Statement Gems Part I: The Brightest Coloured Stones of Couture Week SS23

February 13, 2023

By Livia Primo Lack

7 min read

Paris Haute Couture Week in January is a blast of colour and creativity in one of the year’s coldest and most downtrodden months. It’s a destination for the latest and greatest high jewellery creations delivered by the world’s most important brands in and around Place Vendôme. Let’s look at some new pieces launched for spring-summer 2023, including kaleidoscopic colours by Buccellati, Chopard and David Morris, among others.

I can’t think of a better way to draw a crowd at Paris Haute Couture Week than with impressively large gemstones. At the most recent seven-day extravaganza in January 2023, we were presented with several gems with bulging carat weights. Below, you’ll find a list of the biggest, boldest and most beautiful gems worthy of your attention…

Making of the Cindy Chao The Art Jewel Cardamom brooch in titanium, emerald, diamond and coloured gemstones, from the Black Label Masterpiece High Jewellery collection

Making of the Cindy Chao The Art Jewel Cardamom brooch in titanium, emerald, diamond and coloured gemstones, from the Black Label Masterpiece High Jewellery collection

Buccellati Macri Color High Jewellery Collection

Milanese jeweller Buccellati’s latest high jewellery collection Macri Color was filled with gobsmackingly large cabochon and faceted gemstones. In particular, Buccellati created three pieces with gems of impressive size: the Macri Color pendant necklace with a 10.91-carat faceted garnet set in 18k yellow gold, a pagoda-like oval cocktail ring with a 12.69-carat moonstone cabochon and a smattering of pavé diamonds and emeralds, and a cocktail ring with brushed white gold and a hefty 10.74-carat kunzite.

Buccellati Macri Color Pendant necklace in gold, featuring a 10.91-ct garnet and diamonds from the Macri Color High Jewellery collection

Buccellati Macri Color Pendant necklace in gold, featuring a 10.91-ct garnet and diamonds from the Macri Color High Jewellery collection

 Buccellati Macri Color Cocktail ring in gold, white gold, featuring a 10.71-ct kunzite, sapphires and tsavorites from the Macri Color High Jewellery collection

Buccellati Macri Color Cocktail ring in gold, white gold, featuring a 10.71-ct kunzite, sapphires and tsavorites from the Macri Color High Jewellery collection

 Buccellati Macri Color Cocktail ring in gold, white gold, featuring a 10.69-ct moonstone and emeralds from the Macri Color High Jewellery collection

Buccellati Macri Color Cocktail ring in gold, white gold, featuring a 10.69-ct moonstone and emeralds from the Macri Color High Jewellery collection

Chopard Exceptional Stones High Jewellery Collection

This Couture Week, Chopard invited us to use our imaginations by presenting a selection of loose gemstones that will be set in the next phase of its Exceptional Stones High Jewellery collection. The presentation began with a pair of vivid yellow, oval-cut Ceylon sapphires of 151.19 and 127.70 carats, respectively. Perfectly matched in colour and both of excellent clarity, these two stars are destined to become part of a high jewellery set, including a ring and a matching cuff. Next came a one-of-a-kind 26.70 carat ‘Royal Blue’ sapphire, which also hails from the gem-rich soils of Sri Lanka. This particular stone’s destiny is yet to be determined.

Chopard Sapphires with a Sunny Glow loose 151.19-ct and 137.70-ct oval-cut Ceylong sapphires of from the Exceptional Gemstone High Jewellery collection

Chopard Sapphires with a Sunny Glow loose 151.19-ct and 137.70-ct oval-cut Ceylong sapphires of from the Exceptional Gemstone High Jewellery collection

 Chopard Natural Colours loose 26.70-ct Royal Blue sapphire from the Exceptional Gemstones High Jewellery collection

Chopard Natural Colours loose 26.70-ct Royal Blue sapphire from the Exceptional Gemstones High Jewellery collection

Cindy Chao The Art Jewel Black Label Masterpieces

Master jeweller Cindy Chao did not disappoint! Her artistic interpretation of nature through gemstones was one of the great highlights of Couture week. New to the Black Label Masterpieces collection were a set of Spring Cardamom brooches inspired by freshly sprouted cardamon pods. These three-dimensional pieces each feature a spectacular 81-carat cabochon Colombian emerald, which are extremely rare in size and quality. These two protagonists are brought to even higher heights using yellow diamonds, brown diamonds, tsavorites, demantoids, colour-changing garnets, alexandrites and green sapphires.

Cindy Chao The Art Jewel Cardamom brooches in titanium, featuring 2 emeralds of approximately 81-cts each, white, brown and yellow diamonds, tsavorites, sapphires, tourmalines and alexandrites from the Black Label Masterpieces High Jewellery collection

Cindy Chao The Art Jewel Cardamom brooches in titanium, featuring 2 emeralds of approximately 81-cts each, white, brown and yellow diamonds, tsavorites, sapphires, tourmalines and alexandrites from the Black Label Masterpieces High Jewellery collection

 Making of the Cindy Chao The Art Jewel Cardamom brooches from the Black Label Masterpieces High Jewellery collection

Making of the Cindy Chao The Art Jewel Cardamom brooches from the Black Label Masterpieces High Jewellery collection

 Making of the Cindy Chao The Art Jewel Cardamom brooches from the Black Label Masterpieces High Jewellery collection

Making of the Cindy Chao The Art Jewel Cardamom brooches from the Black Label Masterpieces High Jewellery collection

 Cindy Chao The Art Jewel Cardamom brooch in titanium, featuring an 81-ct emerald, white, yellow and brown diamonds, tsavorites, sapphires, tourmalines and alexandrites from the Black Label Masterpieces High Jewellery collection

Cindy Chao The Art Jewel Cardamom brooch in titanium, featuring an 81-ct emerald, white, yellow and brown diamonds, tsavorites, sapphires, tourmalines and alexandrites from the Black Label Masterpieces High Jewellery collection

 Wax model of the Cindy Chao The Art Jewel Cardamom brooch  from the Black Label Masterpieces High Jewellery collection

Wax model of the Cindy Chao The Art Jewel Cardamom brooch from the Black Label Masterpieces High Jewellery collection

David Morris Skylines High Jewellery Collection

Skylines around the world were the source of inspiration for David Morris’s latest high jewellery collection. Apply named Skylines, the London jeweller chose a variety of colour-packed gems to reflect the various shades of light as the sun rises and sets across the globe. The Meteora earrings evoke a 70s-esque style, with large pinkish tourmalines set amongst geometric shapes of black onyx and diamond pavés. Each of these rose-tinted gems has an individual weight of over 30 carats, totalling a whopping 60.66 carats.

David Morris Meteora earrings in white gold, featuring two tourmalines of over 30-cts each, onyx and diamonds from the Skylines High Jewellery collection

David Morris Meteora earrings in white gold, featuring two tourmalines of over 30-cts each, onyx and diamonds from the Skylines High Jewellery collection

Gucci Hortus Deliciarum High Jewellery Collection – Part Three

Statement gems were the dish of the day at the launch of the third chapter in the Gucci Hortus Deliciarum High Jewellery collection. The new pieces were marked by traditional Gucci signatures such as audacious colours, pretty bows and regal lion heads. The arm candy on display featured some of the most jaw-dropping gems at Couture. One incredible light blue heart-shaped topaz weighing over 112 carats was set in a yellow-gold open-frame bracelet. An even larger 238-carat morganite was set into a dazzling diamond and yellow gold cuff. Two impressive heart-shaped tanzanites of over 10 carats were mounted on each side of the mammoth morganite. It is great to see such important stones set into arm wear, as traditionally, the more iconic stones have been featured in either high jewellery necklaces or rings.

Gucci High jewellery bracelets featuring a 112-ct heart-shaped topaz and a 238-ct morganite from the Gucci Hortus Deliciarum High Jewellery collection

Gucci High jewellery bracelets featuring a 112-ct heart-shaped topaz and a 238-ct morganite from the Gucci Hortus Deliciarum High Jewellery collection

 Gucci High Jewellery bracelet in white gold, a 238-ct oval-cut morganite, sapphires and diamonds from the Gucci Hortus Deliciarum High Jewellery collection

Gucci High Jewellery bracelet in white gold, a 238-ct oval-cut morganite, sapphires and diamonds from the Gucci Hortus Deliciarum High Jewellery collection

 Gucci High Jewellery bracelet in gold, a 112-ct heart-shaped topaz, emeralds and diamonds from the Gucci Hortus Deliciarum High Jewellery collection

Gucci High Jewellery bracelet in gold, a 112-ct heart-shaped topaz, emeralds and diamonds from the Gucci Hortus Deliciarum High Jewellery collection

Louis Vuitton Spirit High Jewellery Collection – Chapter II

This is Francesca Amfitheatrof’s fourth high jewellery collection for the Maison. The Spirit High Jewellery collection recalls the life of brand founder Louis Vuitton through intricate pieces and larger-than-life gemstones. The Fantasy ring contains a 15.30-carat oval-cut yellow sapphire flanked by two LV monogram star-cut diamonds on either side. This piece is part of the Fantasy suite in which Amfitheatrof embodies her predecessor’s creative genius to create a series of pieces in yellow gemstones and diamonds.

Model wearing the Louis Vuitton Fantasy ring in gold, white gold, a 15.30-carat yellow sapphire, two LV monogram star.cut diamonds and diamonds from the Spirit Chapter II High Jewellery collection

Model wearing the Louis Vuitton Fantasy ring in gold, white gold, a 15.30-carat yellow sapphire, two LV monogram star.cut diamonds and diamonds from the Spirit Chapter II High Jewellery collection

 Louis Vuitton Fantasy ring in gold, white gold, a 15.30-carat yellow sapphire, two LV monogram star.cut diamonds and diamonds from the Spirit Chapter II High Jewellery collection

Louis Vuitton Fantasy ring in gold, white gold, a 15.30-carat yellow sapphire, two LV monogram star.cut diamonds and diamonds from the Spirit Chapter II High Jewellery collection

 Top view of the Louis Vuitton Fantasy ring in gold, white gold, a 15.30-carat yellow sapphire, two LV monogram star.cut diamonds and diamonds from the Spirit Chapter II High Jewellery collection

Top view of the Louis Vuitton Fantasy ring in gold, white gold, a 15.30-carat yellow sapphire, two LV monogram star.cut diamonds and diamonds from the Spirit Chapter II High Jewellery collection

Lydia Courteille Love Story High Jewellery Collection

Lydia Courteille celebrates historical and mythical romances in her latest high jewellery collection, Love Story. The Jupiter and Ganymede ring tells the story of an important romance in the history of same-sex relations. The god Jupiter fell in love with Ganymede from Troy and transformed himself into an eagle to bring Ganymede back with him to Olympus so that they could be together. Featuring a wide array of ombré pink gems, the figure of Ganymede is represented as a 41.34-carat morganite held in the clutches of a bejewelled eagle. Another massive morganite is used to depict the love story of Leda, the wife of a Spartan king, and Zeus. The intaglio moganite in this piece weighs in at over 354 carats.

Lydia Courteille Jupiter and Ganymede ring in white gold, featuring a 41.34-ct morganite, pink sapphires and diamonds from the Love Story High Jewellery collection

Lydia Courteille Jupiter and Ganymede ring in white gold, featuring a 41.34-ct morganite, pink sapphires and diamonds from the Love Story High Jewellery collection

 Lydia Courteille Leda and The Swan bracelet in pink gold, featuring a 354-ct morganite, sapphires and diamonds from the Love Story High Jewellery collection

Lydia Courteille Leda and The Swan bracelet in pink gold, featuring a 354-ct morganite, sapphires and diamonds from the Love Story High Jewellery collection

From mighty morganites to enormous emeralds, this Couture showed us big, bold, colourful gems to create some of the most extravagant and dazzling pieces yet. Let’s hope July brings us just as many!

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