VALENTINE’S DAY WITH SHIVA SAFAI
A traditional symbol of BEAUTY, LOVE, and ROMANCE, the rose shows your Extraordinary Love like no other flower.
The eternal Piaget Rose Collection will show your Valentine that Extraordinary Love can last FOREVER.
The Ice Cube collection welcomes new jewellery with the arrival of a series of bangles. Composed of rows of small cubes that have shaped the success of the collection’s rings, earrings and necklaces, they are the ideal fashion accessory to wear solo or with other bracelets. Nine variations are available in ethical 18K rose, yellow or white gold, interpreted in gem-set or non-set versions.
Ice Cube collection
Graphic and contemporary
Graphic and contemporary
The art of stacking
With these Ice Cube bangles, Chopard is treating one of its most emblematic collections to its very own place within the jewellery stacking trend. Aesthetic simplicity and purity ensure that Ice Cube jewellery models can be mixed and matched at will while preserving their inherent elegance and light touch.
Ice Cube collection
Graphic and contemporary
To provide an abundance of combinations, Chopard offers nine different versions of the Ice Cube bracelet, available in three gold colours, with the outside of the small cubes either polished or else partially or entirely set with diamonds. They play as much on the minimalism and simplicity of their design as on the light bouncing off the multiple facets of these creations – designed to adorn both women and men.
Jewellery with an edge
The Chopard Ice Cube is synonymous with quintessentially contemporary jewellery; and the collection’s pared-down and deliberately androgynous graphic and rectangular shapes overturn traditional jewellery-making conventions. Created in 1999 as an assembly of small graphic cubes, Ice Cube offers a range of symmetrical rings, earrings, necklaces and bracelets subtly mingling gold colours and light effects.
In 2017, Chopard proved itself a trailblazer in its choice of materials by making Ice Cube the first fine jewellery collection to be crafted from 100% ethical gold. Since July 2018, this commitment has been extended to encompass all the gold watch and jewellery creations produced by the Maison.
Technical details
Ice Cube collection
Bangle in ethical 18K gold
Ref. @857702-1006 – white gold
Ref. @857702-5006 – rose gold
Ref. @857702-0006 – yellow gold
Ref. @857702-1009 – white gold partially set with diamonds
Ref. @857702-5009 – rose gold partially set with diamonds
Ref. @857702-0009 – yellow gold partially set with diamonds
Ref. @857702-1012 – white gold entirely set with diamonds
Ref. @857702-5012 – rose gold entirely set with diamonds
Ref. @857702-0012 – yellow gold entirely set with diamonds
The Graff name is synonymous with the world’s finest yellow diamonds. With insight from three industry experts, Maria Dulton uncovers their extraordinary journey from rare rough stones to polished beauty.
The name Graff is synonymous with the best yellow diamonds in the world.
If any stone can capture joy, the yellow diamond wins hands down. On the drabbest of days, the golden light from a perfect yellow radiates wellbeing like the warmth of a hazy summer afternoon. Could a yellow diamond be a contradiction of world order, a shard of sunlight captured forever in a virtually indestructible mineral born in the mysterious depths of our planet?
Science tells us otherwise, and it is nitrogen, the rather less romantic element, that billions of years ago differentiated a colourless diamond from its daffodil-bright sibling.
The yellow is the only coloured diamond whose grading begins on the lower end of the GIA D-Z grading scale and continues into the ‘Fancy’ hues, giving yellows the widest and most fascinating range of variants.
The most prized are the four Fancy grades, from Fancy Light to top-of-the-range Fancy Vivid, with its perfect equilibrium of colour and saturation.
Until the discovery of diamonds in South Africa in the second half of the 19th century, few yellow diamonds had been found. Those from existing sources in India and Brazil were considered natural wonders worthy of curiosity cabinets and royal collections.
But today, yellow diamonds are one of the most sought-after gems, and that is in no small part thanks to four decades of work by Laurence Graff, who was one of the first to shine the spotlight on Fancy yellow diamonds at a time when only white would do.
Laurence Graff recalls the moment in New York, in the 1970s, when a diamond cutter showed him a 31 carat yellow diamond. He was taken aback by how the radiant cut maximised its colour. Following his heart, he bought the stone, and from that moment on it could be said he had contracted an enduring case of yellow fever.
It wasn’t long before he acquired and recut his first headline-grabbing yellow, the 47.39 carat Star of Bombay, followed since by almost two dozen more outstanding yellow diamonds that are among the finest of their kind in the world.
“Today, yellow diamonds are one of the most sought-after gems, and that is in no small part thanks to four decades of work by Laurence Graff.”
Ever the innovator, ground-breaking techniques were developed by Graff to find new cuts that would best enhance the colour of a diamond. Today, discerning connoisseurs know that if they are looking for an exquisite yellow diamond, they will find it in Graff’s peerless collection.
At 118.08 carats, the Delaire Sunrise remains one of the most famous stones cut by Graff and the largest Fancy Vivid Yellow square emerald cut diamond in the world.
Beyond the perfect Fancy Vivid there is a growing interest in more unusual hues, from Brownish Yellow to Fancy Deep Orange Yellow. But, whichever you choose, the sun will never set on a yellow diamond’s ability to spread its brilliant and joyful glow.
ALAN HART
— The Scientist —
Gemmologist and CEO of GEM-A
As the former Head of the Earth Sciences Collection at the Natural History Museum in London, and now CEO of the Gemmological Association of Great Britain, I see diamonds from a scientist’s perspective. But yellow diamonds hold a very special appeal.
At the British Museum there are drawers and drawers of white diamonds, but it is coloured diamonds that attract your attention. You just don’t see them that often, as only one in every 10,000 diamonds discovered displays colour.
While colourless diamonds are almost uniform, I am fascinated by the cause of the colour in diamonds, as each one has a unique history – whether it is the amount of boron present in blues, the structure of nitrogen in yellow diamonds, or the strain on the molecular lattice that gives pinks their rosy tones.
Each nuance of colour has its own story that began in the earth billions of years ago. From its primordial state to observing the light effects and final colour achieved by a master cutter, the journey of a polished coloured diamond is perhaps one of the longest and most wondrous of any object on earth.
The vast majority of diamonds, including yellows, were formed deep within the earth some three billion years ago, at depths usually greater than 140km. Here, in a part of the mantle that is relatively rigid, carbon is transformed under great temperature and pressure into a diamond.
However, with a yellow diamond, the key difference is the inclusion of the element nitrogen within its structure. This causes the diamond to absorb light in the blue region of the visible spectrum, resulting in the yellow colour that we see.
“A yellow diamond is a window into the workings of our planet.”
The Fancy Vivid grading for a yellow diamond is light to medium in tone. It should not be too dark and have a very high saturation or strength of colour.
In this category, the deep yellow colour is shown to its best effect, making it the most desirable colour grade. Although, beauty is in the eye of the beholder, and other grades and colours can be every bit as pleasing.
Beyond its attractiveness, a yellow diamond is a window into the workings of our planet. While a jeweller seeks out perfection, as a scientist I am interested in the imperfections.
Each trapped particle can tell us what minerals are forming deep within the planet that help to understand our earth, and even if there might be diamonds on other planets.
And, remember, as we live on a dynamic planet, beneath our very feet diamonds are still being formed that may see the light of day millions of years from now.
PHILIPPE FURCAGE
— The Diamond Cutter —
Master Cutter at Safdico
Polishing a yellow diamond is all about keeping the colour within the stone and bringing it from the bottom to the top of the diamond. The colour should reflect back from the uppermost facet and not shine through, which is the opposite of what a polisher aims for in a colourless diamond. It is a skill that only a master cutter with at least 10 years’ experience can attempt. You may have noticed that coloured diamonds often display a cut that is modified compared to their colourless counterparts, as again this helps hold the colour in the diamond. This is why most yellow diamonds are modified oval, cushion or pear cuts with the lower facets and corners angled, or modified to increase the intensity of the colour. For the same reason, you don’t often see a round brilliant cut yellow diamond with a deep culet, which would water down the colour.
At the wheel, all we have is our eyes and some basic tools, and we really have to look for the colour. Each stone is different and a research project in its own right.
It takes about six weeks to polish a one carat yellow diamond within the overall three-month process. But a big diamond can take a year or more to polish.
We progress very slowly and gently, as yellow diamonds are more stressed than colourless diamonds due to their crystallisation process, which means they react differently at the wheel.
It is also important to take into consideration the provenance of a coloured rough diamond as geological differences affect the hue and intensity in different ways, and how the diamond reacts to the polishing process.
An experienced cutter can look at a rough diamond and evaluate what the final colour will be. This is down to experience, as often we are looking at diamonds at auction and are not able to make a window into the stone. But, even so, we can fairly accurately estimate the intensity and purity of colour.
Once a yellow diamond is in our possession, we aim to take the colour up a level, from say Fancy Intense to Fancy Vivid, but it is always a gamble and not an exact science. Within each colour grade there are many subtleties of shades and intensity, so it is about finding the most beautiful cut for each stone.
This is the old art of the polisher that only experience can teach.
ANNE-EVA GEFFROY
— The Designer —
Design Director at Graff
The range of yellow diamonds with which I work is exceptional in terms of colour, quality, cut and quantity. Few jewellers have the luxury of such a wide range of yellows at their fingertips, from the traditional colour gradings — Light to Vivid — but also exceptional examples of other colours such as Deep Orange Yellow and Brownish Yellow.
Because we have many valuable diamonds and also some of the rarest in the world, the design of a yellow diamond jewel is often based around the stone. I don’t dream up an idea and then look for the diamonds – I start with the stones. And in our atelier, diamonds, the epitome of femininity, are always referred to as ‘she’.
It is vital to know the stones intimately so I hold them in my hands every day. Our London studio faces north, which offers the perfect light for looking at diamonds. I spend a lot of time studying each one, even before my initial gouache drawings take shape.
With yellow diamonds in particular, I love making bracelets or watches that feature more than one stone. You don’t see this very often as other designers simply don’t have the yellow diamonds to choose from to create these magnificent combinations.
When you see a bracelet or earrings made from dozens of yellow diamonds, the colours are so vibrant that they look almost unreal. And there is a skill to combining them so that the Vivid diamonds, the brightest of them all, don’t steal the show.
“A ring is the purest way to present a yellow diamond, through gestures you share its beauty from all sides.”
Unlike other jewellers, even after the gold frame of the jewel has been crafted downstairs in the workshop, it comes back to my team and we play with the angles and height of each stone to maximise the harmony and beauty until it is just right.
We have to be prepared to start from scratch if something is not perfect, as our aim is to create a balance in the architecture of each jewel, which has to be as natural as breathing.
We set yellow diamonds in yellow gold claws and baskets for the simple reason that it is less visible when looking into the stone, even if the rest of the jewel is in white gold.
Yellow diamonds combine best with white diamonds, particularly in necklaces or bracelets, as they make the colours more intense.
An exceptional yellow diamond, in my opinion, should be set into a ring. Whereas in a necklace you create a pattern that you fill with stones, a ring is the purest and most simple way to present a stone.
And don’t forget that on your hand you share your stone through your gestures, and with each movement you see the beauty of a yellow diamond from all sides.
This week, Maison Chaumet offers you a new out of time journey with #ChaumetatHome.
Hoping to welcome you back shortly.
Chaumet Secrets
Stay tuned and stay safe.
Tiara, aigrette or bodice ornament, this pair of wings evokes the independence and strength of character of its prestigious owner, the billionaire Gertrude Vanderbilt Whitney. Created in 1910, adorned with translucent enamel and set with 1,274 diamonds, this transformable jewel reinterprets the wings of the Valkyries, inspired by Wagner operas.
As early as 1906, Maison Chaumet was offering a resolutely modern tiara style featuring a radiant sun motif. In 1914, Princess Yusupova chose this fashionable style for her daughter-in-law and niece of the Tsar, the legendarily beautiful Grand Duchess Irina of Russia. Hidden during the Revolution of 1917, the sunburst tiara was lost forever.
For her wedding to Prince Sixtus of Bourbon-Parma celebrated in 1919, Hedwige de La Rochefoucauld-Doudeauville was gifted this fuchsias tiara. Now part of the Maison’s heritage collection, the fuchsias tiara remains one of Chaumet most iconic creations.
OUR MAISON
The history of Chaumet has been entwined with the History of France ever since its founding in 1780, in Paris. Indeed, the Maison very quickly became the official jeweller to Empress Josephine. The High Jewellery savoir-faire of the Maison has been passed down through generations of jewellers for almost 240 years. Crafted at the very heart of the place Vendôme, the jewellery and watchmaking creations reflect these exceptional skills and pay tribute to the Parisian style.
PIAGET TREASURES COLLECTION
Special moments and milestones in life call for the most special gifts. While looking for an everlasting present, what is more precious than one of the four most treasured stones on earth. Designed to celebrate the most radiant moments in life, these timeless creations invite a sense of wonder.
Piaget Treasures Collection
Piaget Treasures Collection
Precious stones are the epitome of earth’s most beautiful and mysterious treasures. Piaget Treasures jewels and watches pay tribute to these natural wonders, highlighting the enchanting power of the four exceptional stones: diamonds, emeralds, sapphires and rubies. Presenting an infinite spectrum of shades, the exclusive collection embodies Piaget’s promise of eternal elegance. Precious stones possess a one-of-a-kind quality, developed and refined by Mother Nature throughout the years. The collection harnesses the inherent individuality of each stone, channeling the vibrant shades into true works of art.
Born from the smile of the Marquise de Pompadour’s, the marquise-cut diamond is part of each Piaget Treasures’ creation. The King Louis XV of France, under the spellbound of the Marquise for 20 years, requested in her honour a diamond cut in the shape of the much-loved smile.
Thanks to this particular shape, the light shines from the center of the stone, giving it a unique radiance so deeply cherished by Piaget that it became one of the Maison’s signature stones-cut.
The marquise-cut require a special expertise and can only be made out of a large stone, which make this cut so precious and rare.
Sapphires
The word “sapphire” comes from the word “sappir”, meaning “the most beautiful thing”. Most commonly recognised by its intense blue hue, sapphires can also be pink among other shades. Piaget believes in the integrity of each of its stones, and as such only works with unheated sapphires, giving a rare natural, intense colour. Part of its heritage, blue symbolizes the infinity for Piaget. “The sky is the limit” is an expression that fits perfectly the Maison, which stands out for its innate audacity. The blue of our opal with its countless shades, the streaks of blue-grey in our hawk’s eye stones, the sparkling blue of our sapphires…blue is the colour of dreams that are destined to become reality.
This 18K white gold watch features a magnificent 2.24-carats oval-cut blue sapphire from Madagascar. This delicate, stunning timepiece is adorned with marquise-cut and brilliant-cut diamonds as well as a mother-of-pearl dial.
Emeralds
Admired for its rare and singular beauty, “emerald” comes from the Persian word “zamarat”, which translates to “the heart of the stone”. These precious stones contain inclusions, a natural formation known poetically as their “garden”. Far from being seen as a defect, this “garden” gives the emerald its character and authenticity, making each stone unique. The most sought-after of its kind are found in Colombia, the land of emeralds and Piaget’s source for these precious gems. Their intense green shade with a slight tinge of blue is only rarely equaled by emeralds from other countries. Capturing and magnifying the splendour of this incomparable gemstones demands authentic mastery of the gemology and gem-setting art. Piaget cultivates these savoir-faire in its “Ateliers de Extraordinaire”, where real artists are constantly trying to find the best way to enhance these precious stones.
This white gold ring set with a cushion-cut emerald from Colombia of approximately 4.32 carats embodies the true beauty of this magnificent stone. Surrounded by a bed of diamond leaves, including 18 brilliant-cut diamonds, 10 pear-shaped diamonds and 10 marquise-cut diamonds, the ring’s radiant design is a tribute to Piaget’s Sunny Side of Life philosophy.
Rubies
Rubies are a fiery symbol of love and passion. Its extreme rarity comes from complex geological factors. While most rubies are typically under one carat and heated to enhance their colour, Piaget strives for the best in class with only 10% of the production likely to meet the Maison’s superior quality criteria. Piaget’s gemologists travel across the world tirelessly working on acquiring the most beautiful gemstones. It took over a year to find the finest specimens of rubies and other precious stones of the Piaget Treasure collection. Rubies from Mozambique are renowned for their exceptional quality and offer an ideal combination of intense shade and pure red-based tones, giving it an exceptional colour.
Featuring a 2.17-carat cushion-cut ruby from Mozambique, this white gold ring radiates intensely with a beauty that stems from the sheer rareness of its center stone. The ring is perfectly balanced with eight delicate marquise-cut diamonds on either side.
Diamonds
The lure of a dazzling diamond is undeniable, as nature’s finest and most ancient creation. This precious stones evoke a sense of purity and timeless beauty. It takes over one million years for a diamond to be created and shaped deep inside the earth and only 1% of the world’s resources successfully meet the standard jewellery quality criteria. Out of this 1%, only one in 10,000 is considered “fancy coloured” and in this elite selection, only a few are classified as “fancy vivid” yellow (also called “fancy intense” yellow). Piaget ensures to exclusively select yellow diamonds that meet this uncompromising criterion, ensuring a bright and intense colour.
This series of creations perfectly capture the captivating nature of diamonds. With a single pear-shaped yellow diamond at the center of each these styles, the glow of such a stone is only further complemented by the timelessness of marquise-cut diamonds. The necklace naturally permeates a truly radiant and solar spirit with its classic design that features a remarkable 1.72-carat pear-shaped yellow diamond.
About Piaget
Piaget epitomizes daring creativity – a quality that has continued to permeate through the Maison since its beginnings in 1874. From his first workshop in La Côte-aux-Fées, Georges-Edouard Piaget devoted himself to crafting high-precision movements in a feat that formed the very foundations of our pioneering name. In the late 1950s, Piaget unveiled the ultra-thin movements that would later become the Maison’s trademark and the cornerstone of the Altiplano collection. As a true innovator of the watch and jewellery world, Piaget strongly believed in creativity and artistic values. It is within the walls of our “Ateliers de l’Extraordinaire” where master artisans continue to harness rare skills that have been preserved and perfected from generation to generation, transforming gold, stones and precious gems into dazzling works of art. Through its pursuit of masterful craftsmanship, the Maison has created emblems of daring excellence channelled into its collections including Piaget Altiplano, Piaget Polo, Limelight Gala, Possession, Piaget Rose and Extremely Piaget.
©Piaget 2019. All rights reserved. piaget.com
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A tireless supporter of filmmaking, Chopard has chosen to partner with Michael Bay’s action film 6 Underground. Canadian actor Ryan Reynolds stars in this movie to be released on Netflix on December 13th 2019. Chopard timepieces, as well as the Garden of Kalahari necklace – the most precious ever made in the ateliers of the Maison – are brilliantly highlighted in various scenes.
6 Underground by Michael Bay
Chopard partners a new action movie produced by Netflix
Thrilling and bold are the words that best define Michael Bay’s latest film, 6 Underground, in which six billionaires make the decision to pose as dead and create an elite unit dedicated to fighting dangerous criminals. Among these heroes who have decided to bury their past to change the course of the future, Ryan Reynolds portrays the role of the main character, code-named One. The film will be available exclusively on Netflix as of December 13th 2019.
The Canadian actor shines with timepieces selected from the Chopard watch collections, first of all with a model featuring a hinged back cover, the L.U.C XPS 1860 Officer from the Haute Horlogerie line of the Maison. Crafted in 18-carat white gold, this timepiece, chronometer-certified, bearing the “Poinçon de Genève” quality hallmark and powered by an ultra-thin movement with automatic winding, testifies to the refinement and masterful expertise cultivated by the Manufacture. In the most extreme moments of the film, One wears two watches from the Mille Miglia collection, a more sporty albeit no less sophisticated watch: the Mille Miglia GTS Power Control Grigio Speciale and the Mille Miglia Classic Chronograph. With their sleek aesthetics and technical excellence, these chronometers are the epitome of distinguished virility. Careful observers will also see the Mille Miglia Racing Colours chronograph with its “Speed Yellow” dial on the wrist of the character known as Two
Sparkling radiantly at the heart of the plot is the most beautiful jewellery creation ever to emerge from the Chopard Haute Joaillerie ateliers: a breathtaking necklace belonging to the Garden of Kalahari collection, comprising three diamonds of 50, 26 and 25 carats respectively. These are cut from a rough diamond of 342 carats distinguished by its extremely rare purity, the largest such D-Flawless ever acquired by the Maison: the Queen of Kalahari.
Well-accustomed to film sets, Maison Chopard – which has been serving as official partner of the Cannes International Film Festival since 1998 – is delighted to have been involved in the production of this new film that is sure to captivate movie-lovers seeking thrills and adrenaline rushes.
Published since 1845, Blue Book as evolved into an annual jewellery collection highlighting rare gemstones and unparalleled craftsmanship. The 2019 Blue Book Collection, Tiffany Jewell Box, is a study in virtuosity. Showcasing the earth’s most unusual and exquisite gemstones, it blurs the line between reality and imagination.
Tiffany & Co. revealed its 2019 Blue Book Collection: Tiffany Jewel Box, the new high jewellery collection that highlights nature’s artistry. The jewellery collection includes a series of 11 brooches, each differentiated by design elements inspired by nature.
Among the most beautiful pieces is a jewelled butterfly captured in a glass jar fluttering on an 18k gold twig or a dragonfly with custom-cut diamond wings taking flight from a sterling silver envelope. For the first time in recent history, the Blue Book collection features watches inspired by the jewellery and men’s jewellery with a series of lapel pins and signet rings that elevate these classic designs.
The jewellery collection encompasses natures themes that share interwoven threads of continuous design elements. Flight introduces translucency as a motif with sterling silver and glass vessels, juxtaposing texture and form elevating custom-cut stones that seemingly float within the wings of the butterflies.
The stunning platinum floral brooch represents the Flora theme. The stunning piece features an 18k yellow gold frame that holds the flower together, and blue sapphires contrast with custom-cut rose-cut diamonds to create a transparency that allows the colour to come through. The flower is nestled in a 24k gold vermeil crate.
The Frame theme introduces a new Tiffany icon. An impressive 18k yellow gold necklace features over 40 total carats of diamonds in different cuts, including emerald, cushion, oval, pear and square shapes that exemplify Tiffany’s innovative design and craftsmanship.
Mosaic is presented with a platinum and diamond-encrusted scarab brooch that grasps a spectacular blue spinel of over 7 carats tucked away in sterling silver and 24k gold vermeil matchbox.
Sculpture is reflected through an 18k yellow gold handkerchief that floats within a sterling silver and glass box with a striking emerald-cut diamond of over 5 carats nestled in its centre. A bird brooch highlights the soft sculptural form of nature and nestles perfectly in sterling silver and 24k gold vermeil birdhouse.
The Ribbon motif introduces a rarely used gemstone: the black opal. A brooch featuring an oval cabochon black opal of over 37 carats is juxtaposed with the bright, angular baguette sapphire and diamond orbs.
Icons is a new take on Tiffany’s signature motifs – the heart and the star. One of the most intricate designs in this jewellery collection, a ruby heart of over 28 total carats is cut into individual jagged, unique shapes that appear as though they have been broken and pieced together and housed within an 18k yellow gold locket.