Minimalism is often used as a shorthand for 'simple', and that's such an injustice to a whole host of brilliant designers who create aesthetically minimalistic jewels that are anything but ordinary! When developing something outlandish, colourful and detailed, the designer has fewer limitations on their natural creative processes. But there's an underappreciated art in stripping this back to create something with understated and considered design. The new Bucherer Fine Jewellery Inner Fire capsule collection fulfils this latter brief perfectly with nuanced pieces that are deceptively straightforward.
"Perfection is achieved, not when there is nothing more to add, but when there is nothing left to take away," Antoine de Saint-Exupéry, Airman's Odyssey.
The eight-piece collection was designed by Hollie Bonneville Barden, exclusively set with mixed-cut diamonds to embrace "the free-spirited expression of a modern woman, her energy and magnetism". Her designs are effortless, but we all know how much work goes into cutting and setting such an array of faceted gems. There's also an interesting dynamism to the pieces. Diamonds are stacked in ways that feel familiar – like city skyscrapers – but then a pear- or emerald-cut solitaire is added to the mix to shake things up visually.
Of course, we've seen Bucherer Fine Jewellery do this before with its recent Rock Diamonds collection, which combined round brilliant-cut stones with trapezoidal diamonds. In contrast, Inner Fire feels less rock 'n' roll and more futuristic in purely white gold. According to Bucherer, Hollie Bonneville Barden "broke free from the classic codes of geometric lines to instead showcase weightless fluid motion and infinite curves within these masterpieces."