High Jewellery Necklace by Bulgari in gold set with multi-coloured gemstones, turquoises and diamonds; Cleopatra – Cinemagia collection. POA.

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(“One of the countless things that made Cleopatra famous over the centuries was her penchant for jewels. A passion that the “real” Queen of the Nile had in common with the Hollywood Cleopatra, Elizabeth Taylor. The filming in 1963 of the colossal Cleopatra in Rome was the beginning of everything: of her love affair with Richard Burton, with the Roman Dolce Vita and foremost with Bulgari jewels. With an opulent use of gold and colours, the show-stopping Egypt-inspired necklace refers to some of the incredible pieces worn by Elizabeth Taylor on set – apparently in the entire movie she has 65 outfits!”)

THE HAUTE JOAILLERIE REPORT SUMMER 2019 – PART I (CARTIER AND BVLGARI)

No better way to kickstart the haute joaillerie peak season, than by first reviewing two behe-moths’ new collections. And interestingly, they could not be more different, each cementing its own core identity. On one hand, Cinemagia by BVLGARI, which was recently launched in Capri and inspired by the “Roman jeweller’s passion-ate affair with the silver screen”. It was in the ex-ceptional venue of Villa Certosa, the almost 700 year Carthusian monastery of Capri overlook-ing the sea and whose restoration was spon-sored by the Italian jeweller, that the collection was presented. Worth noting, Capri is where BVLGARI chose to open their first location out-side of Rome. On the other hand, Magnitude by Cartier, which was unveiled in London in mid-June. In an almost secret location Cartier ex-hibited a whopping 550 pieces, including Part 1 of the new Magnitude collection with 68 ren-ditions alongside creations from previous high jewellery collections Résonance and last year’s Coloratura. Displayed in several rooms, it made for an enchanted walk through a one-of-a-kind treasure gallery.

Aphélie Necklace by Cartier in 18K pink gold, set with one 68.85-carat cabochon-cut rutilated quartz, one 0.74-carat fancy pink-brown pear-shaped diamond, one 1.01-carat fancy deep brown orange-toned pink diamond, one 0.53-carat fancy pink-brown cushion-cut diamond, one 0.50-carat fancy deep orange-toned pink cushion-cut diamond, morganite beads, coral, onyx, and brilliant-cut diamonds; photography by @Viviane Sassen; Magnitude collection. POA.

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Magnitude by Cartier was named after most of the designs were achieved. Upon seeing the out-come, the creative team figured that ‘Magnitude’ – the brightness of a star in astrology, or the force of movement of the earth’s plates in geology – was the perfect descriptor. It is true that at the heart of this collection is the idea of marrying pre-cious gemstones with ornamental hard stones in order to create a seismic visual jolt. More than in any previous haute joaillerie collections, the de-sire to promote gemstones as holding the memo-ry of the planet is prevalent. Of course, Magnitude does this while constantly referring to Cartier’s own distinct vocabulary. The play of light, the creation of shapes and volumes through voids, the signature colour combinations…all are pres-ent, yet there has been a striking development and especially in the latter. Where blue and green used to be rendered with sapphires and emer-alds, now opals and lapis lazuli harmonise with emeralds. The same goes for amethyst and blue tones where chalcedony is now paired with the former. The new alignments multiply: malachite pairs with coral (instead of emeralds), diamonds with rutilated quartz, sapphires alongside matrix opal; emeralds next to rock crystal, and pink dia-monds with morganite and coral. Hard and soft, clear and opaque, sparkly and matt… these dual-ities help define a new beauty.

www.cartier.com Soreli Bracelet Secret Watch (closed and opened) in 18K white gold, set with one cabochon-cut rutilated quartz, kite-shaped diamonds, brilliant-cut diamonds, quartz movement; photography by Vincent Wulveryck © Cartier; Magnitude collection. POA.

One of the pièces de résistance is the Equinoxe parure and most notably the neckpiece. It is impressive on all counts. The perfectly blue lapis lazuli beads (there are no apparent signs of pyrite – the usual golden marks) were the starting point for the design. The designer felt that they evoked the cosmos and galaxies and as a result she imagined them as satellites

of a supernova star (the octagonal-cut yel-low sapphire nestled on a lace of yellow and white diamonds). It is also a feat of technical prowess in terms of wearability. Imagine how precise the setting must be to prevent the dif-ference in heights (round large beads versus flat diamond mesh) from getting in the way of comfort.

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Equinoxe Necklace in 18K yellow gold, one 15.48-carat yellow octagonal Ceylon sapphire, lapis lazuli beads, cushion-cut yellow diamonds, brilliant-cut orange and white diamonds; photography by Vincent Wulveryck © Cartier; Magnitude collection. POA.

Equinoxe Earrings in 18K yellow gold, set with lapis lazuli beads (20.07 carats), cushion-cut yellow diamonds, brilliant-cut yellow and white diamonds; photography by Vincent Wulveryck © Cartier; Magnitude collection. POA.

The trio of green, black and white is a recognised Cartier theme since the 1920s. Now new life has been infused into this classic combination by us-ing clear rock crystal that helps natu-ral light access and hit all sides of the main emerald gems. The architectur-al volumes also bring a contemporary flair.

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Théia Necklace in platinum, set with seven round Colombian

emeralds for a total weight of 46.09 carats, carved rock crystal,

onyx, black lacquer, brilliant-cut diamonds. The motif at the back

of the necklace is detachable and may be worn as a pendant on a

chain or as a brooch; photography by @ Viviane Sassen; Magnitude

collection. POA.

Théia Ring in platinum, set with one 10.94-carat Colombian emerald, carved rock crystal, onyx, brilliant-cut diamonds; photography by Vincent Wulveryck © Cartier; Magnitude collection. POA.

Here is one of the best ambassadors for the con-cept of Magnitude, and how to draw strength from the confrontation between a hard stone and pre-cious gems. The extraordinary matrix opal – in all its naked and original beauty – presents purple ridges in a brain-like formation. Its colours have dictated the choice of the surrounding gemstones (purple sapphires and spessartite garnets).

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Zemia Earrings in 18K white gold, set with two purple oval-cut Madagascar sapphires for a total weight of 5.86 carats, square and cabochon-cut sapphires, briolette-cut spessartite garnets, and brilliant-cut diamonds; photography by Vincent Wulveryck ©Cartier; Magnitude collection. POA.

Zemia Ring in 18K white gold, set with one 8.95-carat Australian cabochon-cut matrix opal, square-shaped sapphires, briolette-cut spessartite garnets, and brilliant-cut diamonds; photography by Vincent Wulveryck © Cartier; Magnitude collection. POA.

Zemia Bangle in 18K white gold, set with one 77.27-carat Australian cabochon-cut matrix opal, four purple cushion-cut Madagascar sapphires for a total weight of 14.39 carats, square and cabochon-cut sapphires, briolette-cut spessartite garnets, brilliant-cut diamonds; photography by Vincent Wulveryck © Cartier; Magnitude collection. POA.

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Yuma Earrings in platinum set with two fancy dark yellowish brown briolette cut diamonds totalling 1.66 carats, two fancy intense orangey yellow cut cornered rectangular shaped diamonds totalling 1.12 carats, yellow rectangular shaped diamonds, yellow briolette cut diamonds, rose cut diamonds, and brilliant cut diamonds; photography by Vincent Wulveryck © Cartier; Magnitude collection. POA.

Yuma Necklace in platinum set with one 3.06-carat fancy brown yellow modified shield-shaped diamond, one

1.91-carat fancy deep brown yellow modified rhomboid diamond, four fancy intense orange-toned yellow

rectangular diamonds for a total weight of 2.31 carats, one 0.49-carat fancy intense orange-toned yellow cushion-

cut diamond, one 0.49-carat fancy intense orange-toned yellow round-cornered square diamond, yellow briolette-cut diamonds, yellow diamond beads, yellow half-moon-

shaped diamonds, yellow diamond edges, rose-cut diamonds, and brilliant-cut diamonds; photography by

@Viviane Sassen; Magnitude collection. POA.

“During the cinema’s Dolce Vita years in Rome, Elizabeth Taylor and Richard Burton sealed their legendary romance with magnif-icent Bulgari jewels. In fact, the Bulgari’s Via Condotti boutique was one of the couple’s fa-vourite rendezvous”, the team recalls. And this is precisely how their courtship became one thread in Bulgari’s storied history with cine-ma. “Descending on Rome’s Cinecittà Studios in the 1950s, Hollywood turned the spotlight on Bulgari. Headlining luminaries from Audrey Hepburn to Anita Ekberg found the magnetic opulence of the Maison’s masterpieces simply irresistible. Compelled by the devotion of the world’s most glamorous women, Bulgari took

on a new role: jewellers to the stars. Since star-ring in over 40 films, Bulgari has a powerful legacy with daring female figures in cinema. From Ingrid Bergman in The Visit to Sharon Stone in Casino, Bulgari and its sublime col-lections are linked to some of the most icon-ic moments in film”. In addition, the Roman high jeweller has been a favourite on the red carpets all the while sponsoring major movie festivals around the world. All this to say that the Cinemagia collection is possibly the most engrossing we have ever seen from the Italian house. The celebration of stardom, fantasy, glamour and escapism is evident throughout the 180 pieces.

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Charming Sirens Necklace in gold set with 220 carats of chrysoprase, 10 amethyst beads (36.02cts), 9 pink tourmaline beads (39.35cts), 6 marquise-cut diamonds (D-F / VVS-VS / 2.15cts), 24 brilliant-cut diamonds (D-G / VVS-VS / 6.38cts), and diamond pavé; Cinemagia collection. POA.

In its pursuit to pay homage to the movie world, Bulgari does not shy away from breaching new grounds as seen in the Action! Necklace, a tribute to the groundbreaking invention of celluloid in 1885. This incredibly flexible and enveloping neckpiece marks the event with its own innovations, the introduction of zirco-nium and a unique system of springs that al-low the necklace to spring back to its original form. An entirely new metal in high jewellery

design, zirconium has a striking black-silver sheen that impeccably renders an old piece of film. “Involving more than 800 hours of work by a single goldsmith, the Action! necklace re-markably features the flexibility of film, though it’s encrusted with 32 carats of pavé diamonds”. And as any movie benefits from special ef-fects, when one spins the central ‘film roll’ on this jewel, it produces the same sound as an old film projector!

Action! Necklace in zirconium set with one central 5-carat diamond, diamonds and onyx; Cinemagia collection. POA.

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Bulgari high jewels being all about chro-matic flamboyance and joyful opulence, Cinemagia is evidently not about the black and white movie era, but totally embracing the liveliness of colour motion pictures. For one, the Emerald City in the The Wizard of Oz movie is a central inspiration for this col-lection, and it enables the high jeweller to cement its position as purveyor of excep-tional gemstones (precious and semi-pre-cious). Emeralds in particular have always been part of BVLGARI’s repertoire, and once again they strike gold. There is a 21.49-car-at emerald in the Emerald City Necklace, a 24.46-carat octagonal step-cut emerald in the Emerald Affair Sautoir, a 34.73-car-at cabochon emerald in the Gina Sautoir (shown), and a 24.31-carat cabochon emer-ald in the Forever Emeralds Necklace.

Gina Sautoir (homage to actress Gina Lollobrigida) in 18K white gold set with one 34.73-carat Colombian cushion-cut emerald and diamonds; Cinemagia collection. POA.

The Gina Sautoir is to be coupled with a Gina Ring in 18K white gold, featuring a voluptuous sugar-loaf emerald weighing more than 13 carats and diamonds; Cinemagia collection. POA.

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The sheer abundance of the settings (in terms of gemstones and their diversity) is a sign that BVLGARI wanted to showcase how indefectibly rich their relation with the movie world is. Turquoises, aquamarines, chrysopases, tourmalines, ru-bellites and peridots abound and main gems like rubies, emeralds and sapphires crown lavish designs. It certainly demonstrates that BVLGARI has amped up its investment in prime gemstones, some of which were proposed unmounted for bespoke commissions. This includes a spectacular re-cut blue diamond of 6 car-ats which belonged to the Farnese family. Cinemagia is a captivating review of all that makes BVLGARI’s high jewellery so sensational; and even though mov-ies stars have now been replaced by private collectors, it keeps celebrating star-dom sensuality the Italian way and like no other.

Fairy wings Earrings in 18K rose gold set with emeralds, rubies and diamonds; Cinemagia collection. POA.

Fairy wings Necklace in 18K rose gold set with mother-of-pearl inlaid with diamonds, rubies, pink sapphires, onyx, jade and carnelian; Cinemagia collection. POA.

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Diamond Sail Necklace in 18K white gold set with one pear-shaped 10-carat D IF diamond, South Sea pearls and diamonds; Cinemagia collection. POA.

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