Chaumet est une fête: Opera in the language of gemstones

High Jewellery, as a rule, has become an integral component of special events. Perhaps we have yet realised the power that high jewellery has to transform an evening into a magical experience. Surrounded by smiles, brilliance, light and music, these pieces come to life, and every glimmer seems to dance, chiming in time to the beat. The Chaumet Jewellery House was inspired by the emotions and beauty of these exceptional moments and paid homage to them in the collection Chaumet est une fête (Chaumet is a celebration).

In order to really get a feel for the mood of the jewellery collection, I was invited to a special party in honour of its release, organised during Paris Fashion Week. None of the guests knew where it was going to take place, and when we were brought to the secret location, we discovered it was the Musée des Arts Forains. In this majestic place, the guests felt the festive air: we amused ourselves on the attractions, danced, took photographs, played games and won prizes. The whole place was flooded with multi-coloured lights which, combined with DJ music and laughter, created a unique atmosphere.

When the time came to present the Chaumet Est Une Fête novelties, four models took their turns on the carousel platform, which was completely covered in mirrors. The glitter of diamonds and gemstones on the pieces mingled with the dancing lights, but this did not hinder our view of the jewels. In line with the House’s conception, the collection is divided into four parts, with the mood set by a musical theme with a corresponding designated title: Pastorale Anglaise, Aria Passionata, Valse d’Hiver and Rhapsodie Transatlantiqué.

In a general sense, the genre Pastorale Anglaise, dramatic and musical, gives and idyllic depiction of the lives of shepherds and cowherds in the bosom of nature. Green gardens and wild meadows are transformed here into luxurious places of emeralds, sprinkled with colourful sapphires, rubies and diamonds.

The largest emerald weighing 28.98 carats, mined in Colombia, adorned the transformable necklace in the Pastorale Anglaise collection. It was joined by 39 cabochon cut emeralds from Zambia – a real rarity, as usually emeralds from two deposits are not mixed in one piece of jewellery. If desired, the pendant with the giant green gem can be unfastened, leaving behind a rich décor reminiscent of folds of fabric with a tartan pattern. This stylistic decision of designers was inspired by the 1907 brooch, kept in Chaumet’s historical collection, and the creation of the set celebrates the annual Glyndebourne opera festival. To match the necklace, the brand made a brooch, earrings, watch and two rings in the same style.

The second part of the collection – Aria Passionata – immediately dazzles with a bright red palette of rubies, tourmalines and garnets. This suite of colour is a nod to the interior decorative features of the opera and ballet theatre La Scala, as well as the emotions released on the stage across its history of performance. 

The multi-row transformable necklace has a detachable detail – a brooch and it involuntarily resembles an auditorium with its innumerable rows. As such, it turns out that the principle character of this piece is the face of the beautiful woman who wears it. This set also includes the parts of 3 watches, a brooch, bracelet, 2 pairs of earrings and 3 rings.

Vales d’Hiver is the third part of Chaumet Est Une Fête collection. It looks like dance movements and bends of lace, rising upwards to the music of Strauss. Vortexes of snow white diamonds in a frame of white gold are combined with natural and cultured pearls. 

A diadem, necklace, transformable necklace, brooch, bracelet, watch, four rings and four pairs of earrings cover the skin with a precious veil. The delicate and sparkling pieces are dedicated to the Vienna Opera, praising youthful grace and genuine delight from their first appearance in the spotlight.

The fourth part of the collection – Rhapsodie Transatlantique  – was the only multi-coloured “melody”. The location of musical pilgrimage in New York, the Metropolitan Opera, is where elegance intertwines with modernity and sophistication – and with courage, embodied here in a composition freed from any conventions. Diamonds of all colours are combined with garnets, pink tourmalines, multi-coloured sapphires, morganites, tanzanites, Imperial topaz – all sparkling like a final congratulatory bouquet. 

The designers did not complicate this necklace by making it transformable, as the main body of creative attention is paid to the stones, all of which are amazing in their beauty and size: a 29.77 carat cushion-cut morganite, a 23.38 carat oval chrysoberyl, a 2.87 carat oval Imperial topaz, a 12.21 carat oval pink tourmaline, and a 10.67 carat cushion-cut tanzanite, as well as diamonds and granites in various sizes. Similar stones of a more modest size also decorated 3 brooches, 3 pairs of earrings and 3 rings.

The Chaumet Est Une Fête collection includes about 40 pieces, a significant number of which have already found their owners. Of course, this is hardly surprising, because the French brand has once again surpassed itself in creativity.