Go Big or Go Home: Piaget’s 150th Anniversary High Jewelry Collection
The pièce de résistance of Piaget’s 150th-anniversary celebrations takes the form of a breathtaking new high jewelry collection that includes one of the most intricate jewelry watches ever crafted by the maison.
In the opulent halls of the Palais Brongniart, a 19th-century marvel crafted under Napoleon’s vision, Piaget’s 150th Anniversary high jewelry exhibition dazzled Paris with a sublime showcase. Called the “Essence of Extraleganza” collection, around 40 pieces from it shimmered alongside archival treasures, weaving a poetic dance of history and modernity.
At the Parisian exhibition, amid majestic shades of carnelians and sparkles of rare yellow vivid diamonds, we were lucky enough to have a sit down with Stéphanie Sivrière, Piaget’s Creative Director for Jewelry and Watches.
The Creative Spark
“When I create, there are always two words that come to mind and guide me: elegance and surprise,” Sivrière explained to Watchonista. “So, when we started working on the 150th-anniversary collection, the idea was to delve into our heritage without merely replicating past designs.”
Adding: “We aimed to draw inspiration from different styles, updating them with a modern twist.” And this approach is evident in the new collection, which features historical elements reinterpreted with contemporary flair.
A good example of this is the reintroduction of a forgotten craftsmanship technique called “flexible chain mail,” which has been updated to suit 21st-century sensibilities by using modern materials like titanium.
A Balancing Act
Sivrière also discussed the challenges that balancing tradition with innovation can create. “We had to innovate without losing touch with our roots,” she explained. So, to achieve this delicate balance, Sivrière and her team used a design process that modernizes stylistic details from heritage pieces.
Take, for example, a necklace inspired by a 1984 scarf design that has been reinvented using titanium and copious amounts of sapphires, spessartite garnets, and tourmalines.
As a result, this piece looks like it has been cut from a cloud of multicolored silk. Carrying a total of 1,500 stones, each one is meticulously set into color-matched bezels and arranged according to color intensity.
Similarly, two years of research culminated in this extraordinary white gold necklace, showcasing over 30 carats of rare round emeralds.
The piece dazzles with interlacing links featuring round and baguette-cut emeralds, brilliant-cut diamonds, and Palace Decor-engraved gold. Completing the set is a divine ring with a 5.72-carat Colombian emerald, another ring, two pairs of earrings, and an ultra-slim watch with a flying tourbillon movement.
To The Palace Born
“The key message of the new collection is to rediscover the allure and style of the past while keeping it relevant for today’s independent and modern women,” Sivrière noted. “Piaget is about strong values and timeless elegance. We design jewelry that appeals to independent women who appreciate quality and have a distinct style.”
Each piece in the collection seamlessly merges Piaget’s traditional craftsmanship, such as the intricate Palace Décor engraving technique, with cutting-edge technologies and materials alongside Piaget’s refined affinity for couture.
“It’s about understanding our heritage and using it as a foundation to build something new and exciting,” added Stéphanie, commenting on the textures and fluidity while working with gold and precious metals.
The Bejeweled Hour
Unveiling Piaget’s dual mastery in watchmaking and jewelry, this high jewelry collection features perhaps the brand’s most intricate gem-set watch, a piece with 26.11 carats of baguette-cut diamonds and Colombian emeralds that took over a year to meticulously craft.
“The starting point for this creation was the stones, and we didn’t have enough of them,” explained Sivrière. “It was truly complicated to find the same color and quality. Additionally, achieving the bracelet’s flexibility and integrating the diamonds was a significant challenge.”
This one-of-a-kind masterpiece presents a stunning mosaic that overflows along the sides. Additionally, each element is mounted on different levels and accentuated by a coil of yellow gold, adding depth and articulation. Meanwhile, the green enamel dial highlights Piaget’s exquisite refinement and homage to its heritage.
Complementing this extraordinary watch is a bold ring featuring a 2.53-carat emerald surrounded by scattered diamonds and a solitaire modernized with marquetry of baguette-cut diamonds, coiled yellow gold threads, and crowned by a 4.15-carat pear-cut D diamond.
The set is completed with an asymmetrical pair of earrings, epitomizing Piaget’s perfectionism in crafting even the tiniest detail.
Forward-Looking
I was very curious about Stéphanie’s vision for the future of jewelry design. As an artist and artisan, she highlighted a captivating blend of traditional craftsmanship and cutting-edge materials like titanium and aluminum, ushering in a new era of innovation.
As a designer and stylist, Sivrière noted a significant shift in how jewelry is worn and perceived, with an increasing number of men embracing fine jewelry and women gravitating towards intricate watch complications.
This evolving landscape fuels Piaget’s drive to innovate and push boundaries, ensuring its designs remain at the forefront of luxury and sophistication.
For more information, check out the Piaget website.
(Images © Piaget)