collection
BASELWORLD 2016 Cerastes bracelet, Jacob & Co.
Animal Kingdom Pond ring,
True Colours
The trend for coloured gemstones sees no sign of slowing down, as illustrated at Baselworld. Green continues to be popular, whether in the traditional vivid emerald hue as demonstrated at Amrapali, Jacob & Co, and Graff, or a light spring green hue (which has been selected as one of this year’s Pantone colours) reflected in Paraiba tourmalines, peridots and opals. Rubies are clearly having a moment too. Indian jeweller Amrapali released its new Manak designs set with white diamonds and Mozambique rubies that have been entirely untreated, hence their captivating pink-red shade. Speaking to head designer Tarang Arora, he remarked how the rapid depletion in untreated rubies has meant that the market for them has skyrocketed. Fabergé has a long history of using the world’s finest coloured gemstones as well as enamelling to create its works of art. The new mosaic pendant illustrates this perfectly. The house’s invisible gem-setting technique first pioneered in the early 20th century uses single-faceted gemstones that are perfectly calibrated to ensure the overall design is flawless. Both Amrapali and Chanel also highlighted the industry’s renewed interest in garnets. Finally, ‘king of colour’ Fawaz Gruosi, founder of Swiss jewellery house De Grisogono, lit up his Basel stand with a medley of shades, including the new Boule pieces in rose gold and pink sapphires, or in pink sapphires and amber resin dropped in hot and cold water to achieve its hazy effect.
Top, l-r: Mosaic multi-coloured pendant, Fabergé; Manak ruby ring 18-carat rose gold with diamonds, Amrapali; Pearl & diamond necklace with opals, Yoko London Circles, l-r: Boule earrings with pink sapphires in rose gold, De Grisogono; Charmeuse ruby ring, Fabergé; Ruby earrings, Etho Maria
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The animal motif has preyed Maria Kovadi upon the minds of fine jewellers for centuries. This year marks the Chinese year of the monkey and jewellers therefore let their imaginations run wild with their simian-themed jewels at Baselworld. Well-known for his playful creations, Italian jeweller Roberto Coin delighted us with his ‘cheeky’ take on the Chinese zodiac sign, presenting it in precious form in 18-carat rose gold and diamonds. The serpent has charmed its way into high jewellery collections for years, but the brand that is truly defined by this enigmatic reptile is Bulgari. The house’s timeless symbol was reincarnated in a new high jewellery timepiece collection, Serpenti Incantati. The snake coils itself around the case of a round watch for the first time, conveying the creature’s supple grace, and arrives in two versions: a rubellite-set with a pink gold case or a white gold diamond-set (either with a satin strap or a matching bracelet). Another jeweller famed for its reptilian heritage is Boucheron, which unleashed a new rose gold version of its classic Serpent Bohème collection, along with adding other creations to its existing ark-worthy menagerie. These include the enchanting Nuri Cockatoo pendant earrings featuring an array of coloured gemstones and the Pégase high jewellery timepiece. Over at Jacob & Co., which celebrates its 30th anniversary this year, the serpent reared its head once again in the Cerastes bracelet. The bejewelled interpretation in lightweight aluminium and snakeskin seductively wraps itself around the wearer’s arm, empowering her with its flashing Marquise-cut ruby eyes. The underwater world was also not forgotten about; Greek jeweller Eugenie Niarchos, who presented her brand Venyx World for the first time at the show, added new pieces to her Oseanyx range. Meanwhile, slightly less exotic Serpenti Incantati but nonetheless magical, Maria Kovadi proved she high jewellery timepiece, Bulgari was a big fish with her fairy-tale-inspired Pond pieces.
Circles, l-r: Gecko earrings, Carrera y Carrera; Nuri, the Cockatoo pendant earrings, Boucheron; Lizard ring, Roberto Coin
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