ST waTcheS and jewellerY autumn / winter 2011

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contents 09

Autumn / Winter 2011

3250

On the cover: Photography Rafael Stahelin.

Fashion editor Michelle Duguid. Jumper,

£1,190, Céline. Hat, £925, Lanvin. Earrings,

£53,400, Boucheron. Necklace, price on

application, Adler. Ring, Fabergé. Bombé

ring, POA, Graff

EDITORIAL

Editor Joanne Glasbey

Senior art director Ciara Walshe

Chief copy editor Chris Madigan

Assistant editor Sarah Deeks

Picture editor Juliette Hedoin

Senior copy editor Gill Wing

Copy editors Cate Langmuir,

Ming Liu, Rupert Mellor

Creative director Ian Pendleton

Executive editor Peter Howarth

CONTRIBUTING EDITORS

Simon de Burton

Maria Doulton

COMMERCIAL (UK)

Executive director Dave King

Publishing director

Toby Moore 020 7931 3350

Director of fashion and luxury

Carley Ayres 020 7931 3328

COMMERCIAL (ITALY)

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10 watch word Nick Foulkes on the new desire

for old-fashioned watches: classics not clichés

12 jewellery case Carol Woolton describes the

brooch’s latest comeback. This one might stick

14 news Bright faces and jewellery that shines

16 coveted Patek Philippe’s latest perpetual-

calendar chronograph is a watch of 456 parts

18 artefact Van Cleef & Arpels’ Zip Necklace

– one of Wallis Simpson’s beter suggestions

21 one to watch Tomasz Donocik, a young

jeweller exploring the art of darkness

23 star turn Jaeger-LeCoultre’s Reverso – the

watch that shows its flip side – is 80 years old

25 legend Jewellery’s Tutankhamun: the Hope

Diamond has royal lineage and a juicy curse

28 high society Maria Doulton on how Coco

Chanel would have approved of the J12 watch

30 new wave Simon de Burton casts off and

plots a course to the best nautical timepieces

32 cocktail hour Bold, eye-catching rings for

eveningwear make weighted statements

34 design by numbers Justine Picardie

explores how Dior’s house codes are involved

in its couture watches

36 good as gold Precious metal is the latest

commodity to get the Fairtrade makeover,

reports Mary Sanderson

40 love me slender The world’s slimmest

watch movements are things of beauty

42 clarity & cut Strong jewellery is paired

with fashion’s current geometric shapes

48 record breakers Highest, deepest, smallest,

most accurate: Ken Kessler chooses watches

that can be rated best in their class

50 dark mater This year’s coolest watch

trend sees us back in black

56 stockists The ST style directory

58 national treasure The outsider jeweller

who made it big: Solange Azagury-Partridge

A couple of weeks ago, I had dinner with Sotheby’s new

watch boss, John Reardon, who had just returned from

Hong Kong, where he had managed to sell a solar-powered

table clock decorated with an enamel scene depicting

Dixieland jazz musicians for a quarter of a million dollars.

It helps that it was made by Patek Philippe, that

most cobalt of blue-chip brands; nevertheless, Reardon

estimated that he achieved 10 times what the original

purchaser would have paid – remarkable when one considers

these clocks were a sideline to Patek Philippe’s core business

of mechanical wristwatches.

Looking through the auction catalogues for the

coming winter sales, it is hard not to feel a sense of wonder.

The buoyant vintage market is an indicator of the current

enthusiasm for traditional crafsmanship – afer a period

of experimentation with futuristic materials and designs,

the Swiss are returning to making watches that look like

watches. A typical example is Girard-Perregaux’s 1966 – a

simple, elegant, round watch named for the year that G-P

carried off the Centenary prize of the Neuchatel Observatory.

The power of the past is particularly evident at

the top of the market, where marques with heritage are

happy to flaunt it. One of the most eloquent expressions

of this is Vacheron Constantin’s Aronde 1954 – a timepiece

that revels in mid-20th-century detail in an interplay

of curved and linear planes and polished and brushed

surfaces. Vacheron has been making watches in Geneva

for over a quarter of a millennium without hiatus. It is

a watchmaker that has seen superpowers come and go.

It had already been in business for a generation when

America declared itself independent and then, as now,

the newly rich economies of the world wanted to wear

Swiss watches. The company’s archives are a goldmine

and put it in an enviable position when it comes to

benefiting from today’s tradition boom.

Meanwhile, a few hundred metres away from the

Vacheron HQ, Patek Philippe has been busy creating

a watch to delight the brand’s fanatical clients. For them,

Patek Philippe is almost a religion, and the Reference 5208,

a triple complication, is about as close as it comes to

a modern grail. Elegant in looks and exigent in manufacture,

about the only thing that isn’t understated about it is

the price: 800,000 Swiss francs.

Not all watches will set you back the cost of a

house but, with the rising price of gold and the strength

of the Swiss franc, they have seldom been more expensive.

And yet, especially when you consider the abysmal

global economy, the Swiss watch industry is remarkably

buoyant. Much of this is to do with the powerful

perception of a fine timepiece as a portable and status-

conferring store of value. And nowhere is this beter

understood than in China.

Philippe Léopold-Metzger, CEO of Piaget, told

me 60 per cent of his business is done with the Chinese,

both at home or abroad. There are brands for whom that

percentage is higher and plenty more who want to increase

their exposure in that lucrative market, which is why

we are seeing many more simple two- and three-hand

watches at the moment, as that is what sells well in Asia.

This is paying dividends with brands that have abandoned

over-scaled, baroque designs and returned to classic

watches – a good example being the relatively affordable

Zenith, which is experiencing spectacular growth.

Of course, some experts have raised the concern

that, in orienting themselves towards the tastes of a single

region, Switzerland’s watchmakers may be puting too

many of their eggs in one basket. Well, first, I don’t know

of any other baskets out there at the moment and, second,

China is an increasingly discriminating market, interested

in buying only the best. Unlike so many other industries,

which have outsourced production to more cost-effective

centres, Switzerland and its watchmakers have largely

preserved their mystique by confining the savoir faire

needed to make their tiny ticking masterpieces within the

borders of this landlocked and mountainous region in the

middle of Europe. The result is that the best Swiss

watchmakers make products up to a standard rather than

down to a price, and the market reflects that.

There are cheaper ways of telling the time, but if

I had a few hundred thousand Swiss francs to invest and

the choice between garlic-belt government bonds or fine

Swiss watchmaking, I know which I would choose.

Nick Foulkes is editor of Vanity Fair On Time

The increasingly discerning Chinese taste for classic elegance is driving a return to traditional watches – something Nick Foulkes welcomes

OLD’S COOL

swiss heritage10

Illustration

Marie Assénat

High Jewellery Collection, L’Ame du Voyage.

Every once in a while, magazines announce that brooches

are back, which is followed by one or two costume pieces

shown clasped to a cardigan in a retro-styled fashion shoot.

But spoting a majestic diamond-set beauty pinned onto

a gossamer-silk gown, as in the Fifies, the zenith of the

brooch era, remains as rare as the sight of a unicorn.

However, during London Fashion Week and the recent

Goldsmiths’ Fair, nestled among several collections,

a few stylishly modern precious examples were on show.

Enough to herald the return of the brooch? Probably

not, but what is clear is that there are designers keen

to create a contemporary new version with gemstones.

‘Brooches fell out of favour because women didn’t

know how to wear them,’ says jewellery designer Cora

Sheibani, who launched her ‘Clouds with a Silver Lining’

collection in September. ‘That’s why I decided to show

mine worn, rather than inside a display case, to make

it easier for clients to imagine themselves wearing one

themselves.’ For her London Fashion Week show, she

pinned her silver and rhodium cloud brooches onto a

collection of silk dresses by ex-McQueen designer Edeline

Lee. ‘Clouds come in all sorts of abstract shapes and

can be bright and shiny or dark and atmospheric, just

like silver,’ explains Sheibani. One set of brooches

comprises three different-sized clouds, five diamond pins

and a gold lightning bolt, so that, charmingly, you can

choose the weather when you get dressed in the morning.

‘It’s important to highlight the versatility of the brooch,’

designer Jacqueline Cullen, who specialises in Whitby jet,

told me at the Goldsmiths’ Fair. She makes gold-beaded

chains with toggles so that her circular jet brooches,

edged with gold granulations or black diamonds, can

also be worn as pendants. ‘People are reassured, for

investment purposes, by the presence of the diamonds,’

says Cullen, ‘but I make sure they work for the jet, rather

than just with it, and bring something to my aesthetic’.

As a girl, watching her mother pin brooches onto her beret,

she learnt that they can be worn in unexpected places,

and that, ‘unlike earrings or rings, which are purely

decorative, they can be practical, too.’ Like punks using

safety pins to atach two parts of a garment together,

brooches perform the same function with greater panache.

Across the aisle at the fair, designer Sonia Cheadle

was selling her elegant diamond halo and bar brooches to

women ‘looking for a couple of pieces to make them stand

out’. Inspired by the glamour of the Fifies, she is keen

to update the brooch to give it a fresh, contemporary spin.

The halos contain a hefy two carats of diamonds, but,

thanks to a fine steel pin at the back, will remain secure

and balanced, even on a sheer silk blouse.

A brooch is the only piece of jewellery that does

not sit directly on the body. This lends the likes of

award-winning designer Shaun Leane greater freedom.

‘I’m not confined by weight, as I am when I’m creating

a pair of earrings, so I can be a bit more extravagant,’

he explains. His approach is to create an ‘art jewel’,

using the brooch as a frame within the outer frame of

the wearer’s clothing. He has created one-off objets

d’art for a number of high-profile clients, including a

brooch in the shape of a thistle, featuring Tahitian pearls

and black spinels, that was commissioned by actress

Sarah Jessica Parker. ‘My brooches convert into hairpieces,’

adds Leane. ‘I picked up that quirk during the time when

I was restoring Victorian jewellery.’

Louisa Guinness creates jewellery collections

in collaboration with artists who, like Leane, confound

the usual boundaries of fit and comfort when creating

precious pieces, allowing them to be more expressive.

She is a champion of the brooch. When it comes to

pulling one off with aplomb, she offers some sage advice.

‘Positioning is all. It’s too granny-ish to wear them on a

collar or breast pocket. They look much more edgy worn

high up on the shoulder.’

Greek-born sculptor Sophia Vari recently had a

show of her generously curved, geometric ebony and gold

brooches at Guinness’s gallery, as did American architect

turned jewellery designer William Ehrlich, who fashions

bold modernist tulips and thistles (clearly, a topical

motif) from green and blue sapphires and grey diamonds.

Parisian Muriel Grateau, meanwhile, designs brocade

brooches in vivid enamel and glitered lacquer studded

with diamonds and sapphires. Her avant-garde pins –

litle jewels on clips – can equally well accessorise bags

and hats as well as pullovers. ‘Brooches disappeared for

a long time,’ she says, ‘but they are completely right

for current fashion and the return of the smoking jacket.’

Dare I say it… perhaps the brooch really is back.

Carol Woolton is jewellery editor of Vogue and author of Drawing

Jewels for Fashion (£25); she blogs at blog.carolwoolton.com

Illustration

Cecilia Carlstedt

The brooch has been repositioned, says Carol Woolton. Studded with precious gems, it adorns not just cardigans and collars but bags, hats and even shoulders

PInPOInT

jewellery case12

destination shopping

Harrods excels in curating the best brands

and bringing them together under one roof.

Now it’s the turn of the fine watches and

jewellery department. The rooms have

been revamped, doubling in size to create

Europe’s biggest selling area for innovative

and classic timepieces and haute joaillerie,

such as the Cog necklace from Wilfredo

Rosado, above. The Fine Watch Room

features all the top names plus unique

brands and stand-alone boutiques, for

a total of 35 brands. The Fine Jewellery

Room has also expanded, making this the

one-stop destination for the best timepieces

and jewellery around. harrods.com

star player

Looking for a watch that Professor Brian

Cox might covet? IWC’s new Portuguese

Sidérale Scafusia (above) functions as both

a tourbillon and an astronomical instrument

with its two time displays - the main dial

showing ‘conventional’ time and a small,

24-hour dial showing ‘sidereal’ time, ie the

time measured according to the position of

the earth in relation to the stars rather than

the sun. A sunrise and sunset indicator, leap

year calendar and a rotating planisphere

that displays around 500 stars makes this

the most complex wristwatch IWC has ever

made. £550,000; iwc.com

seeing red

This beautifully intricate necklace (right)

is brand new to the Tiffany & Co collection.

Originally designed by Jean Schlumberger,

who transformed nature’s wonders into

colourful creations, the unique piece

features red spinels and diamonds set in

18ct gold and platinum. POA; tiffany.com

time to honour

To celebrate writers and artists across

the globe who share a commitment to

challenging readers’ perspectives, Zenith

is a supporter of the Norman Mailer Center,

founded to encourage literary figures

imbued with the same passions as the

late American writer, and also sponsors

the institute’s annual gala. Marking this

partnership, it donated one of its iconic

chronographs – El Primero Chronomaster

Open Power Reserve (above) – to each

of the four 2011 gala laureates, including

Indian novelist Arundhati Roy and Rolling

Stones guitarist Keith Richards, who was

honoured with the Distinguished Biography

prize. zenith-watches.com

Wonderfully wickedStephen Webster’s

latest collection of couture cocktails rings is

not for the faint-hearted. ‘It Started with Eve…’ takes inspiration from

history’s most deadly – and glamorous – bad girls, with Lady Macbeth, Bonnie Parker and The Girl with the Golden

Gun (above) all taking starring roles. Webster’s decadent rings are set with exotic gemstones including tanzanite, red

garnet and rubies, and come with more than

a touch of the designer’s

black humour. stephenwebster.com

ticksand

stones

ClassiC ComebaCk

When Pino Rabolini founded Pomellato in

1967, his vision was to produce fine jewellery

without the stuffiness and formality.

In 2001, the brand’s now-iconic Nudo

ring revolutionised the ethos of jewellery

making. Minimalist, yet full of character,

the ring added a touch of humour to the

solitaire, featuring coloured semi-precious

stones cut and set as if they were solitaire

diamonds, and with no visible means of

side support. Now, to celebrate a decade

of the brand’s emblematic ring, Pomellato

has released a new ‘extreme’ Nudo design.

Maintaining all the characteristics of its

predecessor, the current design features

new dimensions and comes in seven

stones, including blue London topaz, lemon

quartz and tangerine garnet, with colour

nuances that the larger sizes intensify

considerably. Wear alone or stack together

for dramatic colour combination.

Nudo rings from £2,020 each; pomellato.com

a grand tribute

Seiko has recreated its signature timepiece,

the Grand Seiko, to celebrate the company’s

130th anniversary. The limited-edition

watches come in three versions and feature

the Caliber 9S64, a newly developed

mechanical hand-winding movement that

boasts the very latest in high-technology

watchmaking, while the design remains

faithful to the original Sixties model.

The handsome, clean face embodies

Seiko’s values of accuracy, durability and

sophistication. But you’ll need to move fast

as there are only 130 anniversary editions

available in the exclusive gold and platinum

executions. grand-seiko.com

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coveted16

the time lord

Itwaswaybackin1925when

PatekPhilippefirstmanagedtoscaledownthe

mind-bogglingperpetual-calendarmechanismto

wristwatchsize,meaningthewell-heelednolonger

hadtosuffertheinconvenienceofneedingtoadjust

theirtimepiecetotakeaccountofshortmonthsand

leapyears.But the movement’s technical complexity

meant it was 1944 before the legendary watch house put

it into regular production. Three years earlier, Patek had

achieved another first by combining the complications of

a perpetual calendar and a chronograph in its Reference

1518. Last year, one fetched more than $615,000 at Christie’s

and a variation of the model, a super-rare Reference 1527,

realised a staggering $5.7m, making it the most expensive

yellow gold watch ever sold at auction. Such heady sums

put the £118,940 price tag of Patek’s recently launched,

456-part Reference 5270G perpetual-calendar chronograph

in perspective – not least because the brand’s watches

featuring this particular array of complicatons have

historically proved to be remarkably good investments.

I’d choose one over stocks and shares any day.

Patek Philippe white gold Reference 5270G on an alligator

strap, available at Watches of Switzerland, 0800 111 4116;

watches-of-switzerland.co.uk

PhotographyThomas Brown

WordsSimon de Burton

StylingCiara Walshe

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artefact18

zipcode ItwastheDuchessofWindsorwho

firstsuggestedtheideaofanecklacebasedonthehumble

ziptoRenéePuissant,thenartisticdirectorofherparents’

distinguishedParisianjewelleryhouse,VanCleef&Arpels.

Subverting the zip fastener was a stroke of genius. Developed

for use in sailors’ uniforms and other pedestrian but practical

applications, it was first taken up by the fashion world in the

Thirties – an era when women discarded conventionality and

claimed their independence. An invention whose function is

simply to open and close and to conceal what is beneath, the

zip was completely reinterpreted by the house. Recast in precious

metal and gemstones, it metamorphosed into a piece of jewellery

that proudly displayed its delicacy and refinement to the world.

Worn open as a necklace or zipped up into a bracelet, Van Cleef

& Arpels Zip consists of two white gold ribbons bordered with

tiny hooks that mesh into one another. The extreme precision

of the gem-setting and articulation technique gives the piece

flexibility, allowing the mechanism to function like a real zip.

The sapphire tassel, in the shape of a knotted ribbon, moves

the slider up and down, allowing it to be worn in those varying

lengths. It’s a shape-shifter that changes mood and has teeth

– not unlike, some might say, the estimable Wallis Simpson.

Zip Necklace from the Couture Collection in white gold with sapphires

and round and princess-cut diamonds, price on application, Van Cleef

& Arpels; 020 7493 0400; vancleef-arpels.com

PhotographyThomas Brown

WordsJoanne Glasbey

StylingCiara Walshe

one to watch 21

With the launch of his women’s collection, the

dark creations of Tomasz Donocik

are on course to be the next

big thing in fine jewellery

Within the venerable surroundings of Garrard, London’s

grande dame of jewellery houses, is a new exhibition space

dedicated, until the end of November, to hot new jewellery

designer Tomasz Donocik.

The Polish-born Austrian is probably more at

home in the edgier environs of Dalston and Shoreditch

than Mayfair, but a foray into the upper echelons of haute

joaillerie is something with which he is completely at ease.

Hailed as the most promising of his generation afer his

graduate exhibition at the Royal College of Art in 2006,

Donocik was described by Sotheby’s director of jewellery,

Joanna Hardy, as having the potential to be the next big

thing. Since then, he has established a relationship with

Garrard and its creative director Stephen Webster, who

has mentored him and supported his work.

You might think such early adulation would have

gone to his head, but there is no sign of a huge ego in this

rising star, who combines Byronic good looks with an

intense, earnest personality. As he talks about his work, it

becomes evident he is more preoccupied with crafsmanship

and artistry than gaining plaudits or commercial gain.

Donocik’s dark glamour and dandyish signature

style has been heavily influenced by his European heritage.

WordsSarah Carpin

PhotographyPhilip Sinden

gothic arrival

‘I chose to study jewellery in the context of fine art,’ he

says. ‘And I see myself first and foremost as a designer

rather than a jeweller, which is why I like to experiment

with non-precious materials such as leather and fabric

as well as silver and gold.’

His first designs, which were predominantly for

men, but ofen worn by women, combined sculptural-

looking leather, inlaid with gold and silver. He called it the

Chesterfield collection, paying homage to the traditional

styles of the gentleman’s club. In contrast, the popular

leather wrap bracelets in his current range are set with

silver Soviet stars. It’s a romantic, urban look, blurring

masculinity and femininity to achieve an edgy and

slightly sinister look without reverting to the ubiquitous

skull. ‘I stay away from them – they’ve been used by so

many other designers and it’s more interesting to explore

the darker side in other ways,’ he explains.

All of Donocik’s designs have a strong supporting

story and, in the pieces being shown at Garrard, which is

his first fine-jewellery collection for women, his narrative

is about the ‘garden of good and evil’. ‘I used the idea of an

overgrown, forgoten garden that is beautiful but neglected.

I wanted the collection to have a fairytale quality to it –

magical but, at the same time, slightly menacing. My first

thoughts were to twist a children’s story – I imagined evil

dwarves collecting precious gems for a greedy Snow White

– but, in the end, decided that I really ought to make my

first fine-jewellery range a bit more grown-up.’

The dwarves are likely to make a future appearance

in silver, but the collection took a more botanical direction,

celebrating the sinister alongside the sublime. ‘The dark

side, in the shape of Venus flytraps, is counterbalanced by

the innocence of snowbells, and there are pieces with

tsavorites and rubies set on the tips to represent poison

dripping out of the flowers.’ It also gives a nod to current

trends in fashion, such as multiple chains, stacking and

interlocking rings and movement.

The connection between jewellery and fashion is

something the designer has also been exploring, and his

Garrard collection includes a set of jewelled silk scarves

that are both a fashion accessory and a piece of jewellery.

The range will expand next year to include jewelled gloves,

created in collaboration with a Parisian glovemaker.

Donocik is breaking the boundaries of jewellery

design, and doing it with the highest degree of crafsmanship.

And, while you may yet need to be convinced to don a pair

of evil-dwarf earrings, he is most definitely one to watch.

Sarah Carpin is a jewellery and watches consultant and writer

Information: Bell & Ross UK +44 207 096 08 78 . information@bellross.com . e-Boutique: www.bellross.com

Pocket Watch PW1 49 mm

Wristwatch WW1 45 mm - Alligator strap

Having withstood the test of time – not to mention

the polo field – for 80 years, the Jaeger-LeCoultre

Reverso has been given a new spin for the modern

age. To commemorate the 80th anniversary of the

Jaeger-LeCoultre Reverso, the Swiss house has

created new versions of this enduring classic of

the watch pantheon. The Grande Reverso Ultra

Thin, Grande Reverso Duo and Reverso Répétition

Minutes à Rideau prove there’s plenty of life in

the old design yet.

Like other pieces of design whose unique

quirks became their unmistakable identities – the

Vespa, Volkswagen Beetle and Anglepoise lamp,

for example – the Reverso was born out of necessity

(if polo-playing can be considered as such). Proof

of its longevity is that, three-quarters of a century

afer the first was sold, the watch is still a bestseller

across the world, even if its original purpose is but

a distant memory in the heat and dust of times past.

The story goes that, in the early Thirties,

during the later days of British colonial rule in

India, and before the invention of cases made from

resilient crystal, officers were complaining that

their watch glasses were being shatered by errant

balls during particularly rambunctious chukkas.

The pressing problem of the polo player’s

watch came to the atention of Swiss businessman

César de Trey who, having made his fortune in

dental products, turned his talents to promoting

fine watchmaking.

Returning from a trip to India with tales

of elephants and maharajas, he had in his pocket

a smashed watch handed to him afer a polo match

by a crestfallen player who complained that this

kept on happening. Rather than suggest the perhaps

obvious solution of leaving one’s watch in a locker,

de Trey sensed he might be on to a winner. The

entrepreneur worked with his business partner,

Jacques-David LeCoultre, and the Jaeger workshop

in Paris to develop a timepiece capable of

withstanding great impacts.

Ever inventive, LeCoultre looked beyond

the remote Vallée du Joux in the Jura mountains

– the heartland of watchmaking – for a more

ingenious solution than just a watch with a cover.

The French capital, where Art Deco was in full

swing, was where he found engineer René-Alfred

Chauvot, whom he commissioned to find an

elegant technical solution.

And so, the Reverso, perhaps the world’s

first purpose-built sports watch, was born – as

was the firm we now know as Jaeger-LeCoultre.

The solution was brilliant in its simplicity: the

rectangular face slid on ball bearings along a track,

swivelled 180° and snapped upside down into its

case. With the metal back outwards, the timepiece

could be safely worn while playing polo, then simply

clicked back into place in time for G&Ts.

The success of this newfangled timepiece

was probably as much to do with its practicality

and built-in fiddle appeal as its streamlined

Art Deco beauty. The Reverso is symbolic of an

age in which reason and logic triumphed over the

purely decorative and, in its own small way, was

a wrist-worn revolution.

Bold but nonetheless pure in appearance,

it was underpinned by technical prowess and

brilliant litle twists of engineering – a manifestation

of the breakneck speed of progress that, in the

preceding decades, had issued forth the automobile,

the first transatlantic flight and the Eiffel Tower.

Yet delicious details, such as the blued-steel

hands and horizontal grooves along the top and

botom of the case, remind us of the traditional

crafsmanship invested in each of these watches.

Even though the arrival of unbreakable

glass a few years later rendered the Reverso’s

original use redundant, such was its popularity

beyond the polo crowd that it went on to become

an icon. To commemorate its birthday, ultra-slim

versions faithful to the original design have been

created, as well as a dual-time zone model and

another that has a minute repeater with a shuter

that glides across the dial. A similarly slender

women’s anniversary edition transforms from an

elegant daytime watch into a bejewelled gold face

shimmering with diamonds for the evening. When

you’re 80, you need no excuse to celebrate in style.

jaeger-lecoultre.com

Maria Doulton is a writer specialising in jewellery and watches

and is the editor of thejewelleryeditor.com

star turnJaeger-LeCoultre celebrates a watch that has stood the test of time (and polo field) for 80 years: the ReversoWords Maria Doulton

icon 23

Clockwise from left:

Jaeger-LeCoultre

Reverso Répétition

Minutes à Rideau;

King Edward VIII

plays polo in Long

Island, New York,

in the Thirties;

vintage ad for the

Reverso Patrimony;

Grande Reverso Duo

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the ancient Japanese art of sword making, it proves the value of 130 years of dedication to perfection. seiko.co.uk

28 years. 230 patents.

at last, a watch that reflects the natural,

continuous flow of time. spring drive.

While it is difficult to separate fact from fiction in the tall

tale of the Hope Diamond, its status as the world’s most

important gemstone has never been in debate. Since it was

first unearthed around 500 years ago in India, it has had

a starring role in the French crown jewels, been stolen and

smuggled, falling into the hands of an English king, been

loved to distraction by an eccentric American socialite,

and, along the way, acquired a reputation for being cursed.

The role this single steely-blue stone has played

in the turbulent affairs of men began with Jean-Baptiste

Tavernier, a merchant who acquired the 112ct triangular-

cut diamond in India. Legend has it he stole it from the

eye of a temple idol, although historians have dismissed

that as fantasy. What is proven is that he sold it to Louis

XIV of France in 1668. A few years later, it was recut

and almost halved to 67 carats and, in the royal inventories,

became known as the French Blue. It was set in gold and

sparkled on the neck ribbon worn by the king for the most

lavish of ceremonial occasions.

Some eight decades later, Louis XV had the stone

reset into a piece for the crown jewels. And there in the

French court it might have remained had it not, like its

owner, become one of the victims of the revolution. In 1792,

afer an atempt by Louis XVI and Marie Antoinete to

flee the country, the royal treasuries were looted and the

French Blue was stolen.

What became of the stone for the following few

tumultuous years remains a mystery. It is likely it was

smuggled out of France and clandestinely sold and resold.

It resurfaced in 1812 with a new identity – a blue diamond

is recorded in the catalogues of London merchant Daniel

Eliason, although it was cut differently and had been reduced

to 44 carats – perhaps in the hope of hiding its origin.

Eliason sold the stone to the one person in the

country unconcerned about its background: King George

IV. The fact that His Majesty purchased it at all was quite

an achievement for the gem dealer – most of his ostentatious

coronation jewels were hired. Despite George IV’s habit

of living beyond his means, he managed to hold on to the

diamond until his death in 1830, when it was sold to a

mystery buyer to pay off the king’s vast debts.

The stone’s next recorded owner, nine years later,

was Henry Philip Hope – the man from whom it takes its

name. Almost as soon as he acquired it, Hope died and,

afer much litigation, it passed to his nephew and then his

grandson, Lord Francis Hope, who, caring more for gambling

than diamonds, surrendered it on becoming bankrupt.

In the early part of the 20th century, the Hope

Diamond changed hands several times, crossing the Atlantic

from London to New York, then back to Paris, where it was

briefly owned by Pierre Cartier. It was he who showed it

to the socialite Evalyn Walsh McLean. A feisty, flamboyant

woman, the daughter of an Irish-American immigrant who

had made his fortune in the Californian gold rush, she

eloped in 1908 with the handsome heir to the Washington

Post fortune. With $200,000 in spending money, the

newlyweds sailed off on an extravagant three-month

honeymoon to Europe; at the end of the trip, they arrived

in Paris without even the funds to pay their hotel bill.

Coveted by spendthrifts and stolen by cutpurses, the reputedly cursed Hope Diamond has many facets

thebigblue

legend 25

WordsSarah Carpin

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‘So I cabled my father and he sent me fresh credit

and his love,’ said Walsh McLean in her memoirs.

‘Then I went to Cartier. I always get into trouble

when I have money in my hands.’

She loved the diamond but not the seting.

Undeterred, Pierre Cartier had it reset and flew

with it to Washington, where he lef it with her

for a weekend. His gamble paid off and the sale

was concluded in 1912, the stone mounted in a

tiara. Sometime later, Walsh McLean had it reset

again, when it became the pendant as it appears

today. She owned and wore it almost daily until her

death in 1947. In fact, according to one story, it took

a lot of persuading to get her to take it off even when

she was admited to hospital for a goitre operation.

And what of the stone’s famous curse?

Susanne Patch, in her book on the Hope Diamond,

wonders if Cartier himself started the legend.

It is said Walsh McLean enjoyed a good yarn and

believed objects that boded ill to others brought

her good luck. According to Patch’s research,

the first mention of the curse in print was in the

early 1900s. Perhaps an embellished tale of a

blue diamond snatched from the eye of an Indian

temple idol was simply part of Cartier’s sales

pater. We will never truly know.

What is curious, however, is that, while

Walsh McLean viewed the stone as a talisman,

others claimed she was a victim of its curse.

Her eldest son died in a car crash when he was

nine, her daughter commited suicide at the

age of 25 and her husband was declared insane.

Although she had bequeathed the diamond to her

grandchildren, all her jewels were sold two years

afer her death to setle her debts.

The purchaser was diamond specialist

Harry Winston. He dismissed speculation about

the curse. ‘It’s silly to imagine diamonds exert any

good or evil influence. It’s not the diamonds but the

people who handle them that cause the misfortune,’

he said. ‘In fact, since we’ve had the Hope Diamond,

our business has multiplied four times.’

Over the next decade, Winston used the

diamond as a means for good, raising money for

worthy causes by exhibiting it and allowing it to be

worn at charitable events. He understood that its

inherent value extended well beyond its monetary

worth: ‘We’ve owned it for 10 years. I could have

sold it many times for a profit,’ he said. ‘Instead,

we raised more than a million dollars for charity.’

In 1958, he donated it to the Smithsonian Institution

in Washington to help establish the United States’

national gem and mineral collection, believing

that a stone of such gemmological and historic

significance deserved to be shared, rather than

hidden away in a private home.

The Hope Diamond has remained in the museum

ever since, but its story does not end there. Equally

as fascinating as its colourful history is its ability

to change colour – under ultraviolet light, it was

discovered, the blue stone gives off a fiery orange

glow. ‘It looks like a coal on a barbecue,’ explains

gemmologist and national gem collection curator

Dr Jeff Post. While this is not a mystical

phenomenon unique to the Hope stone –

phosphorescence is common to all natural blue

diamonds – Post discovered that each has its own

particular type by which scientists can identify it.

‘Diamonds that have been treated artificially to

turn them blue so they can be passed off as more

valuable natural-coloured stones do not glow in the

same way – their fingerprint is completely different.

Now, fakes are much easier to detect,’ he says.

While its heady days of passing from one

spectacularly rich and spendthrif owner to another

are long gone, the legacy of the Hope Diamond

continues. Frédéric de Narp, president and CEO of

Harry Winston Inc, says the same principles that

led to its donation to the Smithsonian back in the

Fifies are still upheld by the company: ‘Harry Winston

is about rarity, beauty, quality and crafsmanship,’

he says. ‘It’s about creating unique fine jewellery

and timepieces without compromise.

‘One of the things that has always impressed

me was the incredible vision Mr Winston displayed

in giving his rarest treasure to the Smithsonian to

help educate the world about amazing gemstones.

For me, that really represents the essence of what

made him who he was and the company what it

became and still is today. It is not only about a

passion for the most famous jewels in the world,

but a sense of compassion in wanting to share

these gifs with others.’

Harry Winston used to say his designs

were dictated by the individual beauty of the

gemstones. With this in mind, he challenged his

designers and crafsman to create new, pioneering

techniques for jewellery design, and setings that

allowed the gem, rather than the metal, to be the

focal point of each creation. This love of and

appreciation for the magic of diamonds is something

he shared with Evalyn Walsh McLean and the

many other colourful owners of the Hope Diamond

– the most enchanting stone in the world.

harrywinston.com

Was the tale of a diamond snatched from the eye of an Indian temple idol simply part of Pierre Cartier’s sales patter? We will never know

Previous page:

The Hope

Diamond in 2010

in a temporary

setting: a platinum

necklace by Harry

Winston Inc.

Right from top:

George IV; Louis

XIV; the gem in its

traditional setting;

Evalyn Walsh

McLean wearing

the Hope Diamond

legend26

The Rolex Submariner, the Cartier Tank and the Audemars Piguet

Royal Oak are widely recognised as classic watches, all designed

by long-established watchmaking companies. But how did Chanel,

a fashion house, come to create an iconic watch – in other words,

identifiable from across the road, an enduring design and on its way

to becoming a classic? And what would Gabrielle ‘Coco’ Chanel

herself have done if she had designed a watch?

Looking at a grainy Thirties black-and-white photograph of

Chanel in Paris, leaning against the railings on the terrace of her suite

in the Hôtel Ritz, cigarete in hand, draped in jewellery, wearing a chic

tweed skirt, the clue is in the fabric. Fashionable women didn’t wear tweed

until Chanel, inspired by visits to Scotland, took this robust material and

turned it into something new and highly desirable. Continually flouting

convention with moves like this, Chanel changed forever the way women

dress by offering them the elegant, clean lines of men’s clothing.

Chanel’s designs were different to anything else, and so was

she: she showed her ankles in trousers, wore open-necked shirts and

preferred streamlined design to the corsetry and ruffles of the day.

Jersey – cheap and previously used mainly for men’s underwear – was

adopted by Chanel to make seductive dresses when times were tight.

It became her signature fabric. She would continually sidestep snobbery,

and didn’t stop at clothes – for example, mixing paste with gems to create

a new category of jewellery that was wearable throughout the day.

While the world of Chanel may seem many miles removed from

that of master watchmakers hunched over workbenches in the Swiss

valleys, or material scientists forging high-tech materials into watches,

they all come together most elegantly in the ceramic J12, Chanel’s most

instantly recognisable wristwatch to date.

And what makes the J12 stand out is the high-technology ceramic

used to create the case and bracelet. Found in products as diverse as false

teeth and space shutles, this glossy, scratch-resistant material, in the

hands of the fashion house, becomes as alluring as a new alloy of gold.

Chanel was not the first to use it in a watch, but the house did it with

such panache, as Coco herself would have done, that it set the J12 on the

road to fame. High-tech ceramic, the people at Chanel explain, ‘is used in

industrial technology – in particular, aeronautics and aerospace – and

formed from blending two metal powders: zirconium dioxide and ytrium.

Moulded under high pressure and at a temperature of 1450°C, these soon

bond, become dense and acquire ceramic’s characteristic black colour.

Its natural glow is then enhanced with a diamond-powder polish.’

And true to the founder’s heritage, the quality of Chanel

J12 watches is unimpeachable. One of the first fashion houses to go

the whole way and set up an atelier in Switzerland, Chanel has since

ventured into the realms of high horology with complications such

as tourbillons. Many of the models have mechanical movements and

are as lovely under the dial as they are on the outside.

Launched in 2000, the J12 was designed by the late Jacques

Helleu, artistic director at Chanel, and was named for his favourite

class of racing yacht. As with Coco Chanel’s creations, the new arrival

elegantly defied convention in terms of what a sports watch should

look like, with its stylish use of high-tech ceramic.

With the first J12, Helleu’s aim was to create a practical,

minimalist watch to glide from scuba dive to dinner at Cap d’Antibes

without missing a beat, yet be robust enough to look afer itself with

a reliable automatic movement. Although he created the first J12

for himself, it atracted the atention of women eager to be wearing the

most fashionable watch – a timepiece that oozed Chanel style but with

a chunky swagger to it. Originally available only in natural lustrous

inky black, the J12 was soon recreated in stunning snow white and,

this year, a tantalising grey-sky hue named ‘Chromatic’ (pictured).

With the success of the Chanel J12, it is easy to forget that,

not much more than 10 years ago, the combination of high-tech

ceramic with a sprinkling of rubies, diamonds or sapphires would

have been unthinkable. Coco Chanel herself would surely have

delighted in the technical innovation, as well as in the way the house

that bears her name has yet again created an iconic style statement

from such a practical material.

chanel.com

style28

high societyChanel’s J12 is that rarity – a fashion watch that can hold its own in the company of the horological aristocracyWords Maria Doulton Photography Thomas Brown

Available at Goldsmiths, Selfridges, Liberty of London and selected Jewellers g-shock.co.uk Photography by Willem Jaspert

Matt Murphy and Kirk BeattieFounders of b Store

Matt Murphy and Kirk Beattie are designers of the b Store fashion brand. Through determination and imagination they have carved out a welcome niche with their purist approach to fashion. G-Shock’s ethos of “Never, Never Give Up” is something both Matt and Kirk promote through an eternally positive approach. Their ideas and collaborations help continually grow and build their business. The G-Shock Premium watch is a perfect accessory to their demanding lifestyles and helps keep their busy schedules in check.

Matt and Kirk select the G-Shock Premium series

MTG-1500B-1A1JF

‘Just sit on there and hang on to the two red ropes,’

said renowned yacht racer Loïck Peyron, pointing

to what can best be described as an up-turned horn

protruding from the back of his AC45 catamaran

– a high-tech, carbon-fibre racing boat with a solid

‘wingsail’. I wondered if he was joking as I obediently

straddled the thing, despite knowing that an AC45

is essentially the yacht world’s equivalent of an F1

car, running on two hulls instead of four wheels.

And when the pace picks up, one hull is invariably

hovering several feet above the surface of the water.

Nothing, however, would have held me back

from the rare opportunity to travel on the Energy

Team boat on that foggy September day in Plymouth

Sound – and the ride was every bit as thrilling as I

had expected. I was taking part in the first America’s

Cup race held in British waters for 160 years, thanks

to French luxury goods house Louis Vuiton, the

official sponsor and timekeeper of the 34th America’s

Cup, due to take place in San Francisco Bay in 2013.

The AC45s and, later, their bigger, faster

sisters the AC72s, will be used in a World Series of

a dozen regatas leading to the Louis Vuiton Cup in

the summer of 2013, the winner of which will go on

to challenge the America’s Cup holder, Oracle.

The first Louis Vuiton Cup was held in 1983

at Newport, Rhode Island, establishing one of the

longest-running sponsorships in sports history – and,

since LV added watchmaking to its manifest in 2002,

the sailing association has provided a good excuse

to create an impressive range of specialised

timepieces, Tambour Regata, with countdown

functions designed to prevent false starts.

Among the latest is the Tambour Regata

LV Cup (from £5,750; louisvuiton.com), with black,

blue or chocolate brown dials. And, as the official

America’s Cup timekeeper, the brand is puting the

finishing touches to a new model due for launch at

next year’s Baselworld watch fair that will take into

account an alteration in the pre-start countdown.

But the fact that yacht racing is appreciated

by exactly the type of people who spend thousands

rather than hundreds on their watches means that

Louis Vuiton is far from sailing in empty waters

when it comes to producing nautical timepieces.

Corum (corum.ch) sponsors Olympic gold

medallist Ben Ainslie as well as the America’s Cup

Energy Team crew, and offers numerous watches in

its long-standing Admiral’s Cup line. Among the latest

is the Seafender 46, available either as three-handed

watch or chronograph (£6,475), both waterproof to

300 metres. Hublot (hublot.com), one-time backer

of America’s Cup-winning yacht Alinghi, chose this

year’s 10th anniversary of the Monaco Classic to

unveil its 45mm, titanium Classic Fusion model

(€9,500) designed for the Monaco Yacht Club, where

it is official timekeeper.

Sponsor of well-known Alex Thomson

Racing, Hugo Boss (bosswatches.co.uk) – the new

official watch partner of Cowes Week – offers a

funky regata watch, the 1512501, with a countdown

timer and orange highlights (£485). Luxury brand

Zenith (zenith-watches.com) has recently taken on

sponsorship of the record-breaking, twin hydrofoil

catamaran l’Hydroptère whose skipper, Alain

Thébault, wears a special black Alchron version of

the El Primero Striking 10th chronograph (£7,900).

Meanwhile, IWC (iwc.com) is the official

timing partner of the gruelling, nine-month,

39,270-mile Volvo Ocean Race which started from

Alicante on 5 November and ends in Galway next

July. A special version of IWC’s Yacht Club watch

has been made for the occasion (standard models

start from £9,000). The sister brand to Girard-

Perregaux, JeanRichard (jeanrichard.com), should be

batling for glory in the same race. Franck Cammas,

skipper of Groupama, and his crew wear special-

edition Diverscope Cammas chronographs (£6,600).

Omega (omegawatches.com) backs the America’s

Cup Emirates Team New Zealand, skippered by

Dean Barker. He and his crew wear the new Seamaster

Planet Ocean watches that are available in ‘time

only’ form (£3,800) or as chronographs (£5,000).

So commited to classic yacht racing is

Panerai (panerai.com) that it has even bought and

restored a classic yacht, the Thirties Bermudian

ketch Eilean. The brand also sponsors the Panerai

Classic Yachts Challenge for which it mints a watch

each year; the latest is the Luminor Submersible

1950 Regata with GMT function (£7,100).

Rolex (rolex.com), too, has long backed the

world’s great yacht races, including the Sydney to

Hobart and the Fastnet, as well as champion sailors

Paul Cayard and Robert Scheidt. The Yacht-Master II

features a programmable countdown and mechanical

‘memory’ (£7,480 in steel and platinum).

But clearly the main feature of any

nautical watch should, of course, be a capability to

reliably inform when the sun is over the yardarm...

Simon de Burton writes about watches for the Daily Telegraph

new waveThe relationship between watchmakers and the sailing world results in a flotilla of exciting new yachting timepieces each yearWords Simon de Burton

Above, from left: Louis Vuitton’s Tambour Regatta LV Cup;

BMW Oracle, the winning yacht in the 2010 America’s Cup;

Luminor Submersible 1950 Regatta

yachting watches30

An AC45 catamaran is the yacht world’s equivalent of an F1 car, running on two hulls, instead of four wheels

cOcKTAILHOURThese rings, with their high-carat large gems or clusters, make a bold statement. Pair them with a little black dress and light up the evening

PhotograPhy THOMAS BROWN StyLISt CIARA WALSHE

Opposite, above, clockwise from top left:

Bombé ring set with 21.18cts of oval rubies

and 1.70cts of diamonds, price on application,

Graff. 18ct white gold ‘Entanglement’ ring

set with a 13.45ct oval tanzanite and 2cts of

diamonds, £14,000, Garrard. Yellow gold

and lacquer ‘Coffret de Victoire’ ring set with

diamonds, coral, rubellite, black jade, spessartite

garnets, rubies and emeralds, POA, Dior

Joaillerie. Platinum cabochon ring set with

a 76.39ct sapphire, POA, Harry Winston.

White gold flower ring set with diamonds

and a cushion-cut emerald, POA, Adler

Opposite, below: White-gold ‘Limelight’

ring set with white diamonds, pink oval-cut

tourmalines and pear-cut sapphires,

£40,000, Piaget

This page, above, clockwise from top: Pink

gold ‘Parentesi’ cocktail ring set with a citrine

and diamonds, £6,450, Bulgari. Platinum

cluster ring set with 12.93cts of radiant-cut

diamonds, POA, and platinum cocktail ring

set with diamonds and a 33.33ct pink

tourmaline, £17,950, both Lucie Campbell

This page, below, clockwise from top: 18ct

white gold ring with a diamond micro-set

band, set with a 20.76ct oval Paraiba

tourmaline and Paraiba tourmaline side

stones, POA, David Morris. Sculpted white

gold camellia ring set with a moonstone,

aquamarines and diamonds, £83,050,

Chanel Fine Jewellery. Platinum solitaire

ring set with 43.5cts of yellow sapphires,

POA, Harry Winston

STOCKISTS DETAILS ON PAGE 56

Photographer’s assistant Sam Hofman

Set designer Sarah Parker

Set designer’s assistant Stephanie Kevers

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Couture34

designbynumbersThe new Dior VIII watches point to a long history of numerology at the fashion house

WordsJustine Picardie

The relationship between fashion and time is

complex, with all the inherent contradictions of

an industry revolving in a race against the clock,

celebrating the calibrated workings of the past, at

the same instant as looking to the future. Nowhere

is this more apparent than in the Paris couture

houses that have turned their atentions to

designing luxury watches – watchfulness being

another key ingredient in the art of fashion – and

Dior in particular.

Christian Dior’s first watch collection was

launched in 1975 – 18 years afer the death of the

brand’s founder in October 1957. At the time of

writing (although a change is imminent) the

house has not yet appointed a new creative

director, since the departure of John Galliano.

Time is therefore of the essence at Dior, so its

choice of a number to name its latest watch

collection – Dior VIII – is significant. According to

Laurence Nicolas, president of Dior watches and

fine jewellery, ‘it evokes Monsieur Dior’s lucky

number. He was very superstitious, opening his

house in the VIII arrondissement of Paris, on 8

October 1946, and naming his first collection, in

1947, “en huit” (in eight).’ The Dior VIII line, she

continues, ‘is a metaphor of a couture house

wardrobe composed of the timeless litle black

dresses (suggested in horological form by black

ceramic bracelets, in eight different versions),

colourful cocktail dresses (set with diamonds,

citrines, garnets and pink sapphires), and

ballgowns…’ These later are represented by the

Grand Bal watches, a range for which each design

is produced in limited editions of 88, with price

tags to match the most splendid of Dior evening

gowns (well into the tens of thousands).

All of these figures would have been highly

significant to Christian Dior himself – a man with

a profound atachment to the magical meaning

of numbers, as well as an understanding of the

importance of the economic arithmetic of couture

(both the botom line, and the transience of

fashion). ‘A historian like my friend [Pierre]

Gaxote reckons that 50 years have to elapse

before one can give a considered opinion on any

event,’ he observed in his memoir, Dior by Dior,

‘but I never have more than three months in which

to reflect on my past collection before I have to

Christian Dior himself had a profound attachment to the magical meaning of numbers... the designer often returned to the number eight in his work

heartland of horological expertise). Two years

later, Victoire de Castellane, the Dior jewellery

designer, came up with her first timepiece,

La D de Dior (‘inspired by a man’s watch from

the Seventies,’ says Nicolas, ‘and borrowed by

a woman as a constant reminder of him’). In

2005, Galliano designed the Christal range (still

a best-seller amongst luxury watches) using

sapphire crystal for the bracelet; the rainbow

palete of the collection is added to every season,

this year in violet.

In general, Dior emphasises the

collaborative nature of its work at the Parisian

ateliers with horology experts in Switzerland –

not only at La Chaux-de-Fonds, but also Maison

Bunter in Geneva, for stone setings, alongside

other Swiss specialists (including Soprod and

Frédéric Jouvenot) for the development of the Dior

Inversé calibre, an oscillating weight on the dial.

Nicolas, like the rest of her colleagues at Dior,

is swif to cite the words of the founder when

explaining the contemporary aesthetic of the

brand: ‘Elegance is an ensemble where the

invisible is as important as the visible’. Hence

the design, which reveals what is traditionally

concealed in watchmaking – ‘It places the

oscillating weight of the automatic movement

on top of the dial, thereby paying tribute to the

work of a couturier for who the lining must be

as beautiful as the dress itself.’

Finally – inevitably – it is Christian Dior,

again, who is quoted by Nicolas as the starting

point for the Dior VIII watches (just as he will

always be the foundation of the House of Dior):

“‘I dreamt of being an architect,’ he said. ‘As

a couturier, I have to respect the principles of

architecture.’” If God is in the detail, in fashion

as in architecture, then Dior watchmaking still

holds true to the holy creed.

dior.com

Justine Picardie is the author of Coco Chanel: The Legend

and the Life, published by Harper Collins

return to work. “Fashion dies young,” wrote

Cocteau, and it is therefore natural that its rhythms

should be more hectic than that of history.’

For all the calmness of his outward

appearance – ‘Dior is like a bland country curate

made of pink marzipan,’ remarked Cecil Beaton,

‘as modest as a sugar violet in spite of the eulogies

that have been heaped upon him’ – the couturier

was constantly beset by anxieties about the

passage of time. Whenever the deadline loomed

for a new collection, he confessed, he felt ‘tortured

by regret, caprice and curiosity all at once… I am

frightened of giving birth to premature designs

whose insufficiently developed forms will encumber

me in the future.’ Yet even while consumed by

apprehension, Dior continued, ‘I already know that

between the 1st and the 15th of the month I shall

have covered endless blocks of paper with a crowd

of tiny hieroglyphical figures, which I alone will

be able to decipher.’

He ofen returned to the number 8 – the

shape of the ‘figure eight’ line that had been the

essence of his famous New Look in 1947 – and as

time passed, his superstition increased. Dior’s

biographer, Marie-France Pochna, refers to the

arcane rituals that became essential to the

couturier: asking his chauffeur to take the same

route to his headquarters eight times over to

ensure good luck when a new collection was

launched, or on the way to consult his trusted

fortune teller, Madame Delahaye, while also

trying to avoid any evocation of the dreaded

number seven. (Why, precisely, he associated this

with ill fortune remains unclear, but according to

Pochna, ‘He never liked odd numbers, and seven…

was a number that set Dior trembling.’)

Pochna’s account of Dior’s punishing

schedule, and his death from a heart atack at the

age of 52, makes salutary reading; not least when

considering Galliano’s fall from grace: ‘Dior had

become a hostage to his own success… “The livelihood

of 900 people is riding on my collection,” he used

to say in the early years. Later, the Dior concern

employed 1,700 people around the world and its

chief executive was expected to be everywhere

at once. His presence was demanded in all four

corners of the globe, in New York and beyond,

to launch a new licence, visit a department store,

open a new branch, or make a speech or take part

in a conference…

‘So much with Dior had to do with

contradictions; his ongoing struggle was always

with himself. Sadly, the merry-go-round he now

rode was spinning too fast for him and the only

thing that kept him going was the artificial high

of overextending himself.’

Galliano arrived at Dior in October 1996,

his first couture show coinciding with the brand’s

50th anniversary the following year, and by 2001,

he was fully involved in the integration of the

company’s watches with his fashion collections.

It was at this point that Dior acquired its own

production unit in La Chaux-de-Fonds (the Swiss

Opposite, from left:

38mm Dior VIII

Grand Bal pleated

watch; Dior gown

from 1949; 38mm

Dior VIII automatic

movement with

rotating bezel set

with diamonds.

This page, from top:

Christian Dior

working with

a model; Dior VIII

Grand Bal lace

bezel; Victoire

de Castellane,

designer of the La

D de Dior watch,

shown here with

the 25mm quartz

movement, a

mother-of-pearl

dial and black

satin strap

slug here00

AS GOODAS

GOLD

words Mary SanderSon PHoToGrAPHY andy BarTer

knowing how your most prized pair of earrings or cufflinks

started its journey is crucial – a ‘fairtrade and fairmined’ stamp

proves its ethical and ecological credentials are rock solid

38

Gold – lustrous and covetable, it symbolises love, power,

wealth. luxury. Perhaps it’s a wedding ring that prompts

a rush of emotion. Or maybe a huge, weighty bit of bling

– a sign of the good times or a healthy bank balance. But

do we ever stop to think about the provenance of those

precious nuggets? If we did, we would discover the harsh

reality of their origin is a good deal less glamorous.

In today’s uncertain economic climate, and because

of its ever-increasing price – fetching US$320 per ounce

in 1999, it commands US$1,650 today – gold is an incredibly

valuable asset. But, for decades, it has been hewn by small-

scale miners, in some of the poorest parts of the world,

exploited by middlemen who bring it to market but do not

give them a fair price in return. Africa, Asia and South

America account for 90 per cent of a 15m-strong global

labour force in which men, women and children ofen

work in harsh and treacherous conditions.

However, as a result of the endeavours of a number

of non-government organisations, years of lobbying and

a growing consumer concern for ethical and fairly traded

This page: Macdesa

mining company

employees at the

Cuatro Horas mine

in Peru, which is

currently undergoing

Fairtrade certification

Opposite: A small-

scale artisan miner at

the Fairtrade-certified

Oro Verde mining

co-operative in

Colombia surveys the

results of his labours

products, the jewellery industry has finally responded.

Gemma Cartwright of the Fairtrade Foundation says:

‘First, it was coffee and bananas, then it was coton, which

took us into fashion, and it escalated from there.’ In fact,

it was over a cup of coffee at designer Katharine Hamnet’s

house that Harriet Lamb (the Fairtrade Foundation’s

executive director) and Greg Valerio (a Fairtrade campaigner

and jewellery activist) started talking about how miners

could benefit too. It was thanks to the passion and

commitment of these pioneers and groups such as Fairtrade

Labelling Organizations International and the Alliance

for Responsible Mining that, in February this year, the

Foundation was able to launch its first certified gold.

Certified Fairtrade and Fairmined gold is marked

with a dual stamp, meaning it can be traced back to its

original source. But, to the miners, the stamp means a lot

more: they receive a Fairtrade premium of 10 per cent on

top of the guaranteed minimum price, which can then be

invested back into their business and community. If the

gold is ecologically mined, they receive an extra 5 per cent

on top of the premium. To be Fairmined, strict standards

must be observed with regard to working conditions, child

labour, women’s rights, health and safety, management of

chemicals and responsibility to the environment. Whereas,

previously, miners might undertake 16-20 hour shifs in

hot, dirty and dangerous conditions, exposed to mercury

and cyanide, mines are now strictly controlled.

There are currently three certified mines in

operation: Oro Verde (Green Gold) in Colombia, Sotrami

in Peru and Cotopata in Bolivia, and another three will

have been set up by the end of 2011. This is a huge

achievement for the Fairtrade Foundation, but jewellers

are concerned that Fairtrade gold is still not readily

available. However, as Cartwright explains, ‘It takes time

to certify a mine and satisfy the huge list of regulations

that needs to be passed.’ In addition, there is also the

requirement to maintain an audited and traceable supply

chain. Keeping such a chain short and uncomplicated is

key, so, with Fairtrade gold, the miners must sell direct

to the importer rather than the middleman. It must

then be processed by a registered refiner so it doesn’t get

mixed up with ‘dirty’ gold from an untraceable source.

The process is costly, but jewellery houses are becoming

more open to the idea because of the increasing demand.

There are currently 33 companies – including Garrard,

the royal jeweller – licensed to sell certified gold, plus

100 waiting to be approved. The Fairtrade Foundation’s

ambition is that, by 2025, Fairtrade gold will make up

5 per cent of the UK jewellery market and will be available

from high-street outlets as well as in the luxury market.

One of the biggest names to get in on the act

is maverick jeweller Stephen Webster, creative director

of Garrard. With his A-list following, he is sure to bring

vital awareness to the Fairtrade campaign. Having seen

at firsthand the appalling conditions workers are forced

to endure in a traditional mine during a visit to Peru, he

is a vocal advocate of the alternative: ‘Even though the

cost of Fairtrade gold is 10 per cent higher, I am happy

to absorb the premium. Price should not be the reason to

choose a more responsible product.’ Several years ago, he

was approached to launch a Fairtrade collection, but, at

the time, there was insufficient Fairtrade gold available.

‘There is so litle of it that you have to carefully manage

First, it was coffee and bananas, then coton, then fashion. Now Fairtade’s focus is on gold’

the amount you have by focusing it on one area,’ he explains.

The bridal range he setled on comprises a striking

combination of 18ct white, yellow and rose gold wedding

and engagement rings set with – as you might expect

– responsibly sourced Forevermark diamonds. But even

that encountered teething problems: it was due to launch

in April this year, but the delivery of the gold was delayed,

so it has been pushed back.

Another luxury jeweller puting Fairtrade gold

in the media spotlight is goldsmith Anna Loucah. She

worked in collaboration with ethical jeweller Cred to

design a set of Fairtrade jewels for fashion ambassador

Livia Firth, wife of Oscar winner Colin Firth, to wear

to this year’s Academy Awards. The magnificent pieces

were later sold at auction – the proceeds going to Oxfam

– for £25,000, making them the most expensive Fairtrade

product ever sold. Cred and Loucah have recently

collaborated again, on the Juana collection, named for the

female Bolivian gold miner who brought the first

bar of Fairtrade Fairmined gold to London for the launch

of Fairtrade Fairmined gold in February.

Less obvious perhaps, but still worthy of a

primetime audience, is the ethical jewellery brand Fifi

Bijoux, whose Fairtrade gold cufflinks are ofen seen

adorning the sleeves of newsreader George Alagiah.

The company’s founder, Vivien Johnston, pioneered the

concept of ethical jewellery and was one of the first UK

brands to receive the Fairtrade gold licence. Like Loucah,

Johnston has many celebrity fans, including the singer

Annie Lennox, who inspired her to create the Litle Acorn

necklace that raises funds for children living in mining

communities in Uganda.

Other early adopters of Fairtrade gold include

the jeweller and anthropologist Pippa Small, who is

passionate about promoting beter mining practices

worldwide. Afer making several visits to the Cotopata

mine in Bolivia, she opted to buy her gold direct from the

mining co-operative and use a local goldsmith. Her new

Bolivian Sun collection, her fourth using Fairtrade gold,

launches this month. Raw and earthy, it comprises drop

earrings, necklaces and bracelets with a solar motif.

In addition to the more established names,

there is also a host of young, up-and-coming designers

using Fairtrade gold in their collections. Two of the

most interesting are Hatie Rickards and Ute Decker.

Rickards, a Central Saint Martins graduate, worked for

jeweller Solange Azagury-Partridge in New York for five

years before starting her own label in 2010. All of her

jewellery is designed and handmade in the UK using 18ct

Fairtrade and Fairmined certified gold. ‘My work has an

ethical backbone and a modern design,’ she says, keen to

demonstrate that social responsibility does not come at

the expense of first-class design. ‘I want to create pieces

for the sort of clients who need to know that the rings

on their fingers are ethically and responsibly produced.’

Despite her serious intentions, her collections are vibrant

and playful – the latest, Geo, is set with semi-precious

stones and inspired by puzzles and geometric shapes.

Ute Decker’s jewellery, in contrast, is minimalist

in style. Known for her dramatic, sculptural shapes

made of recycled silver, she launched her first collection

of Fairtrade and Fairmined gold in February this year.

Decker has aptly named her first Fairtrade collection

Pure, which not only reflects its clean lines, but also

marks the purity of the gold’s provenance.

Most of the established jewellery houses have

yet to sign up to Fairtrade and Fairmined, although

several big names, such as Tiffany and Cartier, have their

own policies that support responsible mining. And, with

the trend for ethical jewellery growing, perhaps it is just

a mater of time before we will see the big brands joining

in. Afer all, as Greg Valerio points out, ‘Five years ago

everybody was saying Fairtrade gold was impossible to

produce and now everyone is complaining that the supply

is too slow. For me, that’s progress!’

fairtrade.org.uk/gold

Mary Sanderson is a jewellery and accessories writer and editor

Previous page,

clockwise from top

left: 100%-recycled

silver ‘Hex’ stacking

bangle plated in

18ct Fairtrade yellow

gold, £90, Cred; 18ct

Fairtrade ecological

yellow gold engraved

wedding band set

with diamonds, £2,700,

Stephen Webster;

18ct Fairtrade and

Fairmined ecological

gold tube ring set

with mixed precious

stones, POA, Hattie

Rickards; 8ct Fairtrade

gold ‘Bahia’ ring

set with rutile quartz

and diamonds,

£4,000, Fifi Bijoux;

‘Hex’ bangle, as

before; 9ct Fairtrade

yellow gold ‘Starfish’

cufflinks, £440, Fifi

Bijoux; 18ct Fairtrade

and Fairmined gold

‘Pure’ bangle, £9,200,

Ute Decker.

STOCKISTS DETAILS

ON PAGE 56

Ed

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When it comes to both the craftsmanship and cost of an ultra-slim watch, less is definitely more. Well, they do say you can never be too rich or too thin

PhotograPhy ANDY BARTER

StyLISt CIARA WALSHE

From left: White gold

2.1mm-movement

Altiplano, £10,800,

Piaget. White gold

2.10mm-movement

Slim Classique,

£11,400, Ralph Lauren

Watches. White gold

3.30mm-movement

LUC Extra Plat XPS,

£9,140, Chopard.

1.64mm-movement

Historique Ultra-fine

1955, £22,100,

Vacheron Constantin.

Stainless steel

3.55mm-movement

Villeret Ultra Slim,

£6,150, Blancpain

STOCKISTS DETAILS

ON PAGE 56

love me slender

Light relief

Left White jacket with

mesh details, £1,150;

white crepe de chine

top, £600; white

stretch canvas

trousers, £825, all

Gucci with adjuster

Burberry trousers,

STOCKISTS DETAILS

ON PAGE 81

Check the carats

18ct white gold

‘Windsor’ earrings set

with amethysts, £6,000,

and 18ct white gold

‘Camelot’ necklace set

with rubellites and

rubies, £68,000, both

Asprey. Yellow gold and

black rhodium-plate

cocktail ring set with

diamonds, amethysts,

tourmalines, fire opals

and sapphires, £49,500,

Lydia Courteille at

Browns. Prince of

Wales check wool dress,

£1,340, Yves Saint

Laurent. Hat, £410,

Jeffrey Portman

PhotograPhy rafael stahelin fashion editor michelle duguid

claritY& cutPairing contemporary haute joaillerie with this season’s directional, geometric fashion pieces gives shape to these stylish gems

Spot the diamonds

17.16ct diamond pavé

earrings, price on

application, and

platinum cuff with

50.93cts of cushion-cut

and multishaped rubies

and 49.70cts of

diamonds, POA, both

Graff. Yellow gold

‘Camelia’ ring set with

onyx, £2,825, Chanel

Fine Jewellery. Jumper,

£995, and skirt, £995,

both Marc Jacobs. Cap

with patent loop, £120,

and beaded cap, £370,

both Jeffrey Portman