Circle of Life: The Return of Animals in High Jewellery

October 26, 2022

12 min read

Some motifs in jewellery make perfect sense. Flowers, for example, are naturally beautiful, colourful and shapely, so they’re an obvious choice to immortalise in gold and precious gems. But what about animals? The scales of a snake, the wings of a cicada, and the spindly legs of a tree frog; these aren’t the graceful and elegant motifs one might expect a high jeweller to focus on. And yet, over the last few years, we’ve seen more animal jewels than ever! So let’s consider some of the most striking pieces in the animal kingdom of high jewellery…

Recently, high jewellery has embraced a more literal approach to animals. Rather than creating an abstract butterfly wing or a diamond-set feather, some of the biggest names in Haute Joaillerie have produced full, complete, three-dimensional animals… and not always the pretty ones. Now, you can adorn yourself with a jellyfish, a koala bear, a crocodile or a gazelle depending upon your affinity for wild animals. Here are some examples from recent collections to inspire your search.

Boucheron tourmaline, diamond, aluminium, white gold, amethyst, sapphire, lacquer, titanium, citrine, rubellite, spinel, tsavorite, onyx and natural butterfly wings Fleur de Paradis head jewel, Papillon brooch, Toucan ring, Feuillage Diamant cuff, Serpent bracelet and Toucan bracelet from the Carte Blanche Ailleurs High Jewellery collection

Cartier

The recent Beautés du Monde High Jewellery collection beautifies a range of animals. The Cymbale necklace offers an abstract interpretation of the cicada with diamonds, rock crystal, rubies and onyx, but other pieces are more literal. Four brooches stand out. There’s the Éléphant Noir brooch crafted out of petrified magnolia wood and accented with a pink sapphire and briolette diamond. Next, we see a dragonfly with a 20.71-carat black opal and a quetzal shoulder jewel with feathers that sway with Paraiba tourmalines, sapphires, diamonds and engraved tsavorites. Finally, there’s a flamingo with a trio of carved rubellites, totalling 41.81 carats, alongside onyx and yellow, pink and white brilliant-cut diamonds.

Cartier Cymbale necklace with diamonds, rock crystal, rubies and onyx from the Beautés du Monde High Jewellery collection

Designing the Cartier Éléphant Noir brooch from the Beautés du Monde High Jewellery collection

The Cartier Éléphant Noir brooch in crafted in petrified magnolia wood with a pink sapphire

Cartier Éléphant Noir brooch in petrified magnolia wood, pink sapphires and a briolette diamond from the Beautés du Monde High Jewellery collection

Cartier brooches from the Beautés du Monde High Jewellery collection

Cartier Dragonfly brooch from the Beautés du Monde High Jewellery collection with a 20.71 carat black opal

Cartier Quetzal shoulder jewel/brooch from the Beautés du Monde High Jewellery collection with Paraiba tourmalines, sapphires, diamonds and engraved tsavorites

Mikimoto

Mikimoto Africa brooches with Akoya cultured pearls, diamonds and coloured gemstones from the Wild and Wonderful High Jewellery collection

Mikimoto Eurasia Panda brooch with white South Sea cultured pearls, emerald, tourmaline, garnet, spinel, onyx and diamond from the Wild and Wonderful High Jewellery collection

Mikimoto America Hummingbird brooch in 18K white gold with aquamarine, sapphire, emerald, spinel, garnet, onyx, peridot, tourmaline, ruby and diamonds from the Wild and Wonderful High Jewellery collection

Mikimoto America Red-Eyed Tree Frog brooch in 18K green, white and pink gold with diamonds, garnet, tourmaline, spinel, ruby, sapphire, peridot and onyx from the Wild and Wonderful High Jewellery collection

Mikimoto Antarctica Penguin brooch in 18K white and pink gold with freshwater natural pearls, beryl, aquamarine, spinel, sapphire and diamonds from the Wild and Wonderful High Jewellery collection

Mikimoto America Macaw brooch in 18K white and yellow gold with golden South Sea cultured pearl, ruby, sapphire, alexandrite, garnet, onyx and diamond from the Wild and Wonderful High Jewellery collection

Mikimoto Antarctica Crabeater Seal brooch in 18K white gold with Akoya cultured pearls, sapphire, aquamarine, spinel and diamonds from the Wild and Wonderful High Jewellery collection

Mikimoto Africa Flamingo brooch in 18K white gold with natural conch pearl, sapphire, garnet, onyx and diamonds from the Wild and Wonderful High Jewellery collection

Boucheron

Boucheron citrine, rubellite, spinel and titanium Toucan bracelet from the Carte Blanche Ailleurs High Jewellery collection

Boucheron Elephant ring with diamonds from the Carte Blanche Ailleurs High Jewellery collection

Boucheron diamond, onyx and pink gold Gazelle ring from the Carte Blanche Ailleurs High Jewellery collection

Boucheron Polar Bear ring with diamonds from the Carte Blanche Ailleurs High Jewellery collection

Boucheron diamond, rock crystal, lacquer and white gold Pie ring from the Carte Blanche Ailleurs High Jewellery collection

Boucheron tsavorite, onyx, lacquer and titanium Serpent bracelet from the Carte Blanche Ailleurs High Jewellery collection

Boucheron meteorite, diamond, onyx, white gold and platinum Loup ring from the Carte Blanche Ailleurs High Jewellery collection

Boucheron Earth Woman Papillon earring with natural butterfly wings set with brown diamonds in titanium from the Carte Blanche Ailleurs High Jewellery collection

Chopard

Earlier this year, Chopard again made its mark at the Cannes Film Festival with a suite of 75 jewels entitled “Chopard Loves Cinema”. The collection takes a different approach to animals by using them to reminisce on famous movies and cartoons. For example, there’s a nod to 101 Dalmatians with a canine cuff of white and black diamonds decorated with six 3D spotty dogs with blue sapphire eyes. There’s also a pair of fish earrings with lightweight titanium tailfins that move when worn. The fact they’re studded with brilliant green and blue gems, decorated in yellow gold, and topped with ‘air bubble’ gemstone beads only adds to the oceanic allure.

An artist's interpretation of a pair of Chopard fish earrings in titanium

Chopard Loves Cinema fish earrings crafted in titanium with blue and green gemstones

An articulated titanium fish forms a pair of earrings in the Chopard Loves Cinema collection

Crafting a pair of titanium and gemstone fish earrings in the Chopard Loves Cinema High Jewellery collection

Chopard Loves Cinema 101 Dalmatians inspired diamond bracelet

The Chopard Loves Cinema 101 Dalmatians-inspired bracelet is set with diamond-set dog characters

Chopard Loves Cinema 101 Dalmatians diamond bracelet

Rosior

Rosior Dolphin ring with 2.50 carats of blue diamonds

Rosior Giraffe ring with 3.51 carats of yellow sapphires, emeralds, amethysts, purple sapphires and brown, colourless and yellow diamonds

Rosior Jellyfish asymmetric earrings with 179 rubies, 173 blue sapphires, 138 colourless diamonds, and purple sapphires, apatites, and blue diamonds

A model wears the Elie Top Calao (hornbill) pendant with old mine cut diamonds from the Magica Naturae Collection

Elie Top Calao (hornbill) pendant with old mine cut diamonds from the Magica Naturae Collection

Elie Top Chameleon ring from the Magica Naturae Collection in yellow gold, rose gold, patinated silver with diamonds

Elie Top Crocodile ring from the Magica Naturae Collection with diamonds and emeralds in yellow gold

Elie Top Tortoise pendant from the Magica Naturae Collection set with orange, yellow and cognac sapphires, diamonds and a beryl

Unique Elie Top Serpent bracelet from the Magica Naturae Collection with an articulated head in diamonds, topped with an 8.88 carat rubellite, yellow sapphires, patinated yellow gold, pink gold and silver, and a ruby cabochon

Palmiero

Palmiero Peacock necklace with white, blue, green and orange gemstones

Palmiero Seahorse brooch with multi-coloured gemstones

Akillis

The Parisian jeweller’s Animal Tattoo collection, which was launched in the spring of 2022, features 21 pendants that give terrestrial and marine animals a rock and roll makeover. The brand’s founder Caroline Gaspard selected seven animals from the four corners of the world to evoke a feeling of freedom, including the jaguar, lion, zebra, oryx, koala bear, hammerhead shark and the manta ray. Each animal is available with graphic lines of either white diamonds, black diamonds or a combination of the two. I will admit the latter is my favourite as the monochrome palette creates a great sense of dimension and contrast.

Akillis Jaguar necklace with black and colourless diamonds from the Animal Tattoo collection

Akillis Lion necklace with black and colourless diamonds from the Animal Tattoo collection

Akillis Koala Bear necklace with black and colourless diamonds from the Animal Tattoo collection

Akillis Oryx necklace with black and colourless diamonds from the Animal Tattoo collection

Akillis Zebra necklace with black and colourless diamonds from the Animal Tattoo collection

Akillis Hammerhead Shark necklace with black and colourless diamonds from the Animal Tattoo collection

Akillis Koala Bear necklace with black and colourless diamonds from the Animal Tattoo collection

Akillis Lion necklace with black and colourless diamonds from the Animal Tattoo collection

Akillis Manta Ray necklace with black and colourless diamonds from the Animal Tattoo collection

If I had to single out my favourite aspect of all these jewels, it would be their ability to provoke conversation. Could you possibly walk into a room wearing a toucan bracelet or a tree frog brooch without someone remarking upon its inventiveness? So if you’re a lover of animals and attention, perhaps this is the high jewellery path to tread!Banner image: Mikimoto Wild and Wonderful collection jewellery

WORDS

Katerina Perez With more than 12 years’ experience in the jewellery sector, Katerina Perez’s expert knowledge spans everything from retail sales and management to content creation, including brand building, jewellery writing and styling. Born and raised in St Petersburg, Katerina’s favourite hobby as a child was playing with the treasures in her grandmother's jewellery box, inspiring a lifelong love of jewellery from a very early age. She spent five years in St Petersburg University of Culture and Arts studying not journalism but business studies and languages, and her writing skills have developed as her passion for her favourite subject – jewellery – has grown. This is why her writing comes straight from the heart rather than the pages of a book. Daughter of an entrepreneur mother, Katerina exchanged her retail management job for jewellery writing in 2013 and hasn’t looked back since.

BRANDS:

Rosior Palmiero Mikimoto Elie Top Chopard Cartier Boucheron Akillis

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