Zendaya at the premiere of Dune at the 2021 Venice Film Festival

We explore how Bulgari’s vibrant, eye-catching statement jewels have been stealing the thunder on the red carpet

Words Annabel Davidson | 2 Aug 2024

So often on the red carpet — be it at an awards ceremony or an international film premiere — it’s the dress that steals the show. Think of Gwyneth Paltrow’s baby pink Ralph Lauren confection that she wore when accepting her Best Actress Oscar for her role in Shakespeare in Love in 1999, or Sharon Stone’s perfectly combined Vera Wang skirt and her husband’s white shirt in 1998, and you’d be hard pressed to remember who designed the jewellery.

Priyanka Chopra wearing Bulgari necklace at The Met Gala, 2023

But if there’s one jewellery brand who consistently makes its presence known, no matter how fabulous the fashion it’s competing with is, it’s Roman jewellers Bulgari. Whether it’s their instantly recognisable Serpenti or snake design necklace on Zendaya at the Rome premiere of her new movie Challengers, or Priyanka Chopra in a US$25 million dollar necklace at the Met Gala in New York City, Bulgari jewels make no bones about who they are, nor do they attempt to master the art of subtlety. If there’s one word that epitomises the design language of this very Italian brand, it’s fearless.

Zendaya wearing Bulgari’s Serpenti necklace at the Rome premiere of Challengers, 2024

What really makes Bulgari stand out as a red carpet brand is not, however, the size of their pieces (although they are often sizeable to the extreme), but their strict adherence to their most beloved codes. Whether it’s Serpenti in all its guises, from the most stylised snake scale motif to an actual diamond snake wrapped around the neck, to an enormous necklace bedecked in deep green emeralds and vibrantly blue Paraiba tourmalines in the brand’s trademark melange of colours, Bulgari is always, unapologetically there.

Selena Gomez wearing Bulgari watch, bracelet and earrings at The Golden Globes, 2024

Take the 2024 Golden Globes this past January, when Selena Gomez accentuated her Armani Prive dress with not just Bulgari earrings, but a high jewellery watch, bracelet, and rings from the brand. But it’s not a recent phenomenon. Bulgari has bedecked the stars in their creations since the beginning, from Gina Lollobrigida partying in her Serpenti watch in Gstaad in the 1980s, to Elizabeth Taylor positively weighed down in Bulgari jewels for almost the entire promotional run for Cleopatra in the 1960s.

Gina Lollobrigida wearing Bulgari Serpenti watch, 1980s

There is one Bulgari red carpet moment, however, that remains seared in high jewellery lovers’ memories forever; Zendaya at the premiere of Dune at the 2021 Venice Film Festival. The necklace’s design was of the Serpenti genre, but in this case, the central stone was the true star — a 93.83-carat cabochon emerald the size of a large plum. Her wet-look, figure clinging, leather Balmain gown may have caused a ruckus, but there was no mistaking the eye watering size
of that emerald that sat at her throat. Sometimes, size does matter.

bulgari.com

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Chaumet’s exquisite tiaras are the luxury jeweller’s crowning glory — here, we explore the maison’s history of haute headpieces

Words Annabel Davidson | 19 Jul 2024

Forget your previous perceptions, donning a tiara, regardless of your regal stature, has become both an appealing fashion trend, and a respected power move by women holding seats at boardroom tables.

In Chaumet’s Place Vendôme, Paris, headquarters, their hôtel particulier at No.12 is an array of salons dedicated to the company’s heritage, culture, and high jewellery workshops. Home to Chaumet since 1907, (they had been at the storied square since 1812, however), the building is a jewellery aficionado’s dream, with the boutique at street level, the high jewellery atelier high above, and a fascinating series of rooms between.

The Salon des Diadèmes features hundreds of nickel-silver and hand-painted tiaras

But if there’s one space that has my heart, it’s the Salon des Diadèmes that is almost entirely decorated with tiara maillechorts, the base-metal versions of actual designs that were used to adjust the real thing perfectly to the client’s head. From delicate, trembling aigrettes that perch high above the head to foliate-heavy tiaras that were fit for a queen, the array of designs is breathtaking – yet only a tiny sample of the over 2000 tiaras the maison has made for royalty and aristocracy since its beginnings in 1780.

Tiara wall in Chaumet’s Place Vendôme, Paris, headquarters

It was Napoleon, to who Chaumet was official court jeweller, who was responsible for the revival of the tiara after the French Revolution, by which time few noble heads were seen without sporting the bejewelled headpiece. Looking to the ancient Romans and their belief that crowns or garlands were the headdresses of kings, he had Chaumet create them for his Empress Josephine, who has played muse to the house ever since.

“It was Napoleon, to who Chaumet was official court jeweller, who was responsible for the revival of the tiara after the French Revolution.”

Today, tiaras are as much a part of Chaumet’s offering as more traditional jewellery fare. There they are on their website, ‘price on demand’, available to order by phone or email, or to purchase in store. They range from simple head-band like pieces, a sweet intertwined double-row of diamond-set white gold with a solitaire diamond accent peeking above, to an unfathomably complicated Torsade de Chaumet tiara from a recent high jewellery collection, with undulating coils of diamond set metal seemingly floating in the air. These are just the tiaras available to purchase ‘off-the-shelf’, and not the made-to-order ones that are the reserve of the more deep-pocketed.

The unfathomably complicated Torsade de Chaumet tiara

A bespoke tiara, often ordered for weddings, (although there are reports of one CEO who wanted one to wear to board meetings — a very luxurious, very feminine variation of ‘wearing the pants’) is not just whipped up on demand. The entire experience can take months, if not years, starting with initial discussions and designs, tweaks and fittings, and ending in the handing over of a totally bespoke, expertly fitted headpiece that will often be transformable for added wearability —perhaps the tiara will unscrew from its base to be worn as a necklace, or one element of it can be removed and added to a chain as a pendant.

A Chaumet tiara — whether entirely bespoke or bought on a whim — may be out of reach for the vast majority of us, but one can still dream.

Chaumet is available locally at hartfield.co.nz

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We explore Cartier’s incredible history through the maison’s extraordinary High Jewellery event Down Under

Words Annabel Davidson | 12 Jul 2024

In February, Cartier unleashed its iconic Panthère, along with more than 300 exquisite pieces of High Jewellery, upon Sydney, for the first exhibition of its kind Down Under.

Think Cartier, and most people will think of the maison’s most famous creations; the Love bracelet designed by Aldo Cipullo in New York in 1969, or the iconic Panthère pieces designed in Paris by Jeanne Toussaint in 1948 for that great jewellery connoisseur the Duchess of Windsor, Wallace Simpson, or the Crash watch designed in London in 1967.

Indomptables de Cartier watch from Cartier

And although Cartier for a time had three very distinct identities; Cartier Paris, Cartier London, and Cartier New York, it has long since been one company, headquartered in Paris. That does not mean, however, that it thinks of itself as indelibly French. Non, Cartier is today, if anything, a globe-straddling brand that rather than spitting out exact replicas of the same store all over the world, be it Beijing or Auckland, becomes the perfect guest; graciously respecting its hosts and celebrating its new home’s heritage and culture whilst staying true to its own spirit.

The Sydney Opera House lined with Cartier bellboys

In Sydney this past February, that could not have been more evident, when Cartier brought over 300 pieces to the Australian city to celebrate its high jewellery in the first event of its kind Down Under, with an exhibition space that commissioned the work of local artists, celebrated the nation’s flora and fauna and cultural heritage, and culminated in a gala event held in that most iconic of spaces, the Sydney Opera House. As an extremely spoilt jewellery editor, I’ve had the privilege of seeing Cartier’s unmissable red-jacketed ‘bellboys’ in locations all over the world, from Madrid to Florence, but the sight of dozens of them flanking the red carpet in extraordinary symmetry at the foot of the Opera House was by the far the most fabulous sight.

“The exhibition itself was held at a venue whose former role as a wool storage shed was alluded to with a plunging ceiling-to-floor art installation…”

The exhibition itself was held at Pier 2/3, at the foot of the Sydney Harbour Bridge. The venue’s former role as a wool storage shed was alluded to with a plunging ceiling-to-floor art installation by local artist Jacqui Fink, an artwork that comprised thousands of twisted woollen fibres, undyed, pouring onto the floor like a fibrous waterfall. Artworks by Tracey Deep, who specialises in creating pieces from foraged materials like echidna quills or Eucalyptus branches, was commissioned especially for the event, and the floors and walls reflected Australia’s iconic landscapes, from sandstone to the brick red tones of Uluru, the sacred rock.

The exhibition itself was divided into themes, from architecture to flora and fauna. The Splendens necklace, for example, was inspired by the fighting fish, with strings of luscious red spinel beads interspersed with diamonds and faceted spinels. Spinel appeared also in the Trovoada necklace, inspired by the colours of a stormy sky, this time juxtaposed with the deep grey-purple of chalcedony beads. There were traditional pieces on show, naturally, like a 1979 era Cartier Paris bracelet top and tailed by onyx and yellow diamond striped tigers, or a 1928 Cartier London necklace, transformable to a brooch.

It was the Australian inspiration chapter that most intrigued, however. Opal is found all over the world, including Ethiopia and Mexico, but there is no question that Australia is home to the very finest stones of all. From a pure white opal beaded necklace to a high jewellery watch sporting a sumptuous oval juxtaposed with a pale, engraved emerald, Cartier’s affinity with the gemstone is palpable.

Onto the gala evening, where guests, including special clients from around the region, were treated to an extraordinary evening on the stage of the Concert Hall — something that has never been done before. As the renowned pianist Van Ann Nyugen dramatically played for seated guests, her ‘orchestra’ popped up under spotlight, one by one, from the empty arena around us, while a group from the Sydney Dance Company moved mesmerically to the singing of soprano Cathy Di-Zhang, supported by the extraordinary voices of Chorus Collective.

But none of this was just lip service for a fleeting event. In Cartier’s Sydney flagship, especially commissioned works include a vast weaving by indigenous artists from Ramingining, a tiny Aboriginal community in the remote Northern Territory. Sweeping from floor to ceiling in the boutiques vast ground floor, the weaving is the work of numerous artists who use traditionally dyed pandanus leaves to create beautifully meandering shapes, all stitched together in one harmonious whole.

It may be Australia through Cartier’s eyes, but it’s a beautiful, respectful vision.

cartier.com

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Making a valid and visually enticing case for lab-grown diamonds, Swarovski brings its striking new collection to our shores

Words Annabel Davidson | 7 Jun 2024

Swarovski, the heritage Austrian brand best known for their crystal products, are bringing their first lab grown diamond collection to New Zealand, with a campaign that is everything you’d expect from Creative Director Giovanna Engelbert; enticingly bold and confident, and fabulously over the top. But don’t let that scare you. Yes, the Galaxy necklace shown in the campaign is a made to order explosion of 156.62 carats of lab grown stones priced at US$250,000, but much of the collection is below NZ$1000, like a simple eternity band in sterling silver for $550, or a solitaire ring for $730.

Lab grown diamonds first became ubiquitous in the world of jewellery only in the last ten years, but they’ve been around a lot longer than that. Diamonds were first grown in a laboratory in the early 1950s and were grown to gem quality standard (white enough and clear enough to be considered worth cutting and faceting like natural diamonds) in the early 1970s, but it wasn’t until recently that the technology evolved enough to make growing them for the jewellery market financially viable.

Anok Yai at the Met Gala wearing Swarovski Galaxy necklace, earrings and ring

Today, there are thousands of brands who use lab grown diamonds in their jewellery, and hundreds of ‘labs’ scattered around the world, from the USA to Russia, China to India. There are factories that run on heavily polluting coal power, and others than claim to run on 100% renewable energy. (Swarovski is in the latter category.)

Galaxy bypass ring laboratory grown diamonds 1.25 CT TW, 14K white gold from Swarovski

Eternity halo solitaire ring laboratory grown diamonds 1.5 CT TW, 14K white gold from Swarovski

Unlike many companies using lab grown diamonds, Swarovski isn’t making any claims about them being ethically superior to their natural counterparts, which is a relief in a climate where many of their contemporaries are doing exactly that. What Swarovski does point out is the only difference between natural and mined diamonds is their origin, and their price. Lab grown diamonds are priced lower than their natural counterparts, and — as Swarovski points out — every single one of theirs is independently certified by the International Gemological Institute, along the same lines that natural diamonds are graded; according to the 4Cs: cut, colour, carat weight, and clarity.

So while you might not yet be pumping for a chest-sweeping necklace for a cool half million, you can still get a fantastic Swarovski lab-grown creation for around $500, and no-one will be any the wiser that your ring’s diamond was made in a lab, not by mother earth.

swarovski.com

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Keeping up with the times — these are the year’s most covetable timepieces

Words Annabel Davidson | 31 May 2024

Horologists across the globe make annual pilgrimages to the numerous watch industry’s showcases of their finest new timepieces. Here, we explore the new and the noteworthy launches from the world’s most desirable watchmakers.

Blue is Hot

Okay, maybe it’s not the warmest colour, but blue faces definitely made their mark across the board this season, with stellar examples from TAG Heuer, Rolex, Breitling, and Grand Seiko.

At TAG Heuer, the new TAG Heuer Carrera Chronograph Skipper juxtaposed a rose gold case with a sea-blue dial and sub-dials in eau-de-nil, brilliant orange and emerald, crisply segmented in the manner of maritime flags. The whole thing is anchored between a deep blue textile strap – the perfect sea-faring, or sea-fancying watch wearer’s acquisition.

“Bigger, badder, and with the ability to go way deeper, Rolex released a new solid-gold Deepsea in the mould of the blue and gold Submariner”.

Breitling’s classic Navitimer, already slimmed down in 2022, came out in an icy pale blue hue for 2024, making this most collectible of watches — originally created in 1952 for pilots — even more desirable. With the option of alligator leather straps or stainless steel bracelets, the new editions make this bucket list watch even more irresistible.

Grand Seiko’s Spring Drive model may sport a blue dial, but it’s the texture, not the colour that appeals, it’s face as choppy as waves on the high seas.

Rolex Oyster Perpetual Deepsea watch from Partridg e

Grand Seiko Evolution 9 Spring Drive watch from Partridge

Breitling Navitimer Automatic GMT 41 watch from Partridge

TAG Heuer Carrera Chronograph Skipper watch from Partridge

Precious Time

Jewellery watches always delight, when it’s less about complications and movements and more about the sheer aesthetics of the design. At Cartier, the new Reflection de Cartier design is a masterclass in the jewellery/watch hybrid – a chunky bangle of a watch that not only hides a timepiece at the end of a bangle but sets it opposite a mirror polished twin. In plain golds, pavé-set diamonds and a mesmerising version in green and black hardstone, it’s a hyper-modern, sculptural twist on a jewellery watch.

Cartier Reflection de Cartier watch from Partridge

Patek Philippe Aquanaut Luce watch from Partridge

Breguet Reine de Naples 8918 watch from Partridge

Lady Arpels Jour Enchanté from Van Cleef & Arpels

At Breguet, the new Reine de Naples watch, based on the world’s first wristwatch created in 1812 for Caroline Murat, Queen of Naples and sister of Napoleon, comes with a grand feu enamel dial set with diamonds on an eau-de-nil calfskin strap, a most elegant addition to the range.

At Van Cleef & Arpels, the métiers d’arts are exhibited best in the Lady Arpels Jour Enchanté watch, depicting a winged woman picking flowers at dawn. Utilising façonné and plique-à-jour enamel and inlaid with turquoise, the watch took 180 hours of work for the dial alone – a true example of the house’s exemplary savoir-faire.

And finally to Patek Philippe, who presented a new version of the Aquanaut Luce model in white gold with a dial embellished with a checkerboard pattern of diamonds and sapphires, and a bezel sporting a soft gradient of baguette-cut sapphires ranging from pale to dark blue.

Wonderful Creations

Another year, another sublime automaton from Van Cleef & Arpels, this time featuring a sapphire and diamond plumed bird emerging from a dome of lusciously lacquered leaves, the entirety perched on a display of Dalmatian Jasper and rare, crimson-flecked thulite. Sweet dreams are made of these.

Apparition des Baies from Van Cleef & Arpels

Bold is Better

When Bulgari launched the Octo Finissimo in 2017 with a depth of 5.15mm, people were impressed. Little wonder the new Octo Finissimo Ultra Cosc launched this year at a depth of just 1.7mm drew gasps. It’s the thinnest mechanical watch in the world, but also sports the thinnest ever COSC chronometer. Add to that the fact that the watch just exudes futuristic cool, and you’ve got one hell of a contender for launch of the year.

Gucci surprised the horological world with the launch of the 25H Minute Repeater in an ultra thin format, with an invisible activation mechanism (the wearer simply rotates the bezel) and Roman numerals set in a minimalist dial on a rubber strap – it’s cooler than cool.

At IWC Schaffhausen, it was the Portugieser Chronograph that received an update with three new versions, the most striking boasting an obsidian dial in a sleek gold case with black calfskin strap. Classic, with a twist.

IWC Portugieser Automatic 40 watch from Partridge

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Making magic from the last of a billion-year legacy: The story behind Tiffany & Co.’s rare, pink Argyle diamonds

Words Annabel Davidson | 24 Aug 2023

When Australia’s famed Argyle mine held its last tender (sale) of pink diamonds in 2021, the buzz was palpable. Film crews descended on the world’s most iconic cities where viewings took place, security was discretely amped up, and the chosen few clamoured to feast their eyes on what would be the last of some of the rarest diamonds known to man. The diamonds themselves were of the most extraordinary shades of pink, red, blue and violet, with the most important specimens given names like Argyle Eclipse, Argyle Stella and Argyle Solaris; and it was the last chance for some of the world’s most revered diamantaires and jewellers to get their hands on these hugely valued stones — by invitation only, of course, and under thrillingly clandestine conditions. To put it in context, throughout the entire 38-year history of the event, all the stones in the tender would have filled up just two champagne flutes. Even the tiniest stones fetched astronomical prices, and many of the bigger stones were whisked away by private hands, some of them possibly never to be seen by the public again.

The Argyle mine has now ceased production, but Tiffany & Co., that most iconic of jewellers, was approached by the East Kimberley mine late last year regarding a final cache of 35 of these luminously-coloured gems, which range from baby pink to red — although in official gemmological speak, the diamond colours come with sweetly specific names like Fancy Intense Pink or Fancy Intense Purplish Pink. Just three of the stones are over one carat in size, which is still considered spectacular for natural pink diamonds.

What is particularly important, however, is that this is the first time the Argyle mine has ever partnered with a jeweller, naming the collection for them and entrusting them to ensure the most special treatment they deserve, which involves a multi-pronged approach. Firstly, Tiffany & Co. will show the loose diamonds to select clients at Tiffany High Jewellery events around the world, discrete occasions where the House’s most VIP clientele are shown some of the brand’s most important jewels, from new creations to storied vintage pieces. On a case-by-case basis, clients may work with the brand to have a bespoke piece created for them using their purchase. A small capsule collection is in discussion using the stones, and Blue Book creations — the house’s one-of-a-kind, high-jewellery pieces named for the ‘blue book’ the brand first sent to customers in 1845 (the world’s first mailed shopping catalogue) may also feature some of these very special natural gems.

“To put it in context, throughout the entire 38-year history of the event, all the stones in the tender would have filled up just two champagne flutes.”

For Tiffany & Co., the fact that Argyle diamonds are of such historically important provenance, is a key one. The brand’s Diamond Craft Journey initiative, one of the very first of its kind in the world, provides clients with the origin of every newly-sourced stone over a certain size set in its jewellery, a novel move that proves that the ‘ingredients’ in their jewellery needn’t be from unknown sources. Human rights are so often abused in the mining industry, and citing the origin of materials is one way of addressing this.

From a now-shuttered mine in Australia to the hands of some of the world’s most discerning clients via one of the most famous jewellery houses on the planet, these are stones with incredible stories to tell — and that’s not even taking into account the one-and-a-half billion years that they took to fully form.

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Beyond being beautiful adornments, high jewellery is a worthy investment — here’s why

Words Annabel Davidson | 14 Aug 2023

Who doesn’t love an episode of Antiques Roadshow where some old biddy discovers that the little brooch she found in her attic is worth a small fortune? Or a rummage through a second-hand shop in the hope you might come across that rare, unnoticed Rolex that you can grab for a fiver and sell for a fortune? These things hardly ever happen, but that’s not to say that watches and jewellery are some of the most collectible commodities on the planet right now. Given that they comprise precious metals and minerals, in themselves of intrinsic worth, they already have an investable element in their makeup. Add scarcity (a limited edition release, say, or needing to stew on a waitlist for months, or a one-of-a-kind piece), sentimentality (a commemorative launch around an occasion like the coronation or the Olympics) and pedigree, and you’ve got grounds for serious collectibility.

From left: Jellyfish (La Méduse) brooch (1967), designed by Jean Schlumberger for Tiffany & Co. (from the collection of Rachel Lambert Mellon). Elizabeth Taylor wearing a 1971 Barquerolles choker from Van Cleef & Arpels.

If there’s one thing that will really hike up the price of a jewel or watch, it’s provenance — and the more famous the previous owner, the better. Just look at the estimate-breaking figures obtained for the jewellery collections of women like Elizabeth Taylor, Lily Safra and Bunny Mellon, which all smashed pre-auction price expectations. And don’t even start on pieces with royal provenance — you almost need to be royalty to enter the auction race.

Don’t think, however, that watches and jewellery are investments only for the exceedingly wealthy. These days the resale market for ‘hard luxury’ (watches and jewellery compared to clothing and handbags) is huge business. Last year’s global market for pre-owned watches and jewellery was estimated to be around 36 billion euros. Secondhand e-tailers like Vestiaire Collective, The RealReal, and even Ebay are competing with an increasing number of specialist dealers in pre-owned products, often associated with the brand itself.

Take Van Cleef & Arpels, whose Heritage Collection is now shown at luxury art fairs like TEFAF in Maastricht, the Netherlands, the rooms of which are filled with extraordinary objects (antique Japanese armour, ancient baroque statues, renaissance-era tapestries). “We realised that many of our clients who want to buy vintage Van Cleef & Arpels want the reassurance of buying directly from us,” says Nicolas Luchsinger, Heritage Collection Director, who will often be called on to view a particular piece lounging in a safe somewhere in Geneva or New York City. Heritage Collection pieces range from bijoux little animal brooches from the 1950s (very in demand in Asia) to a stonking great emerald necklace from the 1970s.

From left: Cartier Trefoil Bandeau, 1926. Van Cleef & Arpels brooch, 1950.

Cartier has a similar program, Cartier Tradition, whereby vintage items are sold both in store, and via globe-trotting trunk shows to high net worth clients. The house takes every care to restore vintage watches and jewels to pristine, authentic condition, often buying old pieces from clients who are looking to invest in something more contemporary, or from dealers who may have purchased directly from previous owners. These people aren’t just upgrading or getting a seedy cash-back offer — they’re making money on their former purchases like they would any other astute investment.

Chiefer Appiah, a London jeweller and watch dealer who specialises in blinging up high end watches from the likes of Rolex and Audemars Piguet for a largely celebrity clientele, says investing in certain models is a no-brainer. “If you can get hold of a new, limited edition Rolex, buy it. You could sell some models for a 30 percent profit within six months.” Rolex itself now has a certified pre-owned platform, where customers can buy a second-hand watches with its authenticity vouched for, and a two-year guarantee.

It may seem like easy investing — but the reality is, many of these in-demand watches are not easy to buy because they’re in demand. If a model has been discontinued, released as a limited edition, or featured in a Bond film, it becomes collectible, and thus, an investment piece. The same goes for jewellery; rarity is everything. No collector is going to pay more than the market price for a Cartier Juste Un Clou ring when they’re everywhere, but a one-of-a-kind high jewellery suite in chalcedony and sapphires from the collection of philanthropist billionaire Heidi Horton? Get your auction paddles ready.

What makes watches and jewellery so collectible for so many of us, however, is not their intrinsic value, but their ability to reflect our individuality. I have a tiny porcelain pendant with the words “Fuck This Shit” hand painted on them amidst tiny blue flowers, reminiscent of a Victorian greeting card, by the artist and jeweller Kerchung Creative. It cost about NZ$60, but the only way to buy one is to be the fastest person online when she drops a new collection every few months. Many, many people I know have failed, and I’ve refused some impressive cash offers to part with mine. That, and my grandmother’s charm bracelet from the 1940s. Also of little financial worth, it’s worth everything to me in terms of meaning, which is probably the most hard-to-buy quality of all.

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From striking brooches to reimagined pearls, here’s why jewels on gentlemen are trending again

Words Annabel Davidson | 7 Aug 2023

In recent years, the topic of men appearing in jewellery has garnered column inches as if males wearing precious objects was an entirely new concept. Timothée Chalamet in a vintage Cartier brooch? OH MY GOD! A$AP ROCKY in pearls? SHUT THE FRONT DOOR! The inexpensive silver chain worn by the character Connell Waldron in the TV series Normal People? Cue its very own Instagram account (and millions of salivating fans).

Timothée Chalamet in a vintage Cartier brooch.

Obviously, men have been wearing jewellery for just as long as women. From the great maharajah’s of India who, at the turn of the 20th Century, traipsed across Place Vendôme in Paris to Boucheron, Cartier, Van Cleef & Arpels and more with trunks of precious gemstones to be made into jewels, to the intaglio rings worn by ancient Roman men depicting various gods, to the neck-breaking mass of gold chains worn by the actor Mr T, to the gold jewellery of the Asantahene, the leader of the Ashanti people of West Africa (who at one point in history enlisted the help of a small boy so that he could rest his heavy, jewellery-laden arm on his head) — men in jewels is nothing new.

Granted, there was a time, particularly in the West, post-war or during a recession, when any display of wealth was disapproved of, that jewellery and precious metal objects were given for the war effort or melted down for cash. But slowly, men’s jewellery crept back in. And even earlier, when men’s jewellery wasn’t de rigueur, there was the Victorian craze for fancy tie-pins, bejewelled cufflinks and gold signet rings. The Catholic church itself has one of the greatest jewellery collections ever, granted most of it is now housed in St Peter’s Basilica in Vatican City.

Today, men’s jewellery has crept out of the domain of footballers (hello David Beckham in diamond studs in the early noughties) and onto the red carpet on the figures of some of the most sartorially lauded men around. Michael B. Jordan, who remains coolly classic in what he wears, sported not one but two iconic Bird on a Rock brooches by Tiffany & Co. to the Oscars recently, the originals of which were designed by Jean Schlumberger in the 1960s featuring a golden cockatoo perched on enormous gems like tourmalines and peridots. The aforementioned Timothée Chalamet is a ‘friend of the maison’ that is Cartier, but word has it he genuinely collects vintage brooches, and the singer Labrinth is often seen wearing pieces like Van Cleef & Arpels’ Alhambra necklace and multiple chains. If there’s another sign that male jewellery lovers are now aiming for slightly more toned down, curated affairs than the mega-bussdown looks of the noughties, it may be the fact that the multi-disciplinarian artist Pharrell Williams has offloaded much of his personal jewellery collection on a dedicated website Joopiter.com, where a giant, multi-gem set N.E.R.D pendant went for over US$2.1 million, and a set of personalised grills made from gold-set diamonds, rubies, emeralds and sapphires went for just under US$21,875. Met Gala aside, are men starting to tone their jewels back again? Maybe — but these things are cyclical. This is not the end of men in pearls.

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Celebrating 60 years of iconic jewellery, Ole Lynggaard Copenhagen proves the power of family ties and timeless design

Words Annabel Davidson | 16 Jun 2023

When Charlotte Lynggaard, Creative Director of esteemed Danish jewellery house Ole Lynggaard Copenhagen, says it is a family company, she means it. Started by her father Ole in 1963 (who remains as founder and designer) Charlotte is joined by her brother, Soren, CEO, and daughter Sofia, who began working within the family business in recent years. Charlotte’s mother Karin remains Ole’s most beloved muse.

Charlotte Lynggaard, Creative Director of Ole Lynggaard Copenhagen

Now celebrating 60 years of history, Ole Lynggaard Copenhagen has plenty to toast (Skal!). While they’ve been an official purveyor to the Danish Royal court for over thirty years, Ole himself started working with the Danish Royal family a good twenty years earlier. A tiara created for an exhibition at the royal palace in Copenhagen in 2009 has been worn by Crown Princess Mary many times. The Midnight Tiara, of foliate design, sports leaves of silver and gold, and countless buds made from moonstones and diamond-set gold. It’s the inspiration for the brand’s Leaves collection, an array of beautifully textured, highly naturalistic pieces that range from simple silver pendants to large hoop earrings in 18K gold set with fine diamond spines, curled to look like dried leaves.

Perhaps better known for its simpler gemstone pieces, the brand has a tendency towards some of the lesser-known stones available. Blush moonstone, peachy and glowing, rutile quartz — a clear stone shot through with golden needles — serpentine, a lush, green stone, and soft, pink rose quartz all feature across collections, while a double ring within the Boho range often combines two, distinct stones together to spectacular effect; dark green malachite with bright orange coral, for example, or multicoloured opal with sky blue turquoise.

“I’m very inspired by nature. That’s where I find my peace. I go on long walks. As a jeweller, you’re always working, looking for details, always alert.”

When it’s not flowers and leaves inspiring them, inspiration for collections still comes from nature. An elephant, its trunk raised as though showering himself with diamonds, comes in an array of pendants, brooches and charms, while the Snake collection ranges from a Medusa ring featuring an entire tangle of serpents with diamond-studded heads, to a fully diamond-set double snake choker. Elsewhere, there are entire constellations of stars rendered as earrings, acorn pendants carved from falcon’s eye, a dark variety of quartz, tiny silver egg pendants that open, and colourful handwoven rope bracelets with precious gold clasps.

Ole Lynggaard Shooting Star Stud Earrings from Partridge

Ole Lynggaard Elephant Pendant from Partridge

Ole Lynggaard
Leaves Pendant from Partridge

“When creating a new piece, we model, sketch, try things out in the workshop,” Charlotte said in a recent Instagram video. “It’s a very long process, months or years to come up with a new collection. I’m very inspired by nature. That’s where I find my peace. I go on long walks. As a jeweller, you’re always working, looking for details, always alert.”

Celebrations for the anniversary will continue throughout the year, including special pieces, couture dresses, exhibitions, and people gathering from all over the world. But the ethos remains the same. “We want to continue doing what we do, keep it in the family, and have fun.”

partridgejewellers.com

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