The Radiant half diamond choker by Marie Mas, 18kt rose gold and diamonds with a custom link, on ... [+]
In between the glitzy runway shows during Couture Week in Paris, the jewelry presentations share the latest offerings from heritage houses and independent brands alike. Seen in designer showrooms tucked under the toits de Paris, or the gilded salons of Hotel de Crillon, here are five brands that Paris wants to put on your jewelry radar.
A pendant and earrings from the Mambo collection by Aaltas, aluminum and pink sapphires, shown at ... [+]
Aaltas
Sonia Lacroix has her aluminum and gemstone jewelry handmade in her home city of Geneva, Switzerland, and the precision work of her craftspeople is right up there with that of the city's watchmakers. A former watch designer herself, her eye for detail has produced Mambo, a small first collection of structural jewelry whose sharp angles are softened by circular shapes. Statement necklaces and cocktails rings are bold, and her earrings are a delight, with diamonds and sapphires winking in between pleats of featherlight metal.
The Edan earrings, gold and diamonds, by Lola Fenhirst, on show at Paris Couture Week.
Lola Fenhirst
Fresh from The Radiance by COUTURE last month, Lola Fenhirst was back in Paris showcasing the gold beaded jewelry that draws on her Yoruba heritage. Alongside the Sybil collection - intricately woven gold wire and geometric angles softened with granulation - were newer pieces designed for The Radiance using De Beers Code of Origin responsibly sourced, conflict-free diamonds. The Edan earrings reinterpret the staff carried by her Nigerian royal ancestors in supremely wearable, day-to-night ear adornment that represents an evolution of her signature motif, secured with mismatched gold tear-drop and diamond studs that sit just so.
The Aurora earrings by Marie Mas, 18kt rose gold and diamonds, on show during Couture Week in Paris
Marie Mas
After presenting showstopping examples of her kinetic jewelry at PAD Paris in the Spring, Marie Mas debuted the Luminous Lines collection during Couture Week, lending her immense creativity once more to the the angles and planes of the body. With stones that flip to change color, and moveable elements that shift and sway with the wearer, her jewelry comes alive when worn. For Luminous Lines, she began by drawing on the skin to highlight the structure within; the resulting jewels pick out collarbones and trace the curves of the ear in diamonds and gold.
A Bangle from the Ties collection, 18kt gold and diamond pave, by Boochier, on show at Paris Couture ... [+]
Boochier
Launched in 2019 by Melinda Zeman and Veronique Geiger, this was Boochier's first foray out of Hong Kong, but for a brand launched just prior to a global pandemic, it seems to have had no trouble building buzz. Boochier is joyful, rooted in 90s nostalgia and intended as a celebration of the cultural ties that bind us, whether that be to the childhood motifs of a generation - 18kt recycled gold Slinkey bracelets and rings are addictive - or the blend of international heritage that inspired the two founders, all reinterpreted in diamond pave and playfully colored enamel.
The Akh-Ba-Ka necklace from the Beyond the Light collection, white gold and diamonds, including a ... [+]
Messika
Valerie Messika was inspired by the symbolism and numerology of Ancient Egypt for the Beyond the Light collection, which produced sacred seven-ring chokers with removable diamonds that can also be worn as rings, and an update to the signature Move line which sees mobile diamonds suspended in a gold fringe. But the centerpiece was the breathtaking Akh-Ba-Ka necklace, with a winged scarab pendant drop including a 33 carat diamond and 14 other stones cut from a single, 110 carat Botswanan diamond.
