What’s especially thrilling about this collection is that it supports one of our high jewellery predictions for 2024: warm-toned minerals. Back in November, we made an educated guess that coloured gemstones in rich sunset shades would perform well this year, specifically imperial topaz, rubellites, deep amethysts, mandarin garnets, spessartite garnets, and citrines that add a sense of depth. Perhaps when the world feels bleak and unsteady, we search for the comfort of warm shades as a kind of luxurious antidote. Whatever the case, Bucherer Fine Jewellery has used many of these hues to great effect in its new Manhattan collection, which is inspired by the ‘city that never sleeps’.
“We have further design ideas at Bucherer Fine Jewellery when it comes to the topic ‘sunset’ and coloured gemstones within that colour range,” Global Director of Jewellery, Robert Ambord.
The intensity of the gemstone palette in this offering feels like something of a departure for the brand. We enjoyed its Rock Diamonds collection with trapezoid-shaped scatters of diamonds and its Inner Fire collection, which was a masterstroke in clean, sharp minimalism. Even the Pastello collection with its pastel-coloured sapphires doesn’t have the same chromatic energy as this new range. What seems to tie all of its collections together, however, is a crispness; sweeping curves of gemstones come to a strong, square end, and geometric patterns are confidently brought to life in precious metals. They’re not whimsical, floral or ethereal, which is likely why a densely populated city like Manhattan was the ideal creative starting point!
Another thing we appreciate about the Manhattan collection is that it’s inspired not only by architecture but also by the lights and colours of the city skyline. When you look at the shocking blues and deep oranges of the necklaces, it’s not hard to imagine the neon signs and glowing billboards that might have directed the choice of gemstones. The brand’s global director of jewellery, Robert Ambord, told us: “The inspiration here was clearly Manhattan and its skyline, its clear architectural shapes and patterns. We visited shortly after having attended the international gem fair in Tuscon, Arizona, where we also discovered some of the coloured gemstones for this collection.”
“New York just inspired us; the sparkling lights of the city at night also had an influence on our choice of gemstones. We wanted to create something vibrant and lively.”
Of course, there’s also the construction, which makes the pops of coloured stones appear as if they are floating in place. Each of the pieces is one-of-a-kind, grouped into three sets of coloured gemstone jewels and two diamond necklaces. Let’s start with the warmest colours on offer and move to the cool tones.
Mandarin Garnets
Undoubtedly our favourite facet of the Manhattan collection, the use of mandarin garnets as the anchor for a necklace and matching pair of earrings is an inspired choice. The star is a collar bone-skimming necklace with oval-shaped vibrant orange garnets, combined with 20 colour-coordinated tourmalines and 340 brilliant-cut diamonds set in an almost unbroken wave of 18k rose gold. The matching ear clips continue this colour theme with mandarin garnets and two tourmalines, one in a brownish-yellow hue and the other in orangey-pink, surrounded by 62 brilliant-cut diamonds. A ring has also been created to complete this set, this time in 18k white gold, with an 8.13-carat octagonal rubellite set on a band with four pink tourmalines, four orange sapphires, six baguette-cut green sapphires and six baguette-cut pink rubellites, plus 152 brilliant-cut diamonds.
Green Tourmalines
The combination of green tourmalines and yellow beryls in another suite evokes the milder tones of the Pastello collection, albeit with an acidic edge. In the necklace, we step away from wave shapes toward a Greek meander-inspired pattern of 399 brilliant-cut diamonds, interspersed with 21 tourmalines of various shades and eight yellow beryls with either princess or round cuts. The matching earrings also boast an asymmetric layout of tourmalines and 58 brilliant-cut diamonds, all set in 18k yellow gold to emphasise the warmth and freshness of the minerals. Finally, there’s a ring with 92 brilliant-cut diamonds, 38 baguette-cut diamonds and a whole host of baguette tourmalines, oval-cut sapphires and tsavolites.
Cool Blue Indigolites
As we head towards cooler colours, Bucherer Fine Jewellery does this in style with deep green-blue indigolites (a variation on the spelling of indicolites). A new set of jewels includes a necklace with eight octagon-shaped indigolites, which Bucherer describes as “currently one of the most sought-after coloured gemstones in the world,” paired with ten bright blue zircons and nine violet-blue tanzanites for an interesting interplay of colour. These gems are surrounded by a graphic, lightning bolt-like line of baguette-cut diamonds, which number 300 in total. A ring completes the set with an octagonal blue zircon centre stone on a band containing six baguette-cut zircons, six tanzanites and 152 brilliant-cut diamonds. Interestingly, this was the starting point for the Manhattan collection, as Ambord explains: “The first unique piece we finished was the collier with the indigolites and tanzanites. We wanted to create something that is bold and stark in contrasts. For the other pieces and the selection of the coloured gemstones, our amazing team of experts proposed combinations of coloured gemstones that they had carefully curated."
“To me, the creation process, the exchange within the teams and dedication of work is what makes working on such collections so special.”
Diamonds
Lastly, the Manhattan collection draws to a close with two monochromatic diamond creations, both necklaces, that wouldn’t look out of place worn with pieces from previous Bucherer collections. There’s an option with 49 radiant-cut diamonds, which were specifically chosen to maximise light reflection for the wearer, and a further 602 brilliant-cut diamonds, and a second with 56 elegant emerald-cuts and a whopping 672 brilliant-cut diamonds.
Considering Bucherer Fine Jewellery launched its high jewellery salon in Zurich last autumn, now would be the perfect time to pay the brand a visit and see its Manhattan collection for yourself! Whether you’re leaning towards warm shades like the KaterinaPerez.com team or drawn to the inky blues of indigolites and tanzanites, there’s something spectacular for everyone… even for diamond purists. We look forward to seeing what the brand brings us next.
