Piaget’s new high jewelery collection tells something in different words. The collection is called Metaphoria. And if a metaphor is a word or definition used to express something other than the literal sense, likewise Metaphoria dips its pen in this ancient art of expression. A metaphor used by Metaphoria? Here it is: the collection is made up of rivers of precious stones. A pure metaphor (precious stones are not liquid, but the comparison works). Alongside this dialectical game there is, of course, fine jewelry, which is the result of the industrious Genevan craftsmanship.
The collection consists of 52 pieces, entirely made in the Maison’s ateliers and presented in Florence, in the Renaissance villa with Italian garden (today a hotel) Il Salviatino, on the hills of Fiesole, just outside Florence. Also a metaphor of architectural meanings. Now the collection.
In 1969, Yves Piaget presented its 21st Century Collection, with jewel-watches of very unusual shapes and with ornamental stones set in their dials, as well as engraved gold sautoirs and bracelet watches. Collection which, according to the Maison, laid the foundations for Piaget’s unmistakable style. Metaphoria is 2023 a reworking of that 21st Century Collection. It is divided into 41 jewels and 11 watches, in two chapters, Azureia and Beautanica. Names that evoke an equally metaphorical nature.
Experimentation, innovation and cheerfulness are part of the Maison’s DNA. Since the 1960s, Piaget has dared to introduce coral, turquoise and lapis lazuli into watchmaking and unique jewellery. This desire to use unexpected materials in pieces created to high jewelery standards is still at the core of our identity.
Benjamin Comar, CEO of Piaget
Mineralis
The highlight of the collection is the Mineralis set. It is made up of jewels which, again using a metaphor, seem to have come out of the waters of a mountain river. An asymmetrical necklace is made with diamonds, sapphires, aquamarine and rock crystal. Piaget jewelers combine the transparency of rock crystal (representing the brilliance that lines the edges of rivers), with intensely blue sapphires, whose inverted settings give the piece an ultra-modern look. A 13.25-carat lagoon-blue cushion-cut aquamarine sparkles at the center. The piece is paired with earrings and rings, one of which is set with a 4.1 carat Sri Lankan sapphire.
Our goal was to emphasize details that bring to mind natural phenomena, such as the flow of a waterfall or the sun’s rays, while at the same time arousing a particular emotion. The materials we use, from the insect elytra to the precious wood, have been selected to give an unpredictable and alive element to a 21st century piece of fine jewelry.
Stéphanie Sivrière, creative director of Piaget
Aqua Summa
With the Aqua Summa set, the Maison intends to convey a vision of frost and ice with the unusual combination of aquamarine with Akoya pearls and diamonds. The collar necklace, fully articulated with an invisible closure, features pear-shaped cerulean aquamarines, the largest of which weighs over 4 carats. The piece can be paired with earrings and an exquisite cocktail ring, the white gold body of which is paved with a frost of shimmering diamonds and set with a 12.48-carat cushion-cut aquamarine.
Alata
With the Alata set, Piaget transforms leaves into gold, mother-of-pearl and diamonds on rich and unstructured pieces, in the shape of a necklace, earrings and a watch. A gold and titanium earcuff has gold leaves engraved with the Decor Palace pattern, golden mother of pearl, white gold flecks and diamonds come together to dress the outer edge of the ear in a spectacular piece. Piaget jewelers have also created an engagement ring. On this piece, the center of the leaf is accented with a 2.23 carat pear shaped diamond. The set is completed by a cuff watch, the body of which is embellished with an inlay of mother-of-pearl and engraved gold, mixed with marquise-cut diamonds. A piece that demonstrates Piaget’s perfect mastery even in the smallest details.
Terrae
The Terrae parure has a bold design, inspired by the colors of the forest. The brown of tiger’s eye and rutilated quartz is used together with the green of tourmaline. The pair is accented with vertical rows of square tourmaline beads and features a cushion-cut tourmaline weighing approximately 16 carats at its center. A ring, bracelet and earrings complete the set.
Essentia
Goldsmith skill is at the heart of Essentia, which includes jewels in rose gold and diamonds, defined by natural lines. An iconic piece of this set, the flat-knit necklace is made up of oversized links, whose irregular shapes recall those of driftwood found on the beach. Earrings and wristwatch complete the set.
Adrivea
Following the tradition of secret high jewelery watches, the Maison now unveils one of its greatest signature pieces, Adrivea, a ring that tells the time. Beneath a 10.88-carat aquamarine cabochon, its dial sparkles with diamonds, joined by waves of lustrous stones and blue sapphires that adorn the setting of this oversized piece.
Foliatura
Another unique piece is Foliatura, a jewel-watch set with a magnificent cushion-cut Colombian emerald weighing 6.59 carats. Its white gold body reveals incredible craftsmanship, fusing stylized chrysoprase leaves and intertwined diamonds on a background of engraved gold Decor Palace. Ingeniously positioned at the bottom of the strap, the face of the watch allows the wearer to discreetly read the time.
Watches
Alitura features a mosaic dial composed of ornamental stones, reminiscent of the precious damask fabric. The dial of the Undulata watch, on the other hand, was created by the Parisian inlay specialist Rose Saneuil. The dial is iridescent green, with an inlay of straw, wood, leather, parchment and elytra, and houses an ultra-thin tourbillon, caliber 670P, all made entirely by Piaget. It is surrounded by two circles of baguette and brilliant cut diamonds. Last, but not least, Piaget watchmakers present an ultra-jewellery version of the famous cushion-shaped Black Tie watch, made famous by one of the Piaget Society’s most loyal customers, Andy Warhol. The piece combines a petrified wood dial with a baguette-cut emerald bezel and hour markers. It is a one-of-a-kind piece powered by the Manufacture’s ultra-thin mechanical caliber 534P.
