Boucheron

The origins of the company can be traced all the way back to 1858. Boucheron was the first big-name jeweler to arrive on the famous Parisian Place Vendôme. Today this company is directed by two female directors: Hélène Poulit-Duquesne as CEO alongside Claire Choisne, the Maison's Creative Director.

 

I love Boucheron for its daring, innovative character. The company is on a leadership path showing the jewelry world how to create high-end jewelry incorporating new elements and materials. Often inexpensive materials or materials that were never seen before in a jewelry piece. 

I picked out this beautiful necklace from The Femme Sable set. 

''Its beige, sand and blond palette represents the sunlight as the warm wind sculpts a silhouette on the dunes: the Femme Sable (Sand Woman) set is an invitation to a dream-like desert, a vast space of harmonious curves, home to extraordinary animals where stones meet plants, and precious materials meet rattan.''

 

Harry Winston

Harry Winston is synonymous with diamonds and beautiful gemstones. The rich history -check their website and more for fabulous stories- goes back to the '20s of the last century. Today the company is known for its classic glamour and impressive jewels. It's all about the gemstone and especially the diamonds. 

 

I love Harry Winston for not ever making concessions in quality and style. This company sticks to its classics. 

I picked out this beautiful colorful necklace. 

The Magic Escapes Amalfi necklace is a dream in blue and pinkish red. The enchanting necklace is a composition of 47 rubellites. Surrounded by turquoise and diamonds, it represents the Amalfi coast with its bougainvilleas and lovely sea. 

Cartier

One of the most-known names in the world of jewelry is, of course, Cartier. When Louis-François Cartier (1819-1904) took over the workshop of his master Adolphe Picard at 29 rue Montorgueil in Paris, he led the foundation of the Maison Cartier.

 

The heritage jewelry brand Cartier has created many iconic jewelry and watches. (link) Owning a Cartier watch is an easily recognizable status symbol for many, and the Just un Clou bracelet or the trinity ring (1924) are immensely popular.

I love Cartier for its many iconic pieces and rich history, and I choose to feature the Iwana Necklace here. I found this necklace mesmerizingly beautiful, and I have always loved emeralds! 

The skin of the green iguana inspired the Cartier design studio to create this jewelry set. The idea, according to Cartier, is not to imitate nature but to suggest and convey an impression through an abstract composition. 

The central motif comprises three uniquely-shaped Colombian emeralds weighing 43.45 carats: cabochon-cut hexagons with pronounced edges. 

The facets of the cabochons multiply into a weave of openwork triangular motifs, set or paved with diamonds and emeralds. Connected by tiny metal rings, these elements create a highly flexible necklace, comfortable to wear. 

Tiffany

Tiffany & Co. began in 1837 and grew into a global design house. The first store opened in that same year in New York City. Fun detail: it sold for $4,98 on its very first day. A few years later, it would introduce a catalog from which clients could order jewelry. Later this would turn into the now much-anticipated Blue Book.

In 1851 Tiffany was the first American company to institute the .925 sterling silver standard, which the United States later adopted. 

Tiffany is an American Iconic jewelry brand. Its name appears in movies and songs. The color of their packaging is a form of communication on its own. This brand is now part of the French conglomerate LVMH.

I love Tiffany for its ''iconicness'' It's so strong! The company's designs failed to enchant my writing jewelry peers and me for a while. Still, their lovely past collections, Elsa Peretti, Jean Schlumberger, and Paloma Picasso, drew me in and made me a ''believer'' that better days would come. And so it did. The Blue Book collections are impressive, and I took out this Wisteria Necklace to show you why I love this jewelry brand. 

The design evokes a single spray of wisteria comprised of 36 pieces of custom-cut hand-carved Chalcedony. Elegantly plunging down the decollete. 

Artisans set each individual sapphire and diamond by hand. 

''The Wisteria necklace features the Tiffany High Jewelry ribbon motif, expressed through custom-cut diamonds and sapphires of varying hues to create an ombré effect.''  

BULGARI

Bulgari was founded by the Greek silversmith Sotirio Bulgari in 1884. Over the decades, it became a favorite among Hollywood celebrities, and Bulgari is known for its flamboyant use of color. 

According to the company, it always revered its cultured legacy while introducing innovations that rewrote the rules of the jewelry universe and launched new trends that stood out as icons of contemporary design.

 

I love Bulgari for its use of color and for its stunning jewelry. Today this company is known for its perfume, bags, and watches, but for me, it's always about the jewelry. I was lucky enough to be invited to several of their exclusive diners in Amsterdam, including the memorable one in the Van Gogh Museum. 

I chose this Mediterranean Queen masterpiece necklace because Bulgari outdid itself with this exquisite piece. According to the company, the necklace is inspired by a previous design dating back to 1969. With its intricate gold and diamond construction, it evokes sea waves. 

Five marvelous oval cushion-cut Paraiba tourmalines, weighing about 500 carats, are connected by sinuous, curved elements set with emeralds and diamonds.

One Paraiba Tourmaline is found for every 10.000 diamonds; therefore, collecting these stunning rare stones is an extraordinary achievement. The central stone is 153,00 ct. 

The Magnifica High Jewelry Mediterranean QUeen necklace has five cushion-cut Paraiba tourmalines, emeralds, and diamonds.

It took 2,400 hours to be completed.

Mathon

The Mathon soul is attached to the family's history, driven by Roger Mathon, grandfather of the current leader, Aude. He started his creative dream by painting, modeling, and making ceramics. Gaining lots of experience, he eventually settled on jewelry drawing.

''He drew his inspiration from nature and the lush environment of his country home. The animals of the forest, the plants, and the flowers feed his creations with an organic aesthetic, thus creating the Mathon style. 

In the '70s, Roger, who was supported by his wife, took over a workshop. His children brought in new expertise; 

''Catherine incorporated within her jewelry designs colored stones which laid down the signature of the MATHON PARIS brand. Frédéric undertook the overseas market, laying the foundation for Asian and American development. Pascal introduced the first technological innovations into the workshop, combining craftsmanship and modern techniques.''

 

In the 2010s, the couple Aude and Jean-Baptiste gradually joined this venture with their human approach filled with kindness, sincerity, simplicity, and authenticity.

I experienced this myself when interviewing Aude and having direct contact with her. It's an absolute delight and pleasure to work with her. 

I have chosen a necklace from their Emeline Piot x Mathon Paris collection called Gor Orish-Nla. The collection has the subtitle L’architecte et les magiciens.

Emeline Piot is a multi-disciplinary artist. Mathon says that this collection is, first and foremost, a story of a human encounter ( notice how they put the name of the artist first? Authenticity is a word that's overused and yet delightfully appropriately used to describe the heart of today's Mathon). 

''The prolific work of Emeline Piot focuses on animal and plant themes, themes that find a natural echo in Mathon's world.''  

JAR

Joel Arthur Rosenthal is an American jeweler who works in Paris. According to a Forbes article, he is "the Faberge of our time."

Mr. Rosenthal first worked as a screenwriter and a needle stitcher. Working for Hermès and Valentino before becoming the famous but notoriously hidden jewelry designer. A self-taught artist started working with inexpensive materials but quickly took over the jewelry-collecting crowd with his exquisite taste and jewels.

Since 1977 he runs a salon creating around 70 pieces each year. His attitude towards the press and clients may be a clever marketing strategy. He is known for sending away clients, and his pieces allegedly sell for twice as much as the first buyer bought them for. 

 

I love JAR for his self-taught skills. I have a thing for people like this, as I have a son (14) who is an autodidact in everything he does. And there is something magical in that kind of talent and obsessive nurturing of skill or interest. 

I have chosen a beautiful necklace forming a snake. 

The sapphire, diamond, and amethyst choker are designed as a pavé-set diamond and sapphire-hinged serpent with a vari-cut amethyst spine to the circular-cut sapphire head and cabochon eyes mounted in silver and 18K gold.

 

 

Boucheron, Bulgari, Cartier, Harry Winston, JAR, Mathon

Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam, quis nostrud exercitation ullamco laboris nisi ut aliquip ex ea commodo consequat.