Chopard unveils Red Carpet Collection 2019
Chopard Red Carpet Collection
As a partner to the Cannes International Film Festival since 1998, each year, Caroline Scheufele of Chopard designs an Haute Joaillerie collection that meets the extraordinary challenge of offering a number of jewellery creations matching the number of Festival editions. In 2019, this means that 72 talismans compose a Red Carpet Collection that is an alchemist’s blend of colours and shapes, expressed through the most precious gems
For the Red Carpet Collection 2019, Caroline Scheufele, co-president and artistic director of the Maison, has chosen Love as her inspirational theme. With the opening of the Festival, Scheufele unveiled 72 creations that compose this year’s magnificent collection. The 72 necklaces, bracelets, rings, brooches and jewellery watches that she has conceptualised for the legendary ‘montée des marches’ red carpet ritual: an anthem to colour and daring shapes, as well as a celebration of precious stones and rich poetic references – all convey the single and universal message of love.
From the initial idea through to its fulfilment by the Chopard Haute Joaillerie workshops, the dazzling Red Carpet Collection dons its luminous apparel, driven by the expertise and talent of its Mains d’Art. Among them is a set comprising a necklace and a pair of earrings in which splendid heart-shaped tanzanites, Paraiba tourmalines, amethysts, and diamonds meet and mingle in beautifully light gold circles of ethical white gold and titanium. The necklace alone called for 500 hours of work, testifying to the quintessence of jewellery excellence embodied by Chopard. A quest for perfection that Caroline Scheufele expresses with a choice of breathtakingly beautiful precious gems. Witness a 111-carat cabochon-cut emerald mounted on a floral-inspired necklace, as well as exceptional pink diamonds showcased on solitaire rings.
Through the choice of precious stones, colour plays a starring role in the Red Carpet Collection. A set comprising a necklace and a pair of earrings thus combines the purity of diamonds with the vivacity of entrancingly beautiful pink sapphires. Their design playfully mingles marquise, pear, and brilliant cuts in an exceptionally harmonious manner. Graced with another style and another colour pairing, two pairs of chandelier earrings testify to the Chopard workshops’ mastery of titanium. Known for its lightness, this metal invisibly supports a cascade of either tanzanites or amethysts, with the coloured titanium appearing to vanish entirely so as to magnify the brilliance and depth of the gems.
Other talismans, such as sautoir necklaces, feature subtly graded shapes evoking rainbow colours. Finally, two bracelets set the perfect finishing touch: one in a pleasing combination of Paraiba tourmalines, tanzanites, amethysts, and sapphires; and the other associating the orange tone of a Spessartite garnet with the green and blue shimmer of a setting composed of opals, emeralds, and sapphires.
Because the greatest declarations of love are always accompanied by flowers, Caroline Scheufele has designed a set composed of rings and earrings shaped like astonishingly lifelike orchids. Vividly expressing the creative and technical brilliance cultivated by the maison, these dainty titanium flower stems adorned with diamonds, amethysts, and sapphires achieve immortality as if a single spell had transformed them into jewellery. And since love is a game of seduction in nature just as among human beings, these orchids attract foraging insects by means of their labella composed of white opals radiating the spectacular pinkish shimmer of tinted titanium. The petals on the earrings are entirely paved with diamonds and amethysts, while those of the ring are delicately adorned with pink sapphires and diamonds
Precious watches
For lovers so keenly aware that nothing is more precious than time, Chopard embellishes the passing hours through a series of jewellery watches illustrating its age-old expertise. Entirely set with diamonds forming a precious lacework motif that has become a signature of Chopard Haute Joaillerie, the watches in the Red Carpet Collection welcome rare precious stones to their dials. Strategically placed at 12 and 6 o’clock, an array of sapphires, rubies, emeralds or magnificent pink and yellow diamonds gracefully clothe time with a sparkling mantle.
The Journey to Sustainable Luxury
In 2013, Chopard embarked on a major challenge by enriching the Red Carpet Collection with two pieces from a capsule collection made from certified materials: ethical ‘Fairmined’ certified gold and diamonds purchased from suppliers certified by the Responsible Jewellery Council (RJC). Ever since, Caroline Scheufele has constantly enriched this jewellery line – aptly named the Green Carpet Collection – by adding opals, emeralds and Paraiba tourmalines meeting the highest extraction and traceability criteria.
This year, the collection incorporates some exceptional new pieces, starting with a superb cuff bracelet featuring volutes composed of more than 25 carats of diamonds and which required no less than 340 hours of work by the Mains d’Art of the maison. A necklace and a pair of matching earrings also join the line-up, featuring white gold and diamonds forming fine jewellery lacework emblematic of the Maison Chopard. Commensurate with the ethical criteria of the Green Carpet Collection, these three jewellery creations are crafted in ethical ‘Fairmined’ certified gold and sparkle with diamonds sourced exclusively from RJC-approved suppliers.
Megan Hess’ artistic interpretation
Sharing the same passion for drawing, Caroline Scheufele asked Australian artist Megan Hess to provide her own interpretation of the Red Carpet Collection. The result is a series of illustrations featuring Chopard’s Haute Joaillerie creations. Through a romantic dinner in the glow of an opulent pendant chandelier inspired by ruby and diamond earrings; a flower plucked from a greenhouse filled with arums; or the terrace of a palace hotel beneath a starry sky that echoes sparkling sapphires, the illustrator has given splendid life to the theme of love explored by the Red Carpet Collection.
