February 07, 2011
© Courtesy Mauboussin
Last week French jewelry firm Mauboussin opened the doors
of its shop on Madison Avenue in New York to celebrate the launch of its new
e-commerce site, mauboussin.us. Guests filled all three floors of the townhouse
boutique to snack on macarons, sip La Caravelle Champagne and peruse the new
collections, which include large candy-colored amethyst and citrine cocktail
rings and diamond necklaces and bracelets done in Mauboussin’s signature shooting
star. The Manhattan boutique, which opened in 2008, is the company’s first American
flagship and houses its colored-stone, diamond and watch collections on the
first two floors, while the third floor serves as its bridal salon.
The online shop, meanwhile, is an ode to Mauboussin’s
flagship on the Place Vendôme. Most of the collection will be available online,
though the emphasis is on the company’s steel-and-diamond watches (from $545)
and popular cocktail rings (from $1,100), which come in sapphire, amethyst and citrine
and have poetic names like Couleur Baiser (Kiss of Color) and C’est Toi la Star (You’re
the Star).
Mauboussin, 714 Madison Avenue; 212-752-4300; mauboussin.us
May 18, 2012
Photo courtesy of Chopard
When French actress Bérénice Béjo, who received an Oscar nod this year for her role in The Artist, took the stage Wednesday to host the opening ceremony of the Cannes Film Festival, her earrings nearly stole the show. Their one-of-a-kind diamond-drop design is part of a 65-piece Haute Joaillerie Red Carpet collection created by Chopard copresident and artistic director Caroline Scheufele—and it’s all to celebrate the festival’s 65th year.
Chopard, a Cannes partner for the past 15 years, has created new designs around the event before. But this is its most extensive effort by far: More than 70,000 hand-set stones went into the collection, and the entire process took Chopard artisans five-plus months to execute.
Introduced over the course of the 12-day festival—mostly on the necks, wrists and ears of leading ladies—the Red Carpet pieces range in mood. Some, like a tsavorite garnet statement ring shaped like a Granny Smith apple with a brown diamond stem, are pure whimsy; others, like the pink sapphire and amethyst long necklace (pictured above) and the detachable elderflower pendant made of ruby and pink sapphire clusters set on a diamond floral necklace, are classically elegant. All are gorgeously Chopard. Prices upon request; 709 Madison Ave.; 212-223-2304; chopard.com/cannes.
March 23, 2012
Courtesy Pomellato
When Milan-based jeweler Pomellato opened its fourth U.S. boutique in Beverly Hills this past December, the brand’s arrival on the West Coast represented the latest victory in its effort to build the kind of adoring fan base in America that it enjoys in Europe. Andrea Morante, Pomellato’s CEO, told Departures last year, “Our jewelry is super-sophisticated, and the American market is looking for that.”
A few short months later, Pomellato has brought POM POM, its line of haute joiallerie, to the U.S., where it debuted at Bergdorf Goodman last week. The line features 12 rings, 11 bracelets and three pairs of earrings, each a one-of-a-kind piece made from rare, vividly colored stones. One example is a rose-gold ring that features a 10.75-carat fire opal surrounded by rose-cut purple and orange sapphires; another is a set of drop earrings comprised of several dozen aquamarines and diamonds. Now that’s sophistication.”
Prices upon request; at Pomellato boutiques and Bergdorf Goodman; pomellato.it.”
March 31, 2012
Courtesy Fred Leighton
Ancient Egypt’s mysterious religious and architectural symbols have always fascinated me, and they often influence my style. One of my favorite trips was to Luxor, Dendera and Cairo, where I visited the Khan al Khalili market, the best place to unearth rare treasures. I found lapis and turquoise scarabs, scooping them up by the handfuls. In ancient Egypt this beetle, which was often entombed with mummies, was a sacred symbol, its life cycle seen as a metaphor for rebirth and resurrection—hence, its association with immortality. Scarabs were inscribed with hieroglyphics and carried as amulets, or worn as jewelry for good luck. Today they continue to inspire jewelers everywhere. Santa Monica, California–based designer Darlene de Sedle, who carves them from gold and rainbow moonstone, helped me create a flower-shaped turquoise and purple iolite cocktail ring. I also brought scarab beads to New York–based Aurora Lopez Mejia, who used them to craft a one-of-a-kind necklace. I love the idea that these little bugs hold so much power and significance.
A 19th-century scarab and jeweled pendant necklace from Fred Leighton. $145,000; 212-288-1872.
April 16, 2012
Billy Farrell / BFAnyc.com
In 1971, Cartier disavowed its classical French roots in favor of NYC-style nuts, bolts and nails in its historic Juste un Clou collection—a raw, edgy line from Italian designer Aldo Cipullo, who designed the iconic Cartier Love bracelet. Last Thursday night, the brand resurrected Juste un Clou with a red-carpeted flurry of champagne and fox fur at Cartier’s Fifth Avenue flagship. The new collection features 12 variations on the original Juste un Clou centerpiece –an 18-karat-gold nail bent into a cuff—including rings in the same design and new versions of the bracelet in rose and white gold, set with pave diamonds.
Upstairs at the Cartier Mansion, guests got an early look at an exhibition commemorating Cartier’s love affair with the gritty, rebellious city that inspired Juste un Clou. “Cartier & Aldo Cipullo, New York City in the ’70s” (open to the public through May 8) displays nearly 40 archival jewelry designs, vintage Vogue spreads, drawings and scrapbooks. While the brand presents itself as playfully rough-edged in the exhibition—next to a photograph of a bejeweled Elizabeth Taylor, witness a close-up of the crossed, hairy arms of a man wearing the entire original collection—there is no undercutting Cartier’s elegance. Even the nails come with diamonds. At 653 Fifth Ave.; rings, from $2,175 and bracelets, from $6,250; justeunclou.cartier.us.
