ST Watches and Jewellery AW11

STONE AGE

ST waTcheS and jewellerY autumn / winter 2011

THE RALPH LAUREN AUTOMOTIVE WATCH STAINLESS STEEL 45MM MODEL. ELM BURLWOOD DIAL. SAPPHIRE CRYSTAL CASE BACK. MANUAL WINDING MANUFACTURE MOVEMENT. 156 COMPONENTS, 45-HOUR POWER RESERVE. SWISS MADE.

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contents 09 Autumn / Winter 2011

On the cover: Photography Rafael Stahelin.

Fashion editor Michelle Duguid. Jumper, £1,190, Céline. Hat, £925, Lanvin. Earrings, £53,400, Boucheron. Necklace, price on application, Adler. Ring, Fabergé. Bombé ring, POA, Graff

EDITORIAL Editor Joanne Glasbey Senior art director Ciara Walshe Chief copy editor Chris Madigan Assistant editor Sarah Deeks Picture editor Juliette Hedoin Senior copy editor Gill Wing Copy editors Cate Langmuir, Ming Liu, Rupert Mellor Creative director Ian Pendleton Executive editor Peter Howarth CONTRIBUTING EDITORS Simon de Burton Maria Doulton COMMERCIAL (UK) Executive director Dave King Publishing director Toby Moore 020 7931 3350 Director of fashion and luxury Carley Ayres 020 7931 3328 COMMERCIAL (ITALY) K.Media Srl Via Cavalieri Bonaventura, 1/3 20121 Milan, Italy +39 02 29 06 10 94; kmedianet.com

HORACIO SALINAS; THOMAS BROWN

SHOW MEDIA 020 3222 0101 Ground Floor, 1-2 Ravey Street, London EC2A 4QP info@showmedia.net www.showmedia.net Printing: Polestar Chantry (polestar-group.com) Colour reproduction: fmg (wearefmg.com) ST Fashion is designed and produced by SHOW MEDIA LTD for the Telegraph Media Group. All material © Show Media Ltd and Telegraph Media Group. Reproduction in whole or part without written permission is strictly prohibited. While every effort is made to ensure the accuracy of the information contained in this publication, no responsibility can be accepted for any errors or omissions.

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50

32 10 watch word Nick Foulkes on the new desire for old-fashioned watches: classics not clichés

32 cocktail hour Bold, eye-catching rings for eveningwear make weighted statements

12 jewellery case Carol Woolton describes the 34 design by numbers Justine Picardie brooch’s latest comeback. This one might stick

14 news Bright faces and jewellery that shines 16 coveted Patek Philippe’s latest perpetual-

calendar chronograph is a watch of 456 parts

explores how Dior’s house codes are involved in its couture watches

36 good as gold Precious metal is the latest commodity to get the Fairtrade makeover, reports Mary Sanderson

18 artefact Van Cleef & Arpels’ Zip Necklace

40 love me slender The world’s slimmest

21 one to watch Tomasz Donocik, a young

42 clarity & cut Strong jewellery is paired

23 star turn Jaeger-LeCoultre’s Reverso – the

48 record breakers Highest, deepest, smallest,

– one of Wallis Simpson’s beter suggestions

jeweller exploring the art of darkness

watch that shows its flip side – is 80 years old

25 legend Jewellery’s Tutankhamun: the Hope Diamond has royal lineage and a juicy curse

28 high society Maria Doulton on how Coco

Chanel would have approved of the J12 watch

30 new wave Simon de Burton casts off and

plots a course to the best nautical timepieces

watch movements are things of beauty

with fashion’s current geometric shapes

most accurate: Ken Kessler chooses watches that can be rated best in their class

50 dark mater This year’s coolest watch trend sees us back in black

56 stockists The ST style directory 58 national treasure The outsider jeweller who made it big: Solange Azagury-Partridge

10

swiss heritage

OLD’S COOL The increasingly discerning Chinese taste for classic elegance is driving a return to traditional watches – something Nick Foulkes welcomes Illustration Marie Assénat

A couple of weeks ago, I had dinner with Sotheby’s new watch boss, John Reardon, who had just returned from Hong Kong, where he had managed to sell a solar-powered table clock decorated with an enamel scene depicting Dixieland jazz musicians for a quarter of a million dollars.

It helps that it was made by Patek Philippe, that most cobalt of blue-chip brands; nevertheless, Reardon estimated that he achieved 10 times what the original purchaser would have paid – remarkable when one considers these clocks were a sideline to Patek Philippe’s core business of mechanical wristwatches.

Looking through the auction catalogues for the coming winter sales, it is hard not to feel a sense of wonder.

The buoyant vintage market is an indicator of the current enthusiasm for traditional crafsmanship – afer a period of experimentation with futuristic materials and designs, the Swiss are returning to making watches that look like watches. A typical example is Girard-Perregaux’s 1966 – a simple, elegant, round watch named for the year that G-P carried off the Centenary prize of the Neuchatel Observatory.

The power of the past is particularly evident at the top of the market, where marques with heritage are happy to flaunt it. One of the most eloquent expressions of this is Vacheron Constantin’s Aronde 1954 – a timepiece

that revels in mid-20th-century detail in an interplay of curved and linear planes and polished and brushed surfaces. Vacheron has been making watches in Geneva for over a quarter of a millennium without hiatus. It is a watchmaker that has seen superpowers come and go.

It had already been in business for a generation when America declared itself independent and then, as now, the newly rich economies of the world wanted to wear Swiss watches. The company’s archives are a goldmine and put it in an enviable position when it comes to benefiting from today’s tradition boom.

Meanwhile, a few hundred metres away from the Vacheron HQ, Patek Philippe has been busy creating a watch to delight the brand’s fanatical clients. For them, Patek Philippe is almost a religion, and the Reference 5208, a triple complication, is about as close as it comes to a modern grail. Elegant in looks and exigent in manufacture, about the only thing that isn’t understated about it is the price: 800,000 Swiss francs.

Not all watches will set you back the cost of a house but, with the rising price of gold and the strength of the Swiss franc, they have seldom been more expensive.

And yet, especially when you consider the abysmal global economy, the Swiss watch industry is remarkably buoyant. Much of this is to do with the powerful perception of a fine timepiece as a portable and statusconferring store of value. And nowhere is this beter understood than in China.

Philippe Léopold-Metzger, CEO of Piaget, told me 60 per cent of his business is done with the Chinese, both at home or abroad. There are brands for whom that percentage is higher and plenty more who want to increase their exposure in that lucrative market, which is why we are seeing many more simple two- and three-hand watches at the moment, as that is what sells well in Asia.

This is paying dividends with brands that have abandoned over-scaled, baroque designs and returned to classic watches – a good example being the relatively affordable Zenith, which is experiencing spectacular growth.

Of course, some experts have raised the concern that, in orienting themselves towards the tastes of a single region, Switzerland’s watchmakers may be puting too many of their eggs in one basket. Well, first, I don’t know of any other baskets out there at the moment and, second, China is an increasingly discriminating market, interested in buying only the best. Unlike so many other industries, which have outsourced production to more cost-effective centres, Switzerland and its watchmakers have largely preserved their mystique by confining the savoir faire needed to make their tiny ticking masterpieces within the borders of this landlocked and mountainous region in the middle of Europe. The result is that the best Swiss watchmakers make products up to a standard rather than down to a price, and the market reflects that.

There are cheaper ways of telling the time, but if I had a few hundred thousand Swiss francs to invest and the choice between garlic-belt government bonds or fine Swiss watchmaking, I know which I would choose.

Nick Foulkes is editor of Vanity Fair On Time

High Jewellery Collection, L’Ame du Voyage.

12 jewellery case

PIn POInT The brooch has been repositioned, says Carol Woolton.

Studded with precious gems, it adorns not just cardigans and collars but bags, hats and even shoulders

Illustration Cecilia Carlstedt

Every once in a while, magazines announce that brooches are back, which is followed by one or two costume pieces shown clasped to a cardigan in a retro-styled fashion shoot.

But spoting a majestic diamond-set beauty pinned onto a gossamer-silk gown, as in the Fifies, the zenith of the brooch era, remains as rare as the sight of a unicorn.

However, during London Fashion Week and the recent Goldsmiths’ Fair, nestled among several collections, a few stylishly modern precious examples were on show.

Enough to herald the return of the brooch? Probably not, but what is clear is that there are designers keen to create a contemporary new version with gemstones.

‘Brooches fell out of favour because women didn’t know how to wear them,’ says jewellery designer Cora Sheibani, who launched her ‘Clouds with a Silver Lining’ collection in September. ‘That’s why I decided to show mine worn, rather than inside a display case, to make it easier for clients to imagine themselves wearing one themselves.’ For her London Fashion Week show, she pinned her silver and rhodium cloud brooches onto a collection of silk dresses by ex-McQueen designer Edeline Lee. ‘Clouds come in all sorts of abstract shapes and can be bright and shiny or dark and atmospheric, just like silver,’ explains Sheibani. One set of brooches comprises three different-sized clouds, five diamond pins and a gold lightning bolt, so that, charmingly, you can choose the weather when you get dressed in the morning.

‘It’s important to highlight the versatility of the brooch,’ designer Jacqueline Cullen, who specialises in Whitby jet, told me at the Goldsmiths’ Fair. She makes gold-beaded chains with toggles so that her circular jet brooches, edged with gold granulations or black diamonds, can also be worn as pendants. ‘People are reassured, for investment purposes, by the presence of the diamonds,’ says Cullen, ‘but I make sure they work for the jet, rather than just with it, and bring something to my aesthetic’.

As a girl, watching her mother pin brooches onto her beret, she learnt that they can be worn in unexpected places, and that, ‘unlike earrings or rings, which are purely decorative, they can be practical, too.’ Like punks using safety pins to atach two parts of a garment together, brooches perform the same function with greater panache.

Across the aisle at the fair, designer Sonia Cheadle was selling her elegant diamond halo and bar brooches to women ‘looking for a couple of pieces to make them stand out’. Inspired by the glamour of the Fifies, she is keen to update the brooch to give it a fresh, contemporary spin.

The halos contain a hefy two carats of diamonds, but, thanks to a fine steel pin at the back, will remain secure and balanced, even on a sheer silk blouse.

A brooch is the only piece of jewellery that does not sit directly on the body. This lends the likes of award-winning designer Shaun Leane greater freedom.

‘I’m not confined by weight, as I am when I’m creating a pair of earrings, so I can be a bit more extravagant,’ he explains. His approach is to create an ‘art jewel’, using the brooch as a frame within the outer frame of the wearer’s clothing. He has created one-off objets d’art for a number of high-profile clients, including a brooch in the shape of a thistle, featuring Tahitian pearls and black spinels, that was commissioned by actress Sarah Jessica Parker. ‘My brooches convert into hairpieces,’ adds Leane. ‘I picked up that quirk during the time when I was restoring Victorian jewellery.’

Louisa Guinness creates jewellery collections in collaboration with artists who, like Leane, confound the usual boundaries of fit and comfort when creating precious pieces, allowing them to be more expressive.

She is a champion of the brooch. When it comes to pulling one off with aplomb, she offers some sage advice.

‘Positioning is all. It’s too granny-ish to wear them on a collar or breast pocket. They look much more edgy worn high up on the shoulder.’

Greek-born sculptor Sophia Vari recently had a show of her generously curved, geometric ebony and gold brooches at Guinness’s gallery, as did American architect turned jewellery designer William Ehrlich, who fashions bold modernist tulips and thistles (clearly, a topical motif) from green and blue sapphires and grey diamonds.

Parisian Muriel Grateau, meanwhile, designs brocade brooches in vivid enamel and glitered lacquer studded with diamonds and sapphires. Her avant-garde pins – litle jewels on clips – can equally well accessorise bags and hats as well as pullovers. ‘Brooches disappeared for a long time,’ she says, ‘but they are completely right for current fashion and the return of the smoking jacket.’

Dare I say it… perhaps the brooch really is back.

Carol Woolton is jewellery editor of Vogue and author of Drawing Jewels for Fashion (£25); she blogs at blog.carolwoolton.com

14 news

destination shopping Harrods excels in curating the best brands and bringing them together under one roof.

Now it’s the turn of the fine watches and jewellery department. The rooms have

ticks and stones

been revamped, doubling in size to create

time to honour

Europe’s biggest selling area for innovative

To celebrate writers and artists across

and classic timepieces and haute joaillerie,

the globe who share a commitment to

such as the Cog necklace from Wilfredo

challenging readers’ perspectives, Zenith

Rosado, above. The Fine Watch Room

is a supporter of the Norman Mailer Center,

features all the top names plus unique

founded to encourage literary figures

brands and stand-alone boutiques, for

imbued with the same passions as the

a total of 35 brands. The Fine Jewellery

late American writer, and also sponsors

Room has also expanded, making this the

the institute’s annual gala. Marking this

one-stop destination for the best timepieces

partnership, it donated one of its iconic

and jewellery around. harrods.com

chronographs – El Primero Chronomaster Open Power Reserve (above) – to each of the four 2011 gala laureates, including Indian novelist Arundhati Roy and Rolling Stones guitarist Keith Richards, who was

ClassiC ComebaCk

honoured with the Distinguished Biography

When Pino Rabolini founded Pomellato in

prize. zenith-watches.com

1967, his vision was to produce fine jewellery without the stuffiness and formality.

In 2001, the brand’s now-iconic Nudo ring revolutionised the ethos of jewellery making. Minimalist, yet full of character, the ring added a touch of humour to the solitaire, featuring coloured semi-precious stones cut and set as if they were solitaire diamonds, and with no visible means of side support. Now, to celebrate a decade of the brand’s emblematic ring, Pomellato

star player

has released a new ‘extreme’ Nudo design.

Looking for a watch that Professor Brian

Maintaining all the characteristics of its

Cox might covet? IWC’s new Portuguese

predecessor, the current design features

Sidérale Scafusia (above) functions as both

new dimensions and comes in seven

a tourbillon and an astronomical instrument

stones, including blue London topaz, lemon

with its two time displays - the main dial

quartz and tangerine garnet, with colour

showing ‘conventional’ time and a small,

nuances that the larger sizes intensify

24-hour dial showing ‘sidereal’ time, ie the

considerably. Wear alone or stack together

a grand tribute

time measured according to the position of

for dramatic colour combination.

Seiko has recreated its signature timepiece,

the earth in relation to the stars rather than

Nudo rings from £2,020 each; pomellato.com

the Grand Seiko, to celebrate the company’s

the sun. A sunrise and sunset indicator, leap

130th anniversary. The limited-edition

year calendar and a rotating planisphere

watches come in three versions and feature

that displays around 500 stars makes this

the Caliber 9S64, a newly developed

the most complex wristwatch IWC has ever

mechanical hand-winding movement that

made. £550,000; iwc.com

boasts the very latest in high-technology watchmaking, while the design remains

seeing red

faithful to the original Sixties model.

This beautifully intricate necklace (right)

The handsome, clean face embodies

is brand new to the Tiffany & Co collection.

Seiko’s values of accuracy, durability and

Originally designed by Jean Schlumberger,

sophistication. But you’ll need to move fast

who transformed nature’s wonders into

as there are only 130 anniversary editions

colourful creations, the unique piece

available in the exclusive gold and platinum

features red spinels and diamonds set in

executions. grand-seiko.com

18ct gold and platinum. POA; tiffany.com

Wonderfully wicked Stephen Webster’s latest collection of couture cocktails rings is not for the faint-hearted.

‘It Started with Eve…’ takes inspiration from history’s most deadly – and glamorous – bad girls, with Lady Macbeth, Bonnie Parker and The Girl with the Golden Gun (above) all taking starring roles. Webster’s decadent rings are set with exotic gemstones including tanzanite, red garnet and rubies, and come with more than a touch of the designer’s black humour. stephenwebster.com

©2011 Harry Winston, Inc. harrywinston.com

TM

171 NEW BOND STREET LONDON 0207 907 8800

16 coveted Photography Thomas Brown Words Simon de Burton Styling Ciara Walshe

the time lord

It was way back in 1925 when

Patek Philippe first managed to scale down the mind-boggling perpetual-calendar mechanism to wristwatch size, meaning the well-heeled no longer had to suffer the inconvenience of needing to adjust their timepiece to take account of short months and leap years. But the movement’s technical complexity meant it was 1944 before the legendary watch house put it into regular production. Three years earlier, Patek had achieved another first by combining the complications of 1518. Last year, one fetched more than $615,000 at Christie’s and a variation of the model, a super-rare Reference 1527, realised a staggering $5.7m, making it the most expensive yellow gold watch ever sold at auction. Such heady sums put the £118,940 price tag of Patek’s recently launched, 456-part Reference 5270G perpetual-calendar chronograph in perspective – not least because the brand’s watches featuring this particular array of complicatons have historically proved to be remarkably good investments.

I’d choose one over stocks and shares any day.

Patek Philippe white gold Reference 5270G on an alligator strap, available at Watches of Switzerland, 0800 111 4116; watches-of-switzerland.co.uk

Set deSign Sarah Parker ASSiStAnt StePhanie keverS

a perpetual calendar and a chronograph in its Reference

18 artefact Photography Thomas Brown Words Joanne Glasbey

zip code

It was the Duchess of Windsor who

first suggested the idea of a necklace based on the humble zip to Renée Puissant, then artistic director of her parents’ distinguished Parisian jewellery house, Van Cleef & Arpels.

Subverting the zip fastener was a stroke of genius. Developed for use in sailors’ uniforms and other pedestrian but practical applications, it was first taken up by the fashion world in the Thirties – an era when women discarded conventionality and claimed their independence. An invention whose function is simply to open and close and to conceal what is beneath, the zip was completely reinterpreted by the house. Recast in precious metal and gemstones, it metamorphosed into a piece of jewellery that proudly displayed its delicacy and refinement to the world.

Worn open as a necklace or zipped up into a bracelet, Van Cleef & Arpels Zip consists of two white gold ribbons bordered with tiny hooks that mesh into one another. The extreme precision of the gem-setting and articulation technique gives the piece flexibility, allowing the mechanism to function like a real zip.

The sapphire tassel, in the shape of a knotted ribbon, moves the slider up and down, allowing it to be worn in those varying lengths. It’s a shape-shifter that changes mood and has teeth – not unlike, some might say, the estimable Wallis Simpson.

Zip Necklace from the Couture Collection in white gold with sapphires and round and princess-cut diamonds, price on application, Van Cleef & Arpels; 020 7493 0400; vancleef-arpels.com

PhotograPher’s assistant sam hofman set design sarah Parker assistant stePhanie kevers

Styling Ciara Walshe

one to watch

21

Words Sarah Carpin Photography Philip Sinden

gothic arrival With the launch of his women’s collection, the dark creations of Tomasz Donocik are on course to be the next big thing in fine jewellery

Within the venerable surroundings of Garrard, London’s grande dame of jewellery houses, is a new exhibition space dedicated, until the end of November, to hot new jewellery designer Tomasz Donocik.

The Polish-born Austrian is probably more at home in the edgier environs of Dalston and Shoreditch than Mayfair, but a foray into the upper echelons of haute joaillerie is something with which he is completely at ease.

Hailed as the most promising of his generation afer his graduate exhibition at the Royal College of Art in 2006, Donocik was described by Sotheby’s director of jewellery, Joanna Hardy, as having the potential to be the next big thing. Since then, he has established a relationship with Garrard and its creative director Stephen Webster, who has mentored him and supported his work.

You might think such early adulation would have gone to his head, but there is no sign of a huge ego in this rising star, who combines Byronic good looks with an intense, earnest personality. As he talks about his work, it becomes evident he is more preoccupied with crafsmanship and artistry than gaining plaudits or commercial gain.

Donocik’s dark glamour and dandyish signature style has been heavily influenced by his European heritage.

‘I chose to study jewellery in the context of fine art,’ he says. ‘And I see myself first and foremost as a designer rather than a jeweller, which is why I like to experiment with non-precious materials such as leather and fabric as well as silver and gold.’

His first designs, which were predominantly for men, but ofen worn by women, combined sculpturallooking leather, inlaid with gold and silver. He called it the Chesterfield collection, paying homage to the traditional styles of the gentleman’s club. In contrast, the popular leather wrap bracelets in his current range are set with silver Soviet stars. It’s a romantic, urban look, blurring masculinity and femininity to achieve an edgy and slightly sinister look without reverting to the ubiquitous skull. ‘I stay away from them – they’ve been used by so many other designers and it’s more interesting to explore the darker side in other ways,’ he explains.

All of Donocik’s designs have a strong supporting story and, in the pieces being shown at Garrard, which is his first fine-jewellery collection for women, his narrative is about the ‘garden of good and evil’. ‘I used the idea of an overgrown, forgoten garden that is beautiful but neglected.

I wanted the collection to have a fairytale quality to it – magical but, at the same time, slightly menacing. My first thoughts were to twist a children’s story – I imagined evil dwarves collecting precious gems for a greedy Snow White – but, in the end, decided that I really ought to make my first fine-jewellery range a bit more grown-up.’

The dwarves are likely to make a future appearance in silver, but the collection took a more botanical direction, celebrating the sinister alongside the sublime. ‘The dark side, in the shape of Venus flytraps, is counterbalanced by the innocence of snowbells, and there are pieces with tsavorites and rubies set on the tips to represent poison dripping out of the flowers.’ It also gives a nod to current trends in fashion, such as multiple chains, stacking and interlocking rings and movement.

The connection between jewellery and fashion is something the designer has also been exploring, and his Garrard collection includes a set of jewelled silk scarves that are both a fashion accessory and a piece of jewellery.

The range will expand next year to include jewelled gloves, created in collaboration with a Parisian glovemaker.

Donocik is breaking the boundaries of jewellery design, and doing it with the highest degree of crafsmanship.

And, while you may yet need to be convinced to don a pair of evil-dwarf earrings, he is most definitely one to watch.

Sarah Carpin is a jewellery and watches consultant and writer

Pocket Watch PW1 Wristwatch WW1

49 mm 45 mm - Alligator strap

Information: Bell & Ross UK +44 207 096 08 78 . information@bellross.com . e-Boutique: www.bellross.com

icon 23

star turn Jaeger-LeCoultre celebrates a watch that has stood the test of time (and polo field) for 80 years: the Reverso Words Maria Doulton

Having withstood the test of time – not to mention the polo field – for 80 years, the Jaeger-LeCoultre Reverso has been given a new spin for the modern age. To commemorate the 80th anniversary of the Jaeger-LeCoultre Reverso, the Swiss house has created new versions of this enduring classic of the watch pantheon. The Grande Reverso Ultra Thin, Grande Reverso Duo and Reverso Répétition Minutes à Rideau prove there’s plenty of life in the old design yet.

Like other pieces of design whose unique quirks became their unmistakable identities – the Vespa, Volkswagen Beetle and Anglepoise lamp, for example – the Reverso was born out of necessity (if polo-playing can be considered as such). Proof of its longevity is that, three-quarters of a century afer the first was sold, the watch is still a bestseller across the world, even if its original purpose is but a distant memory in the heat and dust of times past.

The story goes that, in the early Thirties, during the later days of British colonial rule in India, and before the invention of cases made from resilient crystal, officers were complaining that their watch glasses were being shatered by errant balls during particularly rambunctious chukkas.

The pressing problem of the polo player’s watch came to the atention of Swiss businessman César de Trey who, having made his fortune in dental products, turned his talents to promoting fine watchmaking.

Returning from a trip to India with tales of elephants and maharajas, he had in his pocket a smashed watch handed to him afer a polo match by a crestfallen player who complained that this kept on happening. Rather than suggest the perhaps obvious solution of leaving one’s watch in a locker, de Trey sensed he might be on to a winner. The entrepreneur worked with his business partner, Jacques-David LeCoultre, and the Jaeger workshop in Paris to develop a timepiece capable of withstanding great impacts.

Ever inventive, LeCoultre looked beyond the remote Vallée du Joux in the Jura mountains – the heartland of watchmaking – for a more ingenious solution than just a watch with a cover.

The French capital, where Art Deco was in full

Clockwise from left: Jaeger-LeCoultre Reverso Répétition Minutes à Rideau; King Edward VIII plays polo in Long Island, New York, in the Thirties; vintage ad for the Reverso Patrimony; Grande Reverso Duo

swing, was where he found engineer René-Alfred Chauvot, whom he commissioned to find an elegant technical solution.

And so, the Reverso, perhaps the world’s first purpose-built sports watch, was born – as was the firm we now know as Jaeger-LeCoultre.

The solution was brilliant in its simplicity: the rectangular face slid on ball bearings along a track, swivelled 180° and snapped upside down into its case. With the metal back outwards, the timepiece could be safely worn while playing polo, then simply clicked back into place in time for G&Ts. The success of this newfangled timepiece was probably as much to do with its practicality and built-in fiddle appeal as its streamlined Art Deco beauty. The Reverso is symbolic of an age in which reason and logic triumphed over the purely decorative and, in its own small way, was a wrist-worn revolution.

Bold but nonetheless pure in appearance, it was underpinned by technical prowess and brilliant litle twists of engineering – a manifestation of the breakneck speed of progress that, in the preceding decades, had issued forth the automobile, the first transatlantic flight and the Eiffel Tower.

Yet delicious details, such as the blued-steel hands and horizontal grooves along the top and botom of the case, remind us of the traditional crafsmanship invested in each of these watches.

Even though the arrival of unbreakable glass a few years later rendered the Reverso’s original use redundant, such was its popularity beyond the polo crowd that it went on to become an icon. To commemorate its birthday, ultra-slim versions faithful to the original design have been created, as well as a dual-time zone model and another that has a minute repeater with a shuter that glides across the dial. A similarly slender women’s anniversary edition transforms from an elegant daytime watch into a bejewelled gold face shimmering with diamonds for the evening. When you’re 80, you need no excuse to celebrate in style. jaeger-lecoultre.com Maria Doulton is a writer specialising in jewellery and watches and is the editor of thejewelleryeditor.com

28 years. 230 patents.

at last, a watch that reects the natural, continuous ow of time. spring drive.

ANANTA. More than 30 years ago, a SEIKO engineer dreamed of a new kind of watch that would reflect the real flow of time.

28 years of R&D later, Spring Drive was born, the only watch in the world with hands that move with no tick and no noise, in perfect glide motion. Today, the Spring Drive Chronograph sets a new standard in luxury chronographs, capturing the exact elapsed time, not just to the nearest fraction, with an accuracy five times greater than any mechanical chronometer. With a design inspired by Katana, the ancient Japanese art of sword making, it proves the value of 130 years of dedication to perfection. seiko.co.uk

legend 25

While it is difficult to separate fact from fiction in the tall tale of the Hope Diamond, its status as the world’s most important gemstone has never been in debate. Since it was first unearthed around 500 years ago in India, it has had a starring role in the French crown jewels, been stolen and smuggled, falling into the hands of an English king, been loved to distraction by an eccentric American socialite, and, along the way, acquired a reputation for being cursed.

The role this single steely-blue stone has played in the turbulent affairs of men began with Jean-Baptiste Tavernier, a merchant who acquired the 112ct triangularcut diamond in India. Legend has it he stole it from the eye of a temple idol, although historians have dismissed that as fantasy. What is proven is that he sold it to Louis XIV of France in 1668. A few years later, it was recut and almost halved to 67 carats and, in the royal inventories, became known as the French Blue. It was set in gold and sparkled on the neck ribbon worn by the king for the most lavish of ceremonial occasions.

Some eight decades later, Louis XV had the stone reset into a piece for the crown jewels. And there in the French court it might have remained had it not, like its owner, become one of the victims of the revolution. In 1792, afer an atempt by Louis XVI and Marie Antoinete to flee the country, the royal treasuries were looted and the French Blue was stolen.

What became of the stone for the following few tumultuous years remains a mystery. It is likely it was smuggled out of France and clandestinely sold and resold.

It resurfaced in 1812 with a new identity – a blue diamond is recorded in the catalogues of London merchant Daniel Eliason, although it was cut differently and had been reduced to 44 carats – perhaps in the hope of hiding its origin.

Eliason sold the stone to the one person in the country unconcerned about its background: King George IV. The fact that His Majesty purchased it at all was quite an achievement for the gem dealer – most of his ostentatious coronation jewels were hired. Despite George IV’s habit of living beyond his means, he managed to hold on to the diamond until his death in 1830, when it was sold to a mystery buyer to pay off the king’s vast debts.

The stone’s next recorded owner, nine years later, was Henry Philip Hope – the man from whom it takes its name. Almost as soon as he acquired it, Hope died and, afer much litigation, it passed to his nephew and then his grandson, Lord Francis Hope, who, caring more for gambling than diamonds, surrendered it on becoming bankrupt.

In the early part of the 20th century, the Hope Diamond changed hands several times, crossing the Atlantic from London to New York, then back to Paris, where it was briefly owned by Pierre Cartier. It was he who showed it to the socialite Evalyn Walsh McLean. A feisty, flamboyant woman, the daughter of an Irish-American immigrant who had made his fortune in the Californian gold rush, she eloped in 1908 with the handsome heir to the Washington Post fortune. With $200,000 in spending money, the newlyweds sailed off on an extravagant three-month honeymoon to Europe; at the end of the trip, they arrived in Paris without even the funds to pay their hotel bill.

the big blue

Coveted by spendthrifts and stolen by cutpurses, the reputedly cursed Hope Diamond has many facets

Words Sarah Carpin

26 legend

Previous page: The Hope Diamond in 2010 in a temporary setting: a platinum necklace by Harry Winston Inc.

Right from top: George IV; Louis XIV; the gem in its traditional setting; Evalyn Walsh McLean wearing the Hope Diamond

Was the tale of a diamond snatched from the eye of an Indian temple idol simply part of Pierre Cartier’s sales patter?

We will never know The Hope Diamond has remained in the museum ever since, but its story does not end there. Equally as fascinating as its colourful history is its ability to change colour – under ultraviolet light, it was discovered, the blue stone gives off a fiery orange glow. ‘It looks like a coal on a barbecue,’ explains gemmologist and national gem collection curator Dr Jeff Post. While this is not a mystical phenomenon unique to the Hope stone – phosphorescence is common to all natural blue diamonds – Post discovered that each has its own particular type by which scientists can identify it.

‘Diamonds that have been treated artificially to turn them blue so they can be passed off as more valuable natural-coloured stones do not glow in the same way – their fingerprint is completely different.

Now, fakes are much easier to detect,’ he says.

While its heady days of passing from one spectacularly rich and spendthrif owner to another are long gone, the legacy of the Hope Diamond continues. Frédéric de Narp, president and CEO of Harry Winston Inc, says the same principles that led to its donation to the Smithsonian back in the Fifies are still upheld by the company: ‘Harry Winston is about rarity, beauty, quality and crafsmanship,’ he says. ‘It’s about creating unique fine jewellery and timepieces without compromise.

‘One of the things that has always impressed me was the incredible vision Mr Winston displayed in giving his rarest treasure to the Smithsonian to help educate the world about amazing gemstones.

For me, that really represents the essence of what made him who he was and the company what it became and still is today. It is not only about a passion for the most famous jewels in the world, but a sense of compassion in wanting to share these gifs with others.’

Harry Winston used to say his designs were dictated by the individual beauty of the gemstones. With this in mind, he challenged his designers and crafsman to create new, pioneering techniques for jewellery design, and setings that allowed the gem, rather than the metal, to be the focal point of each creation. This love of and appreciation for the magic of diamonds is something he shared with Evalyn Walsh McLean and the many other colourful owners of the Hope Diamond – the most enchanting stone in the world. harrywinston.com

bettmann/Corbis, getty images

‘So I cabled my father and he sent me fresh credit and his love,’ said Walsh McLean in her memoirs.

‘Then I went to Cartier. I always get into trouble when I have money in my hands.’

She loved the diamond but not the seting.

Undeterred, Pierre Cartier had it reset and flew with it to Washington, where he lef it with her for a weekend. His gamble paid off and the sale was concluded in 1912, the stone mounted in a tiara. Sometime later, Walsh McLean had it reset again, when it became the pendant as it appears today. She owned and wore it almost daily until her death in 1947. In fact, according to one story, it took a lot of persuading to get her to take it off even when she was admited to hospital for a goitre operation.

And what of the stone’s famous curse?

Susanne Patch, in her book on the Hope Diamond, wonders if Cartier himself started the legend.

It is said Walsh McLean enjoyed a good yarn and believed objects that boded ill to others brought her good luck. According to Patch’s research, the first mention of the curse in print was in the early 1900s. Perhaps an embellished tale of a blue diamond snatched from the eye of an Indian temple idol was simply part of Cartier’s sales pater. We will never truly know.

What is curious, however, is that, while Walsh McLean viewed the stone as a talisman, others claimed she was a victim of its curse.

Her eldest son died in a car crash when he was nine, her daughter commited suicide at the age of 25 and her husband was declared insane.

Although she had bequeathed the diamond to her grandchildren, all her jewels were sold two years afer her death to setle her debts.

The purchaser was diamond specialist Harry Winston. He dismissed speculation about the curse. ‘It’s silly to imagine diamonds exert any good or evil influence. It’s not the diamonds but the people who handle them that cause the misfortune,’ he said. ‘In fact, since we’ve had the Hope Diamond, our business has multiplied four times.’

Over the next decade, Winston used the diamond as a means for good, raising money for worthy causes by exhibiting it and allowing it to be worn at charitable events. He understood that its inherent value extended well beyond its monetary worth: ‘We’ve owned it for 10 years. I could have sold it many times for a profit,’ he said. ‘Instead, we raised more than a million dollars for charity.’

In 1958, he donated it to the Smithsonian Institution in Washington to help establish the United States’ national gem and mineral collection, believing that a stone of such gemmological and historic significance deserved to be shared, rather than hidden away in a private home.

28 style

high society Chanel’s J12 is that rarity – a fashion watch that can hold its own in the company of the horological aristocracy Words Maria Doulton Photography Thomas Brown

The Rolex Submariner, the Cartier Tank and the Audemars Piguet Royal Oak are widely recognised as classic watches, all designed by long-established watchmaking companies. But how did Chanel, a fashion house, come to create an iconic watch – in other words, identifiable from across the road, an enduring design and on its way to becoming a classic? And what would Gabrielle ‘Coco’ Chanel herself have done if she had designed a watch?

Looking at a grainy Thirties black-and-white photograph of Chanel in Paris, leaning against the railings on the terrace of her suite in the Hôtel Ritz, cigarete in hand, draped in jewellery, wearing a chic tweed skirt, the clue is in the fabric. Fashionable women didn’t wear tweed until Chanel, inspired by visits to Scotland, took this robust material and turned it into something new and highly desirable. Continually flouting convention with moves like this, Chanel changed forever the way women dress by offering them the elegant, clean lines of men’s clothing.

Chanel’s designs were different to anything else, and so was she: she showed her ankles in trousers, wore open-necked shirts and preferred streamlined design to the corsetry and ruffles of the day.

Jersey – cheap and previously used mainly for men’s underwear – was adopted by Chanel to make seductive dresses when times were tight.

It became her signature fabric. She would continually sidestep snobbery, and didn’t stop at clothes – for example, mixing paste with gems to create a new category of jewellery that was wearable throughout the day.

While the world of Chanel may seem many miles removed from that of master watchmakers hunched over workbenches in the Swiss valleys, or material scientists forging high-tech materials into watches, they all come together most elegantly in the ceramic J12, Chanel’s most instantly recognisable wristwatch to date.

And what makes the J12 stand out is the high-technology ceramic used to create the case and bracelet. Found in products as diverse as false teeth and space shutles, this glossy, scratch-resistant material, in the hands of the fashion house, becomes as alluring as a new alloy of gold.

Chanel was not the first to use it in a watch, but the house did it with such panache, as Coco herself would have done, that it set the J12 on the road to fame. High-tech ceramic, the people at Chanel explain, ‘is used in industrial technology – in particular, aeronautics and aerospace – and formed from blending two metal powders: zirconium dioxide and ytrium.

Moulded under high pressure and at a temperature of 1450°C, these soon bond, become dense and acquire ceramic’s characteristic black colour.

Its natural glow is then enhanced with a diamond-powder polish.’

And true to the founder’s heritage, the quality of Chanel J12 watches is unimpeachable. One of the first fashion houses to go the whole way and set up an atelier in Switzerland, Chanel has since ventured into the realms of high horology with complications such as tourbillons. Many of the models have mechanical movements and are as lovely under the dial as they are on the outside.

Launched in 2000, the J12 was designed by the late Jacques Helleu, artistic director at Chanel, and was named for his favourite class of racing yacht. As with Coco Chanel’s creations, the new arrival elegantly defied convention in terms of what a sports watch should look like, with its stylish use of high-tech ceramic.

With the first J12, Helleu’s aim was to create a practical, minimalist watch to glide from scuba dive to dinner at Cap d’Antibes without missing a beat, yet be robust enough to look afer itself with a reliable automatic movement. Although he created the first J12 for himself, it atracted the atention of women eager to be wearing the most fashionable watch – a timepiece that oozed Chanel style but with a chunky swagger to it. Originally available only in natural lustrous inky black, the J12 was soon recreated in stunning snow white and, this year, a tantalising grey-sky hue named ‘Chromatic’ (pictured).

With the success of the Chanel J12, it is easy to forget that, not much more than 10 years ago, the combination of high-tech ceramic with a sprinkling of rubies, diamonds or sapphires would have been unthinkable. Coco Chanel herself would surely have delighted in the technical innovation, as well as in the way the house that bears her name has yet again created an iconic style statement from such a practical material. chanel.com

Matt Murphy and Kirk Beattie Founders of b Store Matt Murphy and Kirk Beattie are designers of the b Store fashion brand.

Through determination and imagination they have carved out a welcome niche with their purist approach to fashion.

G-Shock’s ethos of “Never, Never Give Up” is something both Matt and Kirk promote through an eternally positive approach. Their ideas and collaborations help continually grow and build their business. The G-Shock Premium watch is a perfect accessory to their demanding lifestyles and helps keep their busy schedules in check.

Matt and Kirk select the G-Shock Premium series

MTG-1500B-1A1JF

Available at Goldsmiths, Selfridges, Liberty of London and selected Jewellers

g-shock.co.uk

Photography by Willem Jaspert

30 yachting watches

new wave The relationship between watchmakers and the sailing world results in a flotilla of exciting new yachting timepieces each year Words Simon de Burton

‘Just sit on there and hang on to the two red ropes,’ said renowned yacht racer Loïck Peyron, pointing to what can best be described as an up-turned horn protruding from the back of his AC45 catamaran – a high-tech, carbon-fibre racing boat with a solid ‘wingsail’. I wondered if he was joking as I obediently straddled the thing, despite knowing that an AC45 is essentially the yacht world’s equivalent of an F1 car, running on two hulls instead of four wheels.

And when the pace picks up, one hull is invariably hovering several feet above the surface of the water.

Nothing, however, would have held me back from the rare opportunity to travel on the Energy Team boat on that foggy September day in Plymouth Sound – and the ride was every bit as thrilling as I had expected. I was taking part in the first America’s Cup race held in British waters for 160 years, thanks to French luxury goods house Louis Vuiton, the official sponsor and timekeeper of the 34th America’s Cup, due to take place in San Francisco Bay in 2013.

The AC45s and, later, their bigger, faster sisters the AC72s, will be used in a World Series of a dozen regatas leading to the Louis Vuiton Cup in the summer of 2013, the winner of which will go on to challenge the America’s Cup holder, Oracle.

The first Louis Vuiton Cup was held in 1983 at Newport, Rhode Island, establishing one of the longest-running sponsorships in sports history – and, since LV added watchmaking to its manifest in 2002, the sailing association has provided a good excuse Above, from left: Louis Vuitton’s Tambour Regatta LV Cup; BMW Oracle, the winning yacht in the 2010 America’s Cup; Luminor Submersible 1950 Regatta

An AC45 catamaran is the yacht world’s equivalent of an F1 car, running on two hulls, instead of four wheels to create an impressive range of specialised timepieces, Tambour Regata, with countdown functions designed to prevent false starts.

Among the latest is the Tambour Regata LV Cup (from £5,750; louisvuiton.com), with black, blue or chocolate brown dials. And, as the official America’s Cup timekeeper, the brand is puting the finishing touches to a new model due for launch at next year’s Baselworld watch fair that will take into account an alteration in the pre-start countdown.

But the fact that yacht racing is appreciated by exactly the type of people who spend thousands rather than hundreds on their watches means that Louis Vuiton is far from sailing in empty waters when it comes to producing nautical timepieces.

Corum (corum.ch) sponsors Olympic gold medallist Ben Ainslie as well as the America’s Cup Energy Team crew, and offers numerous watches in its long-standing Admiral’s Cup line. Among the latest is the Seafender 46, available either as three-handed watch or chronograph (£6,475), both waterproof to

300 metres. Hublot (hublot.com), one-time backer of America’s Cup-winning yacht Alinghi, chose this year’s 10th anniversary of the Monaco Classic to unveil its 45mm, titanium Classic Fusion model (€9,500) designed for the Monaco Yacht Club, where it is official timekeeper.

Sponsor of well-known Alex Thomson Racing, Hugo Boss (bosswatches.co.uk) – the new official watch partner of Cowes Week – offers a funky regata watch, the 1512501, with a countdown timer and orange highlights (£485). Luxury brand Zenith (zenith-watches.com) has recently taken on sponsorship of the record-breaking, twin hydrofoil catamaran l’Hydroptère whose skipper, Alain Thébault, wears a special black Alchron version of the El Primero Striking 10th chronograph (£7,900).

Meanwhile, IWC (iwc.com) is the official timing partner of the gruelling, nine-month, 39,270-mile Volvo Ocean Race which started from Alicante on 5 November and ends in Galway next July. A special version of IWC’s Yacht Club watch has been made for the occasion (standard models start from £9,000). The sister brand to GirardPerregaux, JeanRichard (jeanrichard.com), should be batling for glory in the same race. Franck Cammas, skipper of Groupama, and his crew wear specialedition Diverscope Cammas chronographs (£6,600).

Omega (omegawatches.com) backs the America’s Cup Emirates Team New Zealand, skippered by Dean Barker. He and his crew wear the new Seamaster Planet Ocean watches that are available in ‘time only’ form (£3,800) or as chronographs (£5,000).

So commited to classic yacht racing is Panerai (panerai.com) that it has even bought and restored a classic yacht, the Thirties Bermudian ketch Eilean. The brand also sponsors the Panerai Classic Yachts Challenge for which it mints a watch each year; the latest is the Luminor Submersible 1950 Regata with GMT function (£7,100).

Rolex (rolex.com), too, has long backed the world’s great yacht races, including the Sydney to Hobart and the Fastnet, as well as champion sailors Paul Cayard and Robert Scheidt. The Yacht-Master II features a programmable countdown and mechanical ‘memory’ (£7,480 in steel and platinum).

But clearly the main feature of any nautical watch should, of course, be a capability to reliably inform when the sun is over the yardarm...

Simon de Burton writes about watches for the Daily Telegraph

cOcKTAIL HOUR

These rings, with their high-carat large gems or clusters, make a bold statement. Pair them with a little black dress and light up the evening PhotograPhy THOMAS BROWN StyLISt CIARA WALSHE

Opposite, above, clockwise from top left: Bombé ring set with 21.18cts of oval rubies and 1.70cts of diamonds, price on application, Graff. 18ct white gold ‘Entanglement’ ring set with a 13.45ct oval tanzanite and 2cts of diamonds, £14,000, Garrard. Yellow gold and lacquer ‘Coffret de Victoire’ ring set with diamonds, coral, rubellite, black jade, spessartite garnets, rubies and emeralds, POA, Dior Joaillerie. Platinum cabochon ring set with a 76.39ct sapphire, POA, Harry Winston.

White gold flower ring set with diamonds and a cushion-cut emerald, POA, Adler Opposite, below: White-gold ‘Limelight’ ring set with white diamonds, pink oval-cut tourmalines and pear-cut sapphires, £40,000, Piaget This page, above, clockwise from top: Pink gold ‘Parentesi’ cocktail ring set with a citrine and diamonds, £6,450, Bulgari. Platinum cluster ring set with 12.93cts of radiant-cut diamonds, POA, and platinum cocktail ring set with diamonds and a 33.33ct pink tourmaline, £17,950, both Lucie Campbell This page, below, clockwise from top: 18ct white gold ring with a diamond micro-set band, set with a 20.76ct oval Paraiba tourmaline and Paraiba tourmaline side stones, POA, David Morris. Sculpted white gold camellia ring set with a moonstone, aquamarines and diamonds, £83,050, Chanel Fine Jewellery. Platinum solitaire ring set with 43.5cts of yellow sapphires, POA, Harry Winston STOCKISTS DETAILS ON PAGE 56

Photographer’s assistant Sam Hofman Set designer Sarah Parker Set designer’s assistant Stephanie Kevers

34 Couture

design by numbers The new Dior VIII watches point to a long history of numerology at the fashion house

The relationship between fashion and time is complex, with all the inherent contradictions of an industry revolving in a race against the clock, celebrating the calibrated workings of the past, at the same instant as looking to the future. Nowhere is this more apparent than in the Paris couture houses that have turned their atentions to designing luxury watches – watchfulness being another key ingredient in the art of fashion – and Dior in particular.

Christian Dior’s first watch collection was launched in 1975 – 18 years afer the death of the brand’s founder in October 1957. At the time of writing (although a change is imminent) the house has not yet appointed a new creative director, since the departure of John Galliano.

Time is therefore of the essence at Dior, so its choice of a number to name its latest watch collection – Dior VIII – is significant. According to Laurence Nicolas, president of Dior watches and fine jewellery, ‘it evokes Monsieur Dior’s lucky number. He was very superstitious, opening his house in the VIII arrondissement of Paris, on 8 October 1946, and naming his first collection, in 1947, “en huit” (in eight).’ The Dior VIII line, she continues, ‘is a metaphor of a couture house wardrobe composed of the timeless litle black dresses (suggested in horological form by black ceramic bracelets, in eight different versions), colourful cocktail dresses (set with diamonds, citrines, garnets and pink sapphires), and ballgowns…’ These later are represented by the Grand Bal watches, a range for which each design is produced in limited editions of 88, with price tags to match the most splendid of Dior evening gowns (well into the tens of thousands).

All of these figures would have been highly significant to Christian Dior himself – a man with a profound atachment to the magical meaning of numbers, as well as an understanding of the importance of the economic arithmetic of couture (both the botom line, and the transience of fashion). ‘A historian like my friend [Pierre] Gaxote reckons that 50 years have to elapse before one can give a considered opinion on any event,’ he observed in his memoir, Dior by Dior, ‘but I never have more than three months in which to reflect on my past collection before I have to

condé nast/corbis, pierre even

Words Justine Picardie

return to work. “Fashion dies young,” wrote Cocteau, and it is therefore natural that its rhythms should be more hectic than that of history.’

For all the calmness of his outward appearance – ‘Dior is like a bland country curate made of pink marzipan,’ remarked Cecil Beaton, ‘as modest as a sugar violet in spite of the eulogies that have been heaped upon him’ – the couturier was constantly beset by anxieties about the passage of time. Whenever the deadline loomed for a new collection, he confessed, he felt ‘tortured by regret, caprice and curiosity all at once… I am frightened of giving birth to premature designs whose insufficiently developed forms will encumber me in the future.’ Yet even while consumed by apprehension, Dior continued, ‘I already know that between the 1st and the 15th of the month I shall have covered endless blocks of paper with a crowd of tiny hieroglyphical figures, which I alone will be able to decipher.’

He ofen returned to the number 8 – the shape of the ‘figure eight’ line that had been the essence of his famous New Look in 1947 – and as time passed, his superstition increased. Dior’s biographer, Marie-France Pochna, refers to the arcane rituals that became essential to the couturier: asking his chauffeur to take the same route to his headquarters eight times over to ensure good luck when a new collection was launched, or on the way to consult his trusted fortune teller, Madame Delahaye, while also trying to avoid any evocation of the dreaded number seven. (Why, precisely, he associated this with ill fortune remains unclear, but according to Pochna, ‘He never liked odd numbers, and seven… was a number that set Dior trembling.’)

Pochna’s account of Dior’s punishing schedule, and his death from a heart atack at the age of 52, makes salutary reading; not least when considering Galliano’s fall from grace: ‘Dior had become a hostage to his own success… “The livelihood of 900 people is riding on my collection,” he used to say in the early years. Later, the Dior concern employed 1,700 people around the world and its chief executive was expected to be everywhere at once. His presence was demanded in all four corners of the globe, in New York and beyond, to launch a new licence, visit a department store, open a new branch, or make a speech or take part in a conference…

‘So much with Dior had to do with contradictions; his ongoing struggle was always with himself. Sadly, the merry-go-round he now rode was spinning too fast for him and the only thing that kept him going was the artificial high of overextending himself.’

Galliano arrived at Dior in October 1996, his first couture show coinciding with the brand’s 50th anniversary the following year, and by 2001, he was fully involved in the integration of the company’s watches with his fashion collections.

It was at this point that Dior acquired its own production unit in La Chaux-de-Fonds (the Swiss

Christian Dior himself had a profound attachment to the magical meaning of numbers... the designer often returned to the number eight in his work heartland of horological expertise). Two years later, Victoire de Castellane, the Dior jewellery designer, came up with her first timepiece, La D de Dior (‘inspired by a man’s watch from the Seventies,’ says Nicolas, ‘and borrowed by a woman as a constant reminder of him’). In 2005, Galliano designed the Christal range (still a best-seller amongst luxury watches) using sapphire crystal for the bracelet; the rainbow palete of the collection is added to every season, this year in violet.

In general, Dior emphasises the collaborative nature of its work at the Parisian ateliers with horology experts in Switzerland – not only at La Chaux-de-Fonds, but also Maison Bunter in Geneva, for stone setings, alongside other Swiss specialists (including Soprod and Frédéric Jouvenot) for the development of the Dior Inversé calibre, an oscillating weight on the dial.

Nicolas, like the rest of her colleagues at Dior, is swif to cite the words of the founder when explaining the contemporary aesthetic of the brand: ‘Elegance is an ensemble where the invisible is as important as the visible’. Hence the design, which reveals what is traditionally concealed in watchmaking – ‘It places the oscillating weight of the automatic movement on top of the dial, thereby paying tribute to the work of a couturier for who the lining must be as beautiful as the dress itself.’

Finally – inevitably – it is Christian Dior, again, who is quoted by Nicolas as the starting point for the Dior VIII watches (just as he will always be the foundation of the House of Dior): “‘I dreamt of being an architect,’ he said. ‘As a couturier, I have to respect the principles of architecture.’” If God is in the detail, in fashion as in architecture, then Dior watchmaking still holds true to the holy creed. dior.com Justine Picardie is the author of Coco Chanel: The Legend and the Life, published by Harper Collins

Opposite, from left: 38mm Dior VIII Grand Bal pleated watch; Dior gown from 1949; 38mm Dior VIII automatic movement with rotating bezel set with diamonds.

This page, from top: Christian Dior working with

a model; Dior VIII Grand Bal lace bezel; Victoire de Castellane, designer of the La D de Dior watch, shown here with the 25mm quartz movement, a mother-of-pearl dial and black satin strap

00 slug here

AS GOOD AS GOLD knowing how your most prized pair of earrings or cufflinks started its journey is crucial – a ‘fairtrade and fairmined’ stamp proves its ethical and ecological credentials are rock solid words Mary SanderSon PHoToGrAPHY andy BarT er

38

Gold – lustrous and covetable, it symbolises love, power, wealth. luxury. Perhaps it’s a wedding ring that prompts a rush of emotion. Or maybe a huge, weighty bit of bling – a sign of the good times or a healthy bank balance. But do we ever stop to think about the provenance of those precious nuggets? If we did, we would discover the harsh reality of their origin is a good deal less glamorous.

In today’s uncertain economic climate, and because of its ever-increasing price – fetching US$320 per ounce in 1999, it commands US$1,650 today – gold is an incredibly valuable asset. But, for decades, it has been hewn by smallscale miners, in some of the poorest parts of the world, exploited by middlemen who bring it to market but do not give them a fair price in return. Africa, Asia and South America account for 90 per cent of a 15m-strong global labour force in which men, women and children ofen work in harsh and treacherous conditions.

However, as a result of the endeavours of a number of non-government organisations, years of lobbying and a growing consumer concern for ethical and fairly traded

This page: Macdesa mining company employees at the Cuatro Horas mine in Peru, which is currently undergoing Fairtrade certification

Opposite: A smallscale artisan miner at the Fairtrade-certified Oro Verde mining co-operative in Colombia surveys the results of his labours

products, the jewellery industry has finally responded.

Gemma Cartwright of the Fairtrade Foundation says: ‘First, it was coffee and bananas, then it was coton, which took us into fashion, and it escalated from there.’ In fact, it was over a cup of coffee at designer Katharine Hamnet’s house that Harriet Lamb (the Fairtrade Foundation’s executive director) and Greg Valerio (a Fairtrade campaigner and jewellery activist) started talking about how miners could benefit too. It was thanks to the passion and commitment of these pioneers and groups such as Fairtrade Labelling Organizations International and the Alliance for Responsible Mining that, in February this year, the Foundation was able to launch its first certified gold.

Certified Fairtrade and Fairmined gold is marked with a dual stamp, meaning it can be traced back to its original source. But, to the miners, the stamp means a lot more: they receive a Fairtrade premium of 10 per cent on top of the guaranteed minimum price, which can then be invested back into their business and community. If the gold is ecologically mined, they receive an extra 5 per cent on top of the premium. To be Fairmined, strict standards must be observed with regard to working conditions, child labour, women’s rights, health and safety, management of chemicals and responsibility to the environment. Whereas, previously, miners might undertake 16-20 hour shifs in hot, dirty and dangerous conditions, exposed to mercury and cyanide, mines are now strictly controlled.

There are currently three certified mines in operation: Oro Verde (Green Gold) in Colombia, Sotrami in Peru and Cotopata in Bolivia, and another three will have been set up by the end of 2011. This is a huge achievement for the Fairtrade Foundation, but jewellers are concerned that Fairtrade gold is still not readily available. However, as Cartwright explains, ‘It takes time to certify a mine and satisfy the huge list of regulations that needs to be passed.’ In addition, there is also the requirement to maintain an audited and traceable supply chain. Keeping such a chain short and uncomplicated is key, so, with Fairtrade gold, the miners must sell direct to the importer rather than the middleman. It must then be processed by a registered refiner so it doesn’t get mixed up with ‘dirty’ gold from an untraceable source.

The process is costly, but jewellery houses are becoming more open to the idea because of the increasing demand.

There are currently 33 companies – including Garrard, the royal jeweller – licensed to sell certified gold, plus 100 waiting to be approved. The Fairtrade Foundation’s ambition is that, by 2025, Fairtrade gold will make up 5 per cent of the UK jewellery market and will be available from high-street outlets as well as in the luxury market.

One of the biggest names to get in on the act is maverick jeweller Stephen Webster, creative director of Garrard. With his A-list following, he is sure to bring vital awareness to the Fairtrade campaign. Having seen at firsthand the appalling conditions workers are forced to endure in a traditional mine during a visit to Peru, he is a vocal advocate of the alternative: ‘Even though the cost of Fairtrade gold is 10 per cent higher, I am happy to absorb the premium. Price should not be the reason to choose a more responsible product.’ Several years ago, he was approached to launch a Fairtrade collection, but, at the time, there was insufficient Fairtrade gold available.

‘There is so litle of it that you have to carefully manage

Eduardo Martino/docuMEntography

Previous page, clockwise from top left: 100%-recycled silver ‘Hex’ stacking bangle plated in 18ct Fairtrade yellow gold, £90, Cred; 18ct Fairtrade ecological yellow gold engraved wedding band set with diamonds, £2,700, Stephen Webster; 18ct Fairtrade and Fairmined ecological gold tube ring set with mixed precious

stones, POA, Hattie Rickards; 8ct Fairtrade gold ‘Bahia’ ring set with rutile quartz and diamonds, £4,000, Fifi Bijoux; ‘Hex’ bangle, as before; 9ct Fairtrade yellow gold ‘Starfish’ cufflinks, £440, Fifi Bijoux; 18ct Fairtrade and Fairmined gold ‘Pure’ bangle, £9,200, Ute Decker.

STOCKISTS DETAILS ON PAGE 56

the amount you have by focusing it on one area,’ he explains.

The bridal range he setled on comprises a striking combination of 18ct white, yellow and rose gold wedding and engagement rings set with – as you might expect – responsibly sourced Forevermark diamonds. But even that encountered teething problems: it was due to launch in April this year, but the delivery of the gold was delayed, so it has been pushed back.

Another luxury jeweller puting Fairtrade gold in the media spotlight is goldsmith Anna Loucah. She worked in collaboration with ethical jeweller Cred to design a set of Fairtrade jewels for fashion ambassador Livia Firth, wife of Oscar winner Colin Firth, to wear to this year’s Academy Awards. The magnificent pieces were later sold at auction – the proceeds going to Oxfam – for £25,000, making them the most expensive Fairtrade product ever sold. Cred and Loucah have recently collaborated again, on the Juana collection, named for the female Bolivian gold miner who brought the first bar of Fairtrade Fairmined gold to London for the launch of Fairtrade Fairmined gold in February.

Less obvious perhaps, but still worthy of a primetime audience, is the ethical jewellery brand Fifi Bijoux, whose Fairtrade gold cufflinks are ofen seen adorning the sleeves of newsreader George Alagiah.

The company’s founder, Vivien Johnston, pioneered the concept of ethical jewellery and was one of the first UK brands to receive the Fairtrade gold licence. Like Loucah, Johnston has many celebrity fans, including the singer Annie Lennox, who inspired her to create the Litle Acorn necklace that raises funds for children living in mining communities in Uganda.

Other early adopters of Fairtrade gold include the jeweller and anthropologist Pippa Small, who is passionate about promoting beter mining practices worldwide. Afer making several visits to the Cotopata mine in Bolivia, she opted to buy her gold direct from the mining co-operative and use a local goldsmith. Her new Bolivian Sun collection, her fourth using Fairtrade gold, launches this month. Raw and earthy, it comprises drop earrings, necklaces and bracelets with a solar motif.

In addition to the more established names, there is also a host of young, up-and-coming designers using Fairtrade gold in their collections. Two of the most interesting are Hatie Rickards and Ute Decker.

Rickards, a Central Saint Martins graduate, worked for jeweller Solange Azagury-Partridge in New York for five years before starting her own label in 2010. All of her

‘ First, it was coffee and bananas, then coton, then fashion. Now Fairtade’s focus is on gold’

jewellery is designed and handmade in the UK using 18ct Fairtrade and Fairmined certified gold. ‘My work has an ethical backbone and a modern design,’ she says, keen to demonstrate that social responsibility does not come at the expense of first-class design. ‘I want to create pieces for the sort of clients who need to know that the rings on their fingers are ethically and responsibly produced.’

Despite her serious intentions, her collections are vibrant and playful – the latest, Geo, is set with semi-precious stones and inspired by puzzles and geometric shapes.

Ute Decker’s jewellery, in contrast, is minimalist in style. Known for her dramatic, sculptural shapes made of recycled silver, she launched her first collection of Fairtrade and Fairmined gold in February this year.

Decker has aptly named her first Fairtrade collection Pure, which not only reflects its clean lines, but also marks the purity of the gold’s provenance.

Most of the established jewellery houses have yet to sign up to Fairtrade and Fairmined, although several big names, such as Tiffany and Cartier, have their own policies that support responsible mining. And, with the trend for ethical jewellery growing, perhaps it is just a mater of time before we will see the big brands joining in. Afer all, as Greg Valerio points out, ‘Five years ago everybody was saying Fairtrade gold was impossible to produce and now everyone is complaining that the supply is too slow. For me, that’s progress!’ fairtrade.org.uk/gold Mary Sanderson is a jewellery and accessories writer and editor

From left: White gold 2.1mm-movement Altiplano, £10,800, Piaget. White gold 2.10mm-movement Slim Classique, £11,400, Ralph Lauren Watches. White gold 3.30mm-movement LUC Extra Plat XPS, £9,140, Chopard.

1.64mm-movement Historique Ultra-fine 1955, £22,100, Vacheron Constantin.

Stainless steel 3.55mm-movement Villeret Ultra Slim, £6,150, Blancpain

PhotograPhy ANDY BARTER StyLISt CIARA WALSHE

STOCKISTS DETAILS ON PAGE 56

love me slender

When it comes to both the craftsmanship and cost of an ultra-slim watch, less is definitely more. Well, they do say you can never be too rich or too thin

Check the carats 18ct white gold ‘Windsor’ earrings set with amethysts, £6,000, and 18ct white gold ‘Camelot’ necklace set with rubellites and rubies, £68,000, both Asprey. Yellow gold and black rhodium-plate cocktail ring set with diamonds, amethysts, tourmalines, fire opals and sapphires, £49,500, Lydia Courteille at Browns. Prince of Wales check wool dress, £1,340, Yves Saint Laurent. Hat, £410, Jeffrey Portman

claritY & cut

Pairing contemporary haute joaillerie with this season’s directional, geometric fashion pieces gives shape to these stylish gems PhotograPhy rafael stahelin fashion editor michelle duguid

Light relief Left White jacket with mesh details, £1,150; white crepe de chine top, £600; white stretch canvas trousers, £825, all Gucci with adjuster Burberry trousers, STOCKISTS DETAILS ON PAGE 81

Spot the diamonds 17.16ct diamond pavé earrings, price on application, and platinum cuff with 50.93cts of cushion-cut and multishaped rubies and 49.70cts of diamonds, POA, both Graff. Yellow gold ‘Camelia’ ring set with onyx, £2,825, Chanel Fine Jewellery. Jumper, £995, and skirt, £995, both Marc Jacobs. Cap with patent loop, £120, and beaded cap, £370, both Jeffrey Portman