Star Quality: The Statement Stones of Paris Couture Week

Twice a year, Paris Haute Couture Week becomes a stage for the world's most extraordinary gemstones. At the same time as the fashion houses are unveiling their latest made-to-measure creations, the great jewellery maisons reveal the exceptional diamonds, emeralds, sapphires and coloured gemstones they have been saving for this very moment. High jewellery is the natural home of these statement stones, and Haute Couture Week is when they take centre stage.

Beyond the craftsmanship and creativity on show, every Haute Couture Week has its headline gemstones that visitors gather around to photograph because they’re memorable for their size, quality or, more often than not, both. The gallery below brings together some of the season’s most spectacular high jewellery gemstones, but first let’s explore four that deserve a closer look. Whether it’s a record-breaking weight, an exceptional provenance or a milestone for the maison behind it, these are the stones everyone was talking about in Paris.

FRED: The 101.57-Carat Soleil d'Or Diamond

Founded in Paris in 1936 by Fred Samuel, FRED earned the nickname “The Sunshine Jeweller” thanks to its founder’s lifelong fascination with light, colour and the French Riviera. That legacy is perfectly embodied in Monsieur Fred Golden Light, the third and final chapter in the Maison’s high jewellery tribute to Samuel, inspired by the changing light of the Mediterranean, from dawn to sunset.

The undisputed star of the collection is the Soleil d’Or necklace, set with an incredibly rare 101.57-carat emerald cut Fancy Intense Yellow diamond. The stone first entered the Maison’s collection in the late 1970s before being sold and disappearing from public view for decades. When it resurfaced in 2021, Valérie Samuel, Vice President and Artistic Director, successfully brought it back into the family’s collection. 

The necklace itself is every bit as captivating as the diamond it celebrates. More than 1,000 round brilliant white diamonds radiate outwards in a dramatic sunburst, creating the illusion that the Soleil d'Or is emitting its own golden light. It was also the one jewel that left Katerina and our social media manager feeling emotional, with both admitting they were close to tears after seeing it in person.

Messika: The 20.46-Carat Okavango Blue Diamond

Since founding her eponymous Maison in 2005, Valérie Messika has earned an international following for bringing a fresh, fashion-forward perspective to colourless diamond jewellery. Colour only entered the picture at Messika last year with the launch of the Terres d'Instinct High Jewellery collection, inspired by the landscapes of Southern Africa. This season, she continues that journey with the Terres de Contrastes collection, unveiling one of the rarest diamonds of her career. 

At the centre of the Okavango Blue necklace is a 20.46-carat Fancy Deep Blue diamond, cut and polished from a 41.11-carat rough crystal discovered at Botswana’s Orapa Mine in 2018. It is the largest and rarest blue diamond ever found in Botswana and marks the Okavango Blue’s High Jewellery debut.

The necklace is the centrepiece of Terres de Contrastes, inspired by Botswana's dramatic landscapes and created in partnership with the Government of Botswana. More than 500 white diamonds curve around the neckline in flowing ribbons that echo the waterways of the Okavango Delta, leading the eye towards the vivid blue diamond suspended below. It’s a fitting setting for a stone whose story began in Botswana, a country whose diamond industry has become the global benchmark for responsible natural diamond mining.

David Morris: The 184.15-Carat Sri Lankan Sapphire

Mikimoto: The 104.52-Carat Green Tourmaline

These are just four of the statement stones that caught our attention in Paris. Scroll on for more standout gems from this season’s Haute Couture Week high jewellery collections.

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