If you are lucky enough to have a May birthday, then the gorgeous emerald is your birthstone.
Cleopatra, Queen of Egypt, notably loved this precious stone so much so that she had her royal adornments set with them. It has been much sought after since antiquity and through its green colour, the ‘emerald symbolises triumphant life forces.’ Emeralds together with diamonds, sapphires and rubies tend to shine in high jewellery with masterful cuts and ingenious settings – from verdant greens to paler hues, or with bluish tints, these gems are soul-stirring.
And if you are still mulling over more emerald pieces to add to your collection, we’ve got you covered. These vibrant green gems are a must-have in your jewellery box and there is nothing quiet about them.
A piece that easily becomes part of the jewellery fantasy is Boucheron’s Histoire de Style, Like a Queen. When Princess Elizabeth turned eighteen in 1944, she received a Boucheron aquamarine and diamond double-clip brooch. She would continue to wear this sentimental design throughout her reign. Claire Choisne, Creative Director of Boucheron, took inspiration from this unique piece to create a high jewellery collection reinterpreting the famous Art Deco design through contemporary new designs. When considered horizontally, the multi-wear Green Garden jewel becomes a platinum ring paved with emeralds and diamonds that is enhanced by a fine line of green lacquer. Worn two-ways, the ring can hold its own with or without its diamond surround. Thus, the ring becomes a solitaire which highlights a cushion-cut Zambian emerald. A pair of coordinating earrings with two detachable pear-cut emeralds may be clipped onto the lobe or higher up along the cartilage of the ear.
“Being able to wear a piece in a number of ways, as well as the use of colour, were central to our work on this collection, so that both men and women may wear these pieces. We wanted these eighteen variations to reflect the ease with which the original was worn, since the two clips may be attached in various ways, on their own or together. We also wanted this collection to convey the elegance distinctive of this Art Deco piece,” says Choisne.
Moussaieff’s high jewellery ring in white gold seems ready to take flight with Colombian emeralds and outlined with diamonds.
And at Graff, its exquisite high jewellery chandelier earrings too combine emeralds with diamonds.
Van Cleef & Arpels, meanwhile, chooses to add sapphire to the mix. In its Chevron Mystérieux necklace with detachable pendants crafted in white gold and rose gold, the maison employs its signature traditional mystery setting for the wide collier necklace that makes a statement with emeralds, emeralds, sapphires and diamonds.
Chopard’s Red Carpet collection includes a stunning bejewelled timepiece in emeralds and diamonds. This watch in Fairmined-certified ethical 18k white gold set with octagonal emeralds, pear-shaped diamonds and brilliant-cut diamonds, this timepiece is guided by the visionary eye of Caroline Scheufele, founder and creative director of Chopard. The gem evokes the fresh charm of lush nature and its prolific bounty in the newest design. Nature makes an indelible imprint through to the very heart of the dial: twelve pear-shaped diamond hour markers form a gorgeous rosette. According to Chopard, “It is this unique yet fragile gem requiring extremely careful handling that the master jewellers have chosen to highlight in this watch.”
The Bagnoire watch from Cartier is part of the research initiated by Louis Cartier on watchmaking shapes from the very beginning of the 20th century. it was in 1912 that the first oval watch appeared in the company’s repertoire. It would go on to evolve over the following decades, and it was not until 1973 that a watch was named ‘Baignoire,’ meaning ‘bathtub.’ Cartier’s own vision has seen the maison render the Baignoire in multiple transformations since its creation. This time, Cartier envisions it entirely in diamonds or paired with sapphires, emeralds, chrysoprase or blue tourmalines. On a delicately arched structure, the snow-set dial features a paving in which the metal appears to be completely absent: the stones of varying cuts create a vibrant and shifting appearance.
Dina Kamal’s emerald Tootia Torc necklace in 18k raw-white (beige) gold featuring a brushed finish is a custom commission designed to house rare pure vivid green Columbian emeralds. “The monolithic gold structure underneath each emerald extends from the torc in a bridge archipelago that rests and takes the shape of the carrier. The neck torc is designed as diamond clusters, resembling sea urchins (Tootia), to allow for an organic feel against the brutalist gold substructure of the emeralds. The torc brace has a very specific location on the neck which is higher than a traditional and rest at the exact connecting point of neck to shoulder,” explained Kamal. Colombian Emeralds and natural white brilliant-cut diamonds sparkle on the torc.
Boghossian’s one-of-a-kind inlay cuff and matching earrings set with emeralds are quite compelling, while Dior’s Dearest Dior high jewellery ring in yellow and white gold is adorned with multi-cut diamonds and emerald, as green lacquer reinforces the nature-inspired jewel.
Gübelin famously takes inspiration from the imperfections and natural structures within its gems to create their vibrant jewellery pieces. The new Gübelin Flowing River cocktail ring features a 5.28-carat emerald, and the design itself is inspired by the fascinating inner world of the stone itself, from Brazil.
“The interior of the emerald revealed them fabulous structures evoking images of rich vegetation, winding waterways meandering gently through the Amazon basin,” said Raphael Gübelin. A pavé thread of diamonds surrounds the precious gem and extends around the entire ring, glistening like the Amazon. Emulating a riverbed, the diamond baguettes were designed to create an organically curved channel setting in white gold.
This story first appeared here.
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