The Best Sparkling High Jewelry Gifts this Season

The haute joaillerie shows in Paris are held twice a year in Paris, just after the haute couture shows. A perfect gown requires a perfect necklace, no? Now, just in time for holiday gifting season, these stunning pieces are available in-store (but definitely NOT online). Which ones would make the best gift for someone who loves fine jewelry? Our intrepid correspondent Jillian Tangen volunteered to personally investigate this pressing issue. Now she’s sharing the best luxury sparkling high jewelry gifts this season.

the new haute joaillerie collections have arrived

Twice a year, right after the haute couture shows in Paris have finished, another kind of dazzling show unfolds. One that consists of the unveiling of the latest and most sparkling collections from the world’s foremost heritage jewelry brands. 

While this year’s most recent haute joaillerie took place in July, we are only now fully seeing the collections that were exhibited there fully available at luxury retail boutiques.

the themes of this season’s high jewelry collections

The themes for the haute joaillerie collections each year tend to be wildly romantic. And this year is no exception. The new collections from brands like Chopard, Piaget and Van Cleef celebrate everything. From milestone anniversaries to desert landscapes. Shakespearean dramas to the ever-changing skies. Even the city of Paris itself. 

 

And if that’s not enough, the luxury fashion house Gucci entered the high jewelry game for the first time ever with an electric mashup of styles and stones, making this year one of the most glittering and over the top yet. 

So it’s the perfect year for a gift of high jewelry, if you have the will, the recipient and the means for it.  By all means, make it a gift to yourself if the spirit moves you (bosses buy their own jewels, right?) But even if you can’t be in the market this year, these are lovely little works of art that are just lovely to dream over.

Just think of it. Each piece of high jewelry is one-of-a-kind, and can take up to 12 months to create. They’re brilliant examples of craftsmanship, certainly on par with the fabulous gowns shown in Paris just before they were unveiled. And they are SO. PRETTY.

So come along, dear reader. Let’s open the fine jewelry box and see what’s inside.

The Best Sparkling High Jewelry Gifts this Season

Whether you call it high jewelry, fine jewelry or haute joaillerie, here are the most gorgeous creations hitting the stores just in time for the holidays.

1. Chanel.

Chanel’s latest collection, Le Paris Russe de Chanel takes inspiration from Coco Chanel’s fascination with Russia and its people who flocked to Paris during the 1920’s – in particular the Grand Duke Dmitri Pavlovich, her one time lover.  Throughout the 63 piece collection are pieces inspired by the country’s traditional folk clothing including a colorful gem encrusted headband and a necklace comprising of stonework so detailed it resembles traditional Russian embroidery.

2. Boucheron.

Boucheron was the first major house to set up on the Place Vendôme and its collection Paris, vu du 26 is a celebration of the brand’s historic HQ and its recent renovation.  Several pieces pay tribute to the shape of the Place itself, including a set of Duo rings, with two emerald cut beryls weighing over 31 carats each.  Also included in the collection are pieces that are made to resemble nearby places within view of the brand’s headquarters, including the Verrier Necklace, offering a bird’s eye view of the Grand Palais which hangs on a miniature blown glass winter garden filled with minute titanium plants and grass.

3. Chaumet.

Chaumet looked to the skies for its Les Ciels du Chaumet collection, telling a four part story about the metamorphose of the sky.  Using a soft palette of gemstones, the Lueurs d’Orage earrings depict the gathering of a storm with non-traditional stones like imperial topaz and morganite while other works use color to differentiate between night and day.  The collection also includes a suite of finely crafted swallows, the symbol of love as the birds mate for life.

4. Cartier.

Named for its visually high impact, Cartier’s Magnitude Collection combines fine precious gems with hard cut stones.  This stunning mash up pairs diamonds and emeralds with rutilated quartz, sapphires, opals, pink diamonds and morganite. Standouts include the Magnitude necklace with 107 carats of Mozambique ruby beads mixed with cabochon rubies, watercolor tourmalines, turquoise amazonites, onyx and diamonds and an almost 15 carat cabochon cut black opal ring from Australia flanked by two sugarloaf emeralds.

5. Chopard.

The 72 piece Chopard Red Carpet Collection that debuted at this year’s Cannes Festival, was inspired by the many awe inspiring facets of love.  To build out the theme, artistic director, Caroline Scheufele looked not only to traditional human love, but also to plants, animals and art history too.  Among our favorites is a breathtaking necklace filled with tanzanite, paraiba tourmaline, amethysts and diamonds and a sublime pair of ruby and diamond earrings for a more classic take on the theme.

6. Dior.

To celebrate the 20th anniversary of its creative director, Victoire de Castellane, Dior threw a lavish two-day celebration in Venice for the debut of her latest collection. 

Gem Dior is a joyful celebration of color and stones with no less than 99 rings, earrings, necklaces, hand pieces, watches and more, with stones spanning the full rainbow.  We love the earrings that were designed as couples, mismatching with a jumble of gemstones in varying shapes, sizes and colors. We also love the use of pink throughout, including a stunning ring that pays homage to Christian Dior himself and his pink childhood home in Granville, France.

7. Piaget.

For its 145th anniversary, Piaget presented the desert inspired Golden Oasis Collection headlined by the Golden Hour Necklace, set with a 6.63 carat fancy vivid yellow diamond surrounded by 102 marquise cut yellow and white diamonds and an additional 139 brilliant cut diamonds.  The collection pays homage to not only the desert sun, but also the minerals and native blooms found in the desert too.  One of our fav’s are the glittering Desert Sunbow Earrings with diamonds, spinel, ruby and sapphire.

8. Mikimoto.

Mikimoto’s Jardin Mystérieux Collection is an ode to palatial gardens of the Victorian era mixing the brands signature pearls with rare gemstones.  The collection brings to mind images of strolling courtiers with parasols complete with swans gliding on a nearby lake.  Brooches resemble antique gates adorned with sapphire and pearl flowers while earrings bring to mind wrought iron gates covered in the vines of flowers.

9. Van Cleef & Arpels.

One of William Shakespeare’s most legendary masterpieces is the inspiration behind Van Cleef & Arpels’ latest themed collection, Romeo & Juliet.  In addition to finding gem encrusted clips in the form of the two famous lovers and a brooch depicting the play’s famous balcony, you will find more subtle nods via the use of the colors blue, red and purple.  A blue Verona necklace represents the Montegue family while a ruby ring the Capulets. 

10. Graff.

Unlike some of the other high jewelry brand, Graff tends to stay away from themed collections.  Instead they present the latest innovations from their workshop in Paris.  Two highlights from their new work include a pair of 25 carat Sapphire and Diamond Earrings that were inspired by the calligraphic paint strokes of the American artist Cy Twombly and the Thread Necklace featuring yellow diamonds seemingly suspended between shards of diamonds totaling in 74 carats.

11. De Beers.

The Portraits of Nature collection was the largest De Beers has shown to date, and it centers around the beauty, texture and colors of wild animals. Among the animals highlighted are the Greater Flamingo, Monarch Butterfly, Electric Cichlid, Knysna Chameleon and Chapman’s Zebra.  As its name suggests, the Knysna Chameleon Necklace is able to change colors and style.  The double row of tonal rough diamonds around the white baguette diamond necklace can be removed, as can the tassel with a 5 carat pear cut diamond drop.  Another favorite is the Greater Flamingo Bracelet with soft graduating peach and pink toned diamonds to reflect the wind with the flamingos feathers.

12. Buccellati.

To celebrate its 100th anniversary, Buccellati launched its new 57 facet diamond cut, developed in collaboration with Taché Diamonds of Antwerp, Belgium.  The new cut took more than a year to develop.  The Italian house also brought new life to house signatures including the Gotico Cuff, a tribute to the rosettes found in Gothic cathedrals and the Cnosso Pendant, a labyrinthine motif with, at its center, a diamond in the new Buccellati cut.

13. Louis Vuitton.

After two seasons of suspense, Louis Vuitton revealed the first high jewelry collection by Francesca Amfitheatrof, its new artistic director for jewelry and watches. The Riders of the Knights collection looked to medieval heroines to create a collection of modern day “armor.”  Standouts include a choker with 19 carat blue sapphire with diamond and sapphire mesh and an emerald and diamond ring featuring one of LV’s most recognizable house codes, the star shaped flower.

14. Gucci.

Gucci’s first ever high jewelry collection is called Hortus Deliciarum, the Garden of Delights, after a 12th century illuminated manuscript and is a salute to Alessandro Michele’s classic maximalism style.  The 200 piece collection includes a wide variety of stones assembled in a  Victorian style flora and fauna as well as classic symbols of love like Cupid’s arrow.  There is also heavy use of the house codes via snakes, lions, bees and mythical beasts too.  All the pieces are for sale in Paris at the new Gucci’s Boutique in Place Vendôme.

Other standouts.

Outside of the 14 major houses, other standouts included Ana Khouri and her Harmony Collection. It explores how jewelry interacts with the wearer’s body. Our favorite piece is the diamond ear cuff briolettes that sway and shimmer as you move while wearing them. 

Charlotte Dauphin de la Rochefoucauld celebrated the 5th anniversary of Dauphin by revisiting her classic architectural styles. Including the brand’s iconic Monuments Ring. 

Finally, the classical cellist turned jewelry designer Anna Hu unveiled a collection called Silk Road Music. It features a transformable necklace with a whopping 100-carat yellow diamond, one of the largest in the world.  Standout, indeed.

the Sparkling High Jewelry this Season

That’s it! Our top picks of the best sparkling gift for someone who loves jewelry.

Which piece is your favorite?  Frankly, we loved them all. But if we had to choose, we might pick the Graff Thread Necklace. Or a colorful pair of Dior’s Earring Couples.  Santa, do you hear us? Anyone? Hello? Honey, you’re reading this, right? Hey, a girl can dream.

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Jillian Tangen is the Head of Research at Dandelion Chandelier. Formerly, she was a Senior Research Analyst at McKinsey & Co and Analyst at Shearman & Sterling. She is an avid fan of Nordic design, having owned an independent lifestyle store and sales agency focused on emerging Scandinavian design. Jillian lives in NYC and is married with three young children. She loves cross country skiing, the New York Rangers, reading, travel and discovering new brands.

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