Z11); Hublot experimented with bulletproof cermet; various brands made cases from tantalum. While many such materials were introduced for novelty value, some brands made prototypes that offered serious horological advances.

In 2007, Jaeger-LeCoultre unveiled its Extreme Lab watch, featuring a movement made from friction-free materials, and then Cartier introduced its ‘ID’ models, one of which had a

The serious search for radical new materials picked up in the early years of this century, when brands became flush with cash thanks to the resurgence in mechanical watchmaking LEFT: Harry Winston Z11 ABOVE: Hublot Techframe Ferrari 70 years tourbillon chronograph RIGHT: Zenith Defy Lab B 6 Blue Rose Gold

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The Material Revolution | C& TH JEWELLERY & WATCHES

FROM TOP LEFT: Roger Dubuis Excalibur Spider Carbon Skeleton Automatic; Panerai LAB-ID, made to order and limited to 50; Rolex Lady-Datejust – White Rolesor; Richard Mille RM 50-03

transparent case from which the air had been removed to house the movement in a vacuum.

The recent downturn in the watch business combined with a focus on smart watches has made such radical experimentation less common – but some brands are still pushing the envelope in a decidedly impressive way.

Panerai, for example, recently unveiled the LAB-ID Luminor 1950 Carbotech, which combines a case made from specially layered carbon fibre with a movement made from ultra-low friction materials that don’t require additional lubricant. Diamond-like carbon, silicon and a tantalum-based ceramic have been used for key components, and the movement runs on just four jewel bearings. The dial, meanwhile, is equipped with gas-filled carbon nanotubes for high-level luminosity.

Just 50 examples will be made, all priced at €50,000 apiece – and all with a 50-year ‘no service’ guarantee.

Roger Dubuis also began the year with a vow to make use of ‘disruptive materials’ and kept to its word with models such as the Excalibur Spider Carbon, a black and red number combining a multi-layered carbon case with a DLC-treated, titanium back and crown. Most notably, however, it’s the first watch to feature a movement plate, bridges and tourbillon cage made entirely from carbon. The brand has also introduced modern materials into its women’s line – the Excalibur 36 automatic, for example, has a lightweight, scratchresistant titanium case set with 48 blue sapphires.

Perhaps the most significant modern material to have been

embraced by the watch industry is silicone, which was pioneered for the production of hairsprings by Ulysse Nardin in 2001. It (together with spin-offs combining silicone with nickel or diamond) has since been adopted by others, including Breguet, Patek Philippe and Rolex, which introduced its ‘Syloxi’ hairspring in 2014, a component made from a marriage of silicone and silicone oxide composite. The significance of using silicone for key parts such as hairsprings, balance wheels and entire escapements is that it’s a light, hard, low-friction material that’s also anti-magnetic and more resistant to temperature fluctuations than traditional metals – making for a more accurate, more reliable, lower maintenance watch. Zenith has just launched the Defy Lab which uses monocrystalline silicon to replace the conventional, complex oscillator with one element 0.5 mm thick. It has an unheard of degree of accuracy, precise to 0.3 seconds per day.

Again, watches for women are benefiting: one of Ulysse Nardin’s latest models to use its ‘Silicium’ technology is the Classic Lady Dual Time, which, as well as being equipped with a silicone escapement, offers ‘nail friendly’ push-button adjustment of the second time zone. Rolex, meanwhile, has introduced the Syloxi hairspring on its Lady-Datejust 28mm and claims the watch is up to ten times more accurate than earlier versions as a result.

But it’s the use by watch brands of materials employed in today’s automotive, marine and aircraft industries that grab the most attention. Hublot and Ferrari’s design team, for example, have developed the Techframe tourbillon chronograph with a hand-wound movement housed in a modular lattice framework made from a material called PEEK carbon (Polyether Ether Ketone) – and Richard Mille has gone even further with its new McLaren RM 50-03, which incorporates a carbon-based material called Graph TPT that was developed by a team of Nobel Prize-winning scientists at the University of Manchester. Said to be six times lighter than steel and 200 times as strong, it helps make the RM 50-03 the most featherweight tourbillon chronograph on the market. Each of the 75 watches being made will cost £996,500.

This high-end brand has also used another form of carbon weave created

by North Thin Ply Technology (NTPT) to make the case of its RM 07-01 women’s model, which is then drilled and equipped with dozens of microscopically small ‘jewel holders’ that enable the material to be set with gems, so lines of tiny diamonds gleam in the dark material. Carbon neutral it isn’t... n Autumn/Winter 2017 | COUNTRYANDTOWNHOUSE.CO.UK | 75

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Acid Hours Live out your fantasy with these jewellery watches Art director URSULA LAKE Photography MATTHEW SHAVE

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Chopard ladies watch from the Precious Chopard collection with diamonds and sapphires, set in white gold

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Bulgari Serpenti high jewellery watch in yellow gold with white diamonds, rubies and cornelians

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Moritz Grossmann Tefnut Sleeping Beauty, Ocean Blue edition @ William and Son

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Graff emerald and diamond floral watch

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Dior VIII Grand Bal Cancan watch in pink gold, black ceramic, diamonds, feathers and alligator

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Harry Winston Lattice timepiece unique setting, on 18kt white gold bracelet, fully set dial in white gold and diamonds

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Van Cleef & Arpels Ruban Secret watch, diamonds and gradated sapphires set in pink gold

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Giampiero Bodino Mosaico high jewellery watch in white gold with concentric circles in diamonds and black spinels

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Rolex Datejust 39 Pearlmaster in 18kt white gold, bezel set with 36 diamonds. Diamond pavĂŠd dial with Roman numerals STOCKISTS Bulgari; bulgari.com Chopard; chopard.com Dior; dior.com Giampiero Bodino; giampierobodino.com Graff; graffdiamonds.com Harry Winston; harrywinston.com Rolex; rolex.com Van Cleef & Arpels; vancleefarpels.com William & Son; williamandson.com

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Beluga Earrings, Lalique glass and shell

LAURENCE COSTE 109 WALTON STREET - 149 SLOANE STREET LONDON WWW.LAURENCE-COSTE.COM

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The Sixties Revolution | C& TH JEWELLERY & WATCHES

FROM TOP RIGHT: Ursula Andress models a collection of Grima jewellery; gold, pink tourmaline watch bangle by Andrew Grima sold for $47,181 at Bonhams; gold and diamond ‘pencil shavings’ brooch by Andrew Grima, fetched $23,591 against an estimate of $8,090 at Bonhams; Andrew Grima

BACK TO THE SIXTIES

Would you wear a big, bold, gold piece of 1960s jewellery?

Fans are increasingly turning to the best of this forgotten decade in jewellery design, says Avril Groom

T

he major sale of 55 jewellery pieces by Andrew Grima at Bonhams last month, which fetched $1.1m, helped underline a new focus on a period of design that has been bubbling under in collecting terms but remains distinctly Marmite. The social revolution of the 1960s also swept through the world of design. Jewellery designers responded enthusiastically, adapting the clean, industrial and sometimes brutalist lines of modernism to the tiny expanses, precious stones and fine craft of handmade jewellery.

‘It was very different from 1950s classical cocktail jewellery,’ says Bonhams’ head of jewellery Jean Ghika. Some names from the period are now acknowledged among the jewellery greats but they have been consistently of interest only to aficionados – when style changed to 1980s brashness

and then vintage-inspired looks in the 1990s and 2000s, the geometric and organic shapes of the preceding decades fell out of favour. Fashion – even in jewellery – is cyclical but why are the 1960s and 1970s back in vogue now? One factor is value. A decade ago 1960s and early 1970s jewellery often sold for less than the value of its gold – though, like the mid-century furniture that young creatives used to pick up cheaply, it is now covetable.

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C& TH JEWELLERY & WATCHES | The Sixties Revolution

FROM LEFT: Gilbert Albert earrings at Lucas Rarities; Georges L’Enfant chainlink necklace at Hancocks; John Donald 18ct gold diamond cluster ring at Fellows Auctioneers; yellow gold Cartier Knot ring at George Pragnell

European designers of the period who were, he says, ‘very gifted goldsmiths, who often designed for big brands to make money. Aldo Cipullo, who designed the Love Bangle for Cartier and died young of AIDS, Georges L’Enfant, who worked for Hermès, Cartier and Bulgari, and Gilbert Albert, from whom we have coral and gold earrings [price on request], are just three examples.’

Guy Burton at Hancocks is also a L’Enfant fan, especially work under his own name, ‘which is better value than the grand marques – he did exquisite woven-style chainlink work, such as a necklace we have [£19,500]’. In a market area that has surged in the past 18 months, another strong name is Greek designer Ilias Lalaounis. Hancocks has a hammered gold cuff once owned by Shirley Temple (£11,500) and a gold bead necklace (£8,500). ‘Gold jewellery from this time is not very gemmy, and relatively easy to wear,’ he says. ‘It is going up in price but has not yet peaked.’

The recent luxury brand revival of 1960s and 1970s style has created extra interest, according to Nicola Whittaker, jewellery specialist at Fellows Auctioneers. ‘It started about two years ago, with Piaget’s collection reviving 1970s-style yellow gold and hardstones, Van Cleef and Arpels refocusing on the Alhambra range and Cartier’s 1970s-inspired Cactus collection,’ she says.

‘Originals from that time are handmade and still very good value, but they are rising. We’ve just sold a Van Cleef and Arpels diamond ring for £1,300 [estimate £600] and a John Donald cluster ring for £920 [estimate £400-600].’

At George Pragnell, MD Charlie Pragnell sounds a note of caution. ‘Gold colour fashions have a 25-year cycle and yellow is now rising,’ he says.

‘Pieces like our 1960s Boucheron chain bracelet [£8,500] or a Cartier textured love knot ring [£5,250] are timeless but some of the boldest items may prove to be a passing trend.’

Classic jeweller Bentley & Skinner does not cover the 1960s. ‘It’s not period enough for us, yet,’ says sales director Omar Vaja. ‘That could change – there are pieces that may be in questionable taste but are rather beautiful.’

Sixties jewellery was so revolutionary it’s still causing controversy nearly 60 years on. n

PHOTOS: COURTESY OF BONHAMS

‘At present, yellow gold Sixties jewellery is well worth buying even at the top end.

See what you get for £25,000 compared to Bond Street’

acknowledged at the time as a master and numbering the Queen, Princess Margaret and stars such as Ursula Andress among his fans. Duchesses and hipsters visited his cuttingedge, slate-fronted shop. His authenticity and originality now has strong appeal to people reared on the global luxury of today’s big brands. ‘Alongside his longterm collectors a new generation is discovering his work,’ says Ghika.

‘He was an engineer who devised ways to make his ideas into reality rather than being constrained by a formal jewellery training. It was about creating art objects, often with natural stones like geodes or rough crystals. He used to say that a 50-carat topaz could be art whereas a 50-carat diamond should be in a bank vault.’

The stones were mounted in sculptural, textured or engraved yellow gold which set a style emulated by other designers. In Britain the best of these included Charles de Temple, Stuart Devlin, John Donald and, a little later, Leo De Vroomen – the latter two highlighted by exhibitions in recent years at the Goldsmiths Hall. All made statement pieces – when Omega linked with Grima in 1968 to create About Time, a series of unique jewellery watches, they were much bigger (and heavier) than most women’s watches then – they look wonderful today.

The current yellow gold revival is another reason for the renewed focus. ‘Such bold pieces are not always easy for 20-somethings with less formal lifestyles to wear,’ says Sam Loxton of Lucas Rarities. ‘The resurgence of interest in this period includes people with foresight, buying to wear later in life or because they feel the value will increase.

At present they are well worthwhile buying even at the top end. See what you get for £25,000 compared to Bond Street, and these are all one-off pieces.’ He suggests individual

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PROMOTION

FROM TOP LEFT: Astraeus limited double ring; Raliegh Goss; Casino pendant; Shield hoops; Casino cufflinks

COOL BRITANNIA The Raliegh Goss collection

G

reat Britain has a reputation for its young, dynamic designers, whose immense creative ability, whether in film, art, fashion or jewellery, is recognised globally. The emergence of the young, multi-talented British jewellery designer, Raliegh Goss, is one such shining example.

At the age of just 26, Goss launched her eponymous jewellery label, which received critical acclaim with its first collection ‘Astraeus’, which went on to win two prestigious industry awards.

Goss, who completed her goldsmithing apprenticeship at the age of 19, is both audacious and daring in her designs, creating jewellery that is diverse, representing the very different qualities of her character. From the fun and frivolity of the Casino collection, to the chic and elegant Astraeus and the bold and strong sculptures of the Shield, Goss creates jewels that transcend fashion and age, and ones that we just want to wear and enjoy.

The meticulously crafted Astraeus collection, meaning ‘Greek god of the stars’, combines clusters of white and intense yellow diamonds with sweeping branches of 18kt white gold that mimic the movement of the stars. Yellow diamonds, reminiscent of the luminaries themselves,

blend seamlessly with pavé white diamonds gradually changing into an intense yellow. The Limited Edition collection presents 18kt yellow gold with white pavé diamonds blending with pastel- coloured diamond clusters.

For those who like to take a little gamble, it has to be the fabulously fun Casino collection, featuring iconic and timeless core motif designs that capture the glamour, bold colours and excitement of the casino age. Goss was inspired by the evocative motifs of a set of cards – clubs, spades, hearts and diamonds – and has created a dynamic collection in 18kt yellow or white gold, pavé set with diamonds. She cleverly sculpts beneath the red and black cold enamel, giving the illusion of sparkling stones. Each piece is set with a secret diamond at the centre under the enamel – just for good luck.

The versatile and bold Shield range is a collection of sculptural jewellery that evokes symbolic Ancient Egyptian scriptures.

Set in 18kt yellow gold, it is essential jewellery for bridging day to night.

The soft feminine lines of the triangular shields are curved to perfection, interlacing with the next shield. Goss uses three different shields, each designed to create the illusion of transcendence in size. Each one is handmade, filed, softened and polished, with every inch of the collection, manipulated by hand. The bold Shield hoop earrings are a timeless fashion staple, bang on trend with the added benefit of feeling weightless.

Whether dreamily gazing at the stars of Astraeus, gambling with Casino or evoking Ancient Egypt, this maverick young Brit is one to watch.

Available from ralieghgoss.com and La Maison Couture, London

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GIRLS ON TOP Women CEOs are still a rarity in the watch and jewellery industry – and then two come along at once. Both talk to Avril Groom about their plans

T Eva-Lotta Sjöstedt, CEO of Georg Jensen

Chabi Nouri, CEO of Piaget

he much-anticipated female revolution in the jewellery and watch industry has been a long time coming. There are plenty of female designers and craftswomen on both sides but at the very top of the corporate tree they were almost invisible – until now. Earlier this year Chabi Nouri was announced as CEO of Richemont Group company Piaget, and Eva-Lotta Sjöstedt has been CEO at Danish heritage brand Georg Jensen since early last year. Very different companies, very different women but neither has any hesitation in asserting that their role is to lead.

‘Being CEO is all about leadership – it’s a big position and a unique responsibility whoever you are,’ says Nouri, who, as a Swiss with Italian and Persian parents and a Lebanese husband, is the embodiment of group chairman Johann Rupert’s comment last year that he wanted his companies’ senior echelons to have fewer ‘grey Frenchmen’, more women and more diversity. ‘I think a man’s leadership is different but it’s hard to say how,’ she says. ‘From my viewpoint it’s about bringing out the precision, beauty and wearability of our product and the utter professionalism of our craftspeople.’

Sjöstedt, who is the archetypal cool, Nordic blonde, has a not dissimilar standpoint. ‘I’ve always been interested in a leadership role and my career has worked towards that,’ she says. ‘I’m a risk taker, though I evaluate more now I’m older, and take risks with forethought. I also believe in listening

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The Female Revolution | C& TH JEWELLERY & WATCHES

Altiplano watch has full play with some mouthto my expert colleagues. You can be isolated wateringly feminine versions – a sumptuous at the top and I don’t want that. People are cherry red dial and a rose gold with white my passion and I love to work with people dial version of the revolutionary 900P, the I believe in and trust. I don’t know if that’s world’s thinnest automatic – among them. a female attribute or part of the Scandi hygge Then there are new versions attitude where we value cosiness and well-being of the tactile, turnable Possession but it seems to work.’ She is Jensen’s first fine jewellery, especially stacking woman CEO – surprising given the large bracelets with colourful female majority of its workforce. hardstone cabochons.

Nouri is not Richemont’s first The literal jewel in the woman CEO of a jewellery and watch crown is Sunlight Journey, brand but is currently the only the new high jewellery one. She is very different from collection – an area her flamboyant predecessor where Piaget has Philippe Léopold-Metzger, who upped its game. This pushed the famous ultra-thin is based, says Nouri, Altiplano watch designs to new ‘on solar energy at its most technical limits and remains ABOVE: Piaget Verde Bisazza jewellery watch literal – the radiance as non-executive president BELOW: Sunlight Journey necklace in 18 karat red gold, pink gold, yellow gold of the sun at different for special projects. Although and platinum set with red spinels and times of day. It’s incredibly she started her career in watch yellow and white diamonds colourful and optimistic, product development with which is what Piaget has Cartier, she joined Piaget in 2014 always stood for. Watching as international managing director it evolve under the creativity for sales and marketing. They worked of our ten designers, who were together and she was talked of as both his, inspired by amazing stones like a run and the Richemont board’s, choice before her of graduated Mozambican rubies appointment. With global watch sales in the or some extraordinary opals, or simply doldrums but high jewellery increasingly seen by sunlight on water, has been wonderful. I am as an investment, her priorities are different, as much privileged to have the chance to influence this now.’ to do with brand perception as new launches.

Sjöstedt, who is Swedish, is well equipped to ‘Piaget started in the 19th century making movements, promote the Scandinavian design ethos. She had so our watch innovation is crucial,’ she says. ‘It soon added topher own fashion label and spent years in senior quality goldsmithing and, by the 1960s and 1970s, our heyday roles with IKEA. ‘Georg Jensen is a small produced a very distinct style with woven gold, hardstones and company for me but it truly represents diamonds, exemplified by cuff watches. We need to take the the Scandinavian values of authenticity, signatures of this fantastic heritage and project for the future, collaboration and co-operation, alongside not just re-invent the archives.’ So the sixtieth anniversary of the the clean and timeless design lines inspired by nature – our forests and beaches, clean air and water,’ she says. ‘We have only 122 stores worldwide, plus online sales, so there is great opportunity for such classical modern style.’

Like Nouri, she believes in using the brand’s heritage to move forward. ‘We mustn’t lose ourselves – you can only go into the future when you know who you are,’ she says. ‘Jensen has collaborated with artists and designers since 1904. Art Deco inspired our successful Manhattan range, and then the 1960s designs of Vivianna Torun Bülow-Hübe and Henning Koppel are seen as modern Scandi, but they are equally timeless. Our recent collaborations with Patricia Urquiola and Zaha Hadid will prove lasting too.’ To succeed now, she says, ‘You cannot be in love with the past but you are guided by it. Silver jewellery is our staple and very important for the growing self-purchase market. People questioned our introduction of gold and diamonds, yet we already did gold during World War II, when silver was needed for weapons.’

ABOVE: Georg Jensen Zaha Hadid Lamellae ring with black diamonds Two forward-looking CEOs with brands in very safe LEFT: Georg Jensen Zaha Hadid bangle female hands. n Autumn/Winter 2017 | COUNTRYANDTOWNHOUSE.CO.UK | 91

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‘Shining like diamonds, little seeds of hope in the large, large, world.’ Carmen Reed

www.myriamsos.co.uk

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The Ruby Revolution | C& TH JEWELLERY & WATCHES

KING OF GEMS

PHOTOS: © BULGARI; © HEMMERLE; © VAN CLEEF & ARPELS; © VERDURA; © CHAUMET, IMAGES EXTRACTED FROM RUBY BY JOANNA HARDY

Joanna Hardy on why rubies are back in the spotlight

R

ubies, the king of gems, have been mined from the marble deposits in the dense jungle and forests of Myanmar for over 800 years, capturing the imagination of warriors, miners and especially the early rulers of Burma, for any discovered rubies over five carats were the property of the king.

Consequently, as the story goes, many ruby crystals over five carats were broken up into smaller pieces so that the miners didn’t have to disclose significant finds. The fiery red of a Burmese ruby symbolised the blood of life and many warriors would insert a ruby crystal underneath their skin before battle, believing that a ruby crystal would protect them from harm.

Rubies and sapphires are from the corundum family, a mineral made of aluminium oxide and specific colouring agents, such as chromium, iron and titanium; rather like cooking, the right ingredients

ABOVE: 1979 choker by Bulgari with oval medallions of concentric cabochon rubies RIGHT: Transformable Hummingbird Aigrette c1890 by Chaumet

are needed to determine the stone’s colour. Rubies come in all shades of red, from pinkish to purplish or brownish-red, but what has always been revered are the rubies that appear to have an after-glow, an inner fire that radiates out, which has meant that rubies have been constantly sought after and the desire for this red gemstone seems only to be increasing today.

White diamonds have enjoyed popularity for hundreds of years, and rightly so; there is no other natural white gemstone that, when cut and polished, comes anywhere near to the adamantine lustre and sparkle of a diamond. Since the end of the Second World War, diamonds have been pushed as the stone of choice, especially for engagement rings, and subsequently coloured gemstones have been over-shadowed, but this perception is quickly changing and people are now relating to colour.

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C& TH JEWELLERY & WATCHES | The Ruby Revolution

FROM ABOVE: Drawing by Cartier in 1935 for a ruby and diamond necklace commissioned by the Maharani of Patna for her husband the Maharajah of Patna; Cabochon ruby ring by Hemmerle set with a 5.33 carat Burmese ruby 2003; the Wrapped Sash Heart brooch by Verdura c1940; Ruby by Joanna Hardy

There is a power and an energy that come from rubies which, though difficult to describe, kindle passion and desire in humans. When Mike Todd gave Elizabeth Taylor the most amazing ruby and diamond parure, including a tiara/necklace, she put the jewellery on while she was swimming and pulled Mike Todd into the pool with her.

Richard Burton, who was not going to be upstaged, later bought Taylor the finest ruby he could find; a fitting stone to represent their turbulent relationship.

Fine quality gem rubies are very rare, rarer than white diamonds, but, of course, a stone cannot be too rare, otherwise there is no market for it, and the significant discovery of the ruby mines in Montepuez, Mozambique, has been a game-changer since 2009.

The deposit has a wide range of qualities, catering for all markets, and together with the commitment of Gemfields – which has successfully established the

mining process and is educating the industry about coloured gemstones – the availability of these rubies has really made an impact; this new deposit has enabled people to be part of the ruby story. Each stone is completely unique, which feeds today’s thirst for individuality and, more importantly, it is almost impossible to say how much a particular ruby has cost: it is not about size but quality. So, refreshingly, people can wear coloured stone jewellery comfortably, without feeling judged about how much they may have spent, instead choosing the colour that speaks to them.

Not many people are aware that no white diamond has exceeded US$300,000 per carat to date; yet a ruby achieved US$1.2million per carat, though being a quarter of the size. Everyone automatically thinks a white diamond is more valuable or rarer than all other gemstones, but the ruby can claim supremacy. It is not all about money though, the market is reacting to people wanting change. Consumers want more options and they want to decide for themselves. The recently discovered ruby deposits in Mozambique have given them that choice. n Joanna Hardy’s new book, Ruby, is a richly illustrated account of the stone from prehistoric times to the present day, including features on the most famous rubies and how to choose a top quality stone.

8 October, Thames and Hudson

IN THE RED

Top quality rubies are in demand ‘as never before’, according to Christie’s London jewellery director David Warren. ‘In 40 years I’ve never seen such intense interest in them,’ he says.

‘The highest prices are for those defined as pigeon’s blood in colour, now at over $1m per carat for the best, large examples.’ However, there are various, less pricey alternatives.

‘Now that the US is accepting Burmese rubies again there is no price resistance, but the brilliant cherry red stones from Burma are very beautiful and less expensive.’

The new Mozambique rubies have increased focus on the red stone.

‘In general they are smaller, over ten carats is very rare, but there are some wonderful examples that could be a good investment,’ says Warren. Top prices are for natural, unheated stones but, he says, ‘there is nothing wrong with a heated ruby provided the supplier is open about it.

Thailand produces many skilfully heated rubies, including some quite large ones – you get a lot for your money.’

The current star ruby at Christie’s is an unset, cushion-shaped, Burmese pigeon’s blood stone of 8.27 carats (pictured above), to be sold in Geneva on 14 November with an estimate of 800,000 to 1.2m Swiss francs – but it could go a lot higher.

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Telephone: +44 (0)20 7100 8881 Web: www.lucasrarities.com London jewellers Lucas Rarities specialise in rare and exceptional pieces of period jewellery and objets d’art, with a particular emphasis on signed pieces from the Art Deco era to the 1970s. Tucked away in the heart of Mayfair, we are renowned for our expertise and ability to source individual pieces from treasured eras.

We value our unparalleled reputation for our tailored consultation service, which is specifi cally catered to clients wishing to begin or expand their collection. Our large range of outstanding diamonds, precious gemstones and natural pearls is also available for clients wanting to commission individual pieces, for which we have access to the best workshops in London.

A French 18 karat yellow and white gold, jade, coral and chalcedony bracelet, by George L’enfant. Circa 1930’s

See our latest acquisitions at www.lucasrarities.com

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RUBY RED Make a stand for what you believe in Styling JO O’HANLON Photography MATTHEW SHAVE Art Director URSULA LAKE

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Chatila ruby and diamond collar, with matching earrings

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Asprey teardrop pendant with rubies and diamonds

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Niquesa Amore ruby bracelet, 18kt white gold set with diamonds; Amore Dalia ring, 18kt white gold with rubies and diamonds

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FabergĂŠ Kokoshnik bangle with white diamonds, alexandrites and rubies set in 18kt white gold; Kokoshnik ring with white diamonds and rubies set in 18kt white gold; Mosaic ruby pendant with Gemfields Mozambican rubies set in 18kt rose gold

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William & Son rare ruby and diamond earrings

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Stephen Webster ruby and white gold New York earrings

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Myriam SOS Pomegranate ring in 18kt rose gold, white diamonds and rubies

TEAM Model: Michelle @ The Squad Hair and makeup: Jamiee Thomas @ Untitled Artists Manicurist: Chisato Yamamoto @ David Artists using Nars cosmetics STOCKISTS Asprey; asprey.com Chatila; chatila.com FabergĂŠ; faberge.com Myriam SOS; myriamsos.co.uk Niquesa; niquesafinejewellery.com William and Son; williamandson.com Stephen Webster; stephenwebster.com

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C& TH JEWELLERY & WATCHES | The Final Countdown

1,827

108

DIAMONDS WEIGHING

19.37

CARATS

74

RUBIES WEIGHING

68.61 CARATS

EMERALDS WEIGHING

49.67

JEWELLERY

BY NUMBERS

CARATS

Cartier’s magnificent Indian-inspired Bengalore necklace is the ultimate in transformable jewellery

10 ways to wear it...

1 DIADEM 1 BROOCH 5 WAYS TO WEAR THE NECKLACE 3 PAIRS OF EARRINGS (with extra earclips)

101

SAPPHIRES WEIGHING

72.55 CARATS

2,150 HOURS OF WORK

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