For the first time, the fine jewelry houses of Paris have showcased their wares at the Place Vendôme as part of Chambre Syndicale haute couture week. From Van Cleef & Arpels to Boucheron, the new jewels play on themes found only in fantasy lands, as they should.
The Papillons collection by Van Cleef & Arpels spins precious stones into a kaleidescope of smashing butterflies and moths. In the boutique, a myriad of pieces branch from the two central character clips, Butterfly Fairy and Mélyté.
Chanel Joaillerie, meanwhile, goes to pasture with the nature-inspired motif of wheat, influenced by Coco Chanel's good luck charm, the wheat shaft. One standout piece is a double-strand necklace consisting of Japanese cultured pearls mingled with sprinklings of diamonds meant to resemble wheat grains. The collection also includes the Vendôme cuff, a geomatric bracelet proudly showing off a very rare turquoise paraïba tourmaline, and is being displayed along the house's first foray into fine jewelry, the 1932 Bijoux de Diamants collection.
Boucheron found a patron in Cirque du Soleil founder Guy Laliberté, who commissioned the 20-piece Inspira collection to commemorate the show's 25th anniversary. That collection will be stuck behind the glass at the Montreal Museum of Fine Arts this spring, but don't fret. Boucheron will create a second circus-inspired collection hitting stores soon. The only teaser we have at the moment is the Viva Elvis piece in conjunction with the newest performance honoring the singer, which debuts February 19.
Then there's Chaumet's flirty tag line,"catch me ... if you love me" for its latest collection based on the bee, the house's mascot since the days of Napoleon I.
If you're going to go for the gold (and can afford pounds of diamonds and rare stones along with it), we're definitely of the opinion that you might as well take it over the top.
