From brilliant diamond wheat sheaves and ample emeralds, to haute couture clusters and Paraíba tourmalines, jaw-dropping jewellery isn’t in short supply. This season, an extravagant back-to-nature mise en scène features various unconventional twists; a welcome alternative to our long-established floral infatuation.
“Moisson d’Or” brooch, CHANEL Fine Jewellery
Motifs vary from desert flowers and feathered crops to autumn leaves and unruly branches. Nishith Shah, CEO of luxury jewellery house La Marquise, says this emerging trend is flourishing. “Exotic jewellery collections whose designs truly differentiate them help consumers personalise their wardrobe to an exclusive taste.” Unsurprisingly, major brands continue to draw deeply from the well of agrarian inspiration, just not in the way one might expect.
“Exotic jewellery collections whose designs truly differentiate them help consumers personalise their wardrobe to an exclusive taste.”
Nishith Shah, CEO of La Marquise
Chanel’s newest collection’s awash with white and yellow gold, taking inspiration from wheat, or ‘les blés’ in French. A universal symbol for prosperity, the harvest harks back to Gabrielle Chanel’s peasant roots, as well as her birthday on August 19th. Octagonal fancy yellow diamonds, shimmering sapphires, peridots and otherworldly aquarmarines celebrate every stage of a wheat’s life-cycle, from tender young stalks to a sun-kissed crop.
“Champ de Blé” cuff in 18K yellow gold set with 869 brilliant-cut diamonds
Piaget similarly incorporates sunlight into their latest beguiling collection, which features masses of rose gold and palm tree detailing. According to Shah, nature is omnipresent in jewellery design because its influence is “inescapable”. Therefore it’s no surprise that Les Folies by De Grisogono boasts mesmeric branches and leaves, arranged in artful clusters and crafted out of sizable diamonds.
Cactus de Cartier ring in yellow gold with lapis lazuli
“Flexible skinny cuff bangles, stackable bangles and rings, as well as jacket earrings will be part of the autumn/winter trend,” reveals Shah, in addition to “metal-rose and yellow gold”. The Cactus de Cartier collection certainly has plenty, and celebrates desert flowers, specifically the cactus. Think mystic chrysoprase, carnelians and lapis. Geometric and sensuous sculptural shapes are both spiky and soft, decorated with bold emeralds set in warm yellow gold that enchantingly captures the flirtatious heat of the desert. This new gem-fuelled obsession will certainly add a statement piece to your jewellery box, as well as an eye-catching embellishment to your daily look.
