To celebrate 150 years of luxury you need something extraordinary. And the Maison Piaget is used to surprising its admirers with collections of excellent quality. The anniversary of the Swiss brand is therefore linked to new exceptional pieces of high jewelery brought together under the name of Essence of Extraleganza. The collection, of 96 pieces, which summarizes the style and virtues of Piaget and the style of the Sixties and Seventies, presents creations that combine precious materials with even more precious workmanship, with a quality that few high jewelery brands can match. The pieces on offer, including jewel watches, are divided into three chapters: Extraleganza, Piaget Society and When mastery ignites artistry.
We decided not to reproduce the models of the past in an identical way, but to rework the boldness, originality and elegance that they already expressed in those times and which characterize the soul of the Maison.
Stéphanie Sivrière, creative director of Piaget jewelry and watches
Extra elegance
The first chapter, Extra-elegance, arises from the contraction of the terms extravagance and elegance. That is, creativity combined with luxury, avant-garde and research into special materials. An example is the magnificent Swinging Sautoir in turquoise, malachite and yellow sapphire, which is a tribute to a model dating back to 1969 and which fits well with the year that celebrates the history of the Maison. It is a jewel that can be worn in three different ways. Strung on a hand-set gold chain studded with diamonds, the blue and green pearls end in a 6.11-carat aquamarine and a stunning 29.24-carat yellow sapphire from Sri Lanka. The sautoir pendant is a trapezoid-shaped timepiece in turquoise and diamonds, detachable and usable as a wristwatch thanks to the ingenious possibility of attaching it to a bracelet.
Creativity and pomp are the couple that characterize a spectacular set of carnelians, bassartine (gem not to be confused with vedortite), yellow sapphires and diamonds. A masterpiece of virtuosity, the necklace features a series of trapezoid-shaped carnelians in orange tones set in rose gold. The ornamental stones are combined with diamonds and mounted on an entirely handmade rose gold chain, illuminated by diamonds and yellow sapphires. The protagonist of the necklace is a 21.23-carat cushion-cut famartine. The set also includes a ring and a pair of matching earrings.
A transformable cuff bracelet in gold, pink sapphire and famartine concentrates all of Piaget’s creativity and savoir-faire. In addition to the influence of couture in the cut of the jewel, the taste for asymmetry is evident in the Milanese link in rose gold edged with corners with diamonds and topped by a bracelet made up of crosses in fancy gold. The metal is decorated with the famous Décor Palace engraving, created by Piaget in the early 1960s, in which a 4.42-carat pink Madagascar sapphire and a 6.40-carat famartine are set.
Another extra elegant piece, inspired by a model created in 1984, is the titanium scarf necklace, which appears to be made with a cloud of colorful silk. Sapphires, bassartine, tourmalines: there are 1,500 stones that compose it, mounted in settings of coordinated colours, positioned according to the chromatic intensity. The jewel, tangible and ethereal at the same time, is accompanied by a bracelet, a ring and a pair of earrings. The jeweler also created a two-tone version of the necklace, with blue sapphires and white diamonds.
It took more than two years of research to find the extremely rare round emeralds, majestically set in the white gold necklace. The beauty of the jewel, which features over 30 carats of green gems, lies in the interweaving of the links, which creates a luminous play of materials and stones between round emeralds and baguettes, pavé of diamonds and gold with the Décor Palace engraving.
This model is accompanied by a stunning ring with a 5.72-carat Colombian emerald, set on a body inlaid with round and baguette diamonds. A second ring, two pairs of earrings and an ultra-thin flying tourbillon watch are also available.
Another exquisite piece: a symphony of blue, unmistakably Piaget, is expressed through a V-shaped necklace richly adorned with gems. A 13.05-carat oval blue sapphire from Madagascar and a double row of marquise-cut sapphires, tourmalines and aquamarine are surrounded by a cascade of opals, turquoises, diamonds and gold engraved with Décor Palace. There is also a matching ear cuff. The set is completed by a ring which, like the other jewels that compose it, bears the refined Décor Palace engraving on the back.
Piaget Society
The second chapter of the collection is inspired by Piaget’s unique approach to jewellery. The theme is the colorful sets whose design and contrasting gems are a metaphor for the eventful life of the wearer. The futuristic elegance of a hand-twisted rose gold necklace is a direct reference to the Maison’s heritage. The unusual design of this model, characterized by a renewed Seventies spirit, follows the movements of the body, features solids and fillets in which circles and empty ovals follow one another, large opal plaques and stripes of snow-set diamonds. In the same vein are a double ring, a pair of earrings and a magnificent watch designed by the man who was nicknamed the “jeweler of time”.
Like a fabulous lasso around the neck, a sautoir is made up of over 1,300 turquoise cabochons set in rose gold. The illusion of a string of blue gems, whose color is enhanced by six turquoise spheres, is absolute. The fluidity of this charismatic jewel is enhanced by two tassels in thin gold chains edged with turquoise beads. The sautoir is accompanied by a transformable cuff bracelet, whose gold and diamond fringes hide a turquoise dial, and a pair of earrings. The set recalls the Maison’s emblematic cocktail jewels and plays with material effects. Opaque and brilliant, the necklace features turquoise spheres of different sizes on a triumph of marquise-cut green tourmalines and diamond-studded lozenges. The highlight is a 16.83-carat pear-cut yellow sapphire from Sri Lanka, accompanied by a mesmerizing 26.55-carat green tourmaline mounted on an ebony ring dotted with diamonds and lagoon tourmalines. A statement cuff bracelet, also made of natural wood, is edged with turquoises and tourmalines and features a diamond straw that transforms into a brooch.
When mastery ignites artistry
The third chapter of the collection gives gold precious textures and a new fluidity. An extraordinary bracelet features twisted gold, the underlying theme of this High Jewelery collection. The bracelet encloses a combination of 26 pink and purple sapphires weighing nearly 56 carats. The gold threads, which seem to float in the air and follow the shape of each gem, testify to the jeweler’s unparalleled savoir-faire in metalworking. Piaget also designed a ring with a purple sapphire and a pair of earrings with 18 color-coordinated sapphires.
It was no mean feat to find the forty or so baguette-cut Colombian emeralds weighing 26.11 carats that adorn a timepiece bracelet. A unique watch which, in addition to emeralds, also features baguette-cut diamonds, some of which overflow onto the sides, giving the model unparalleled originality. Each element, articulated and underlined by a twisted yellow gold thread, is mounted on a different plane to accentuate the relief of the watch, with a green enamel dial. The model is accompanied by a boldly designed ring, in which diamonds emerge from the setting in front of a 2.53-carat emerald. The set also includes a magnificent solitaire with a 4.15-carat D pear-shaped diamond, whose line is updated by an inlay of baguette diamonds and twisted yellow gold threads. A pair of asymmetric earrings completes the ensemble.
