Anytime I hear the phrase “50 carats of Paraiba tourmaline”, I will stop and take notice! I am pleased to say that’s exactly what you’ll find in the Tasaki Atelier 6 Nature Spectacle High Jewellery collection, specifically in the Cascade necklace with 44 Paraibas for a total weight of 50.08 carats. This remarkable necklace dominates the chest as it undulates down the decolletage with a swirl of oval-shaped sea-green and neon blue tourmalines, droplets of graduated Akoya pearls, and more than five carats of diamonds. The result is a neat, orderly and yet organic necklace that feels like it's mid-way through its path down the body as if someone has left a gemmological tap running.
The interaction between light and water as it glides down tropical foliage was the original source of inspiration for Tasaki Atelier’s design team. Perhaps this is why it has chosen a mixed bag of Paraiba shades – green, seafoam, neon blue, pale blue – which are all there, draped around the neck in oval and cushion cuts. The matching earrings are similarly sinuous, following a path from the top of the ear, around the curve of the lobe and down to skim the shoulders. Simply magical!
Another pathway to creativity for the brand this season was the interplay between the sun, the moon and the ocean. The Flourish suite “depicts a shallow and clear lagoon where the sunlight flickers in the water,” illuminating a colourful underwater world beneath the surface. Here, we see lashings of vibrant pink hues, both pastel and bubble-gum, seafoam green, pale blue, peach and lilacs all intertwined together across a necklace, bracelet and matching earrings. The necklace is butterfly-like in composition, with two parallel ‘wings’ of diamonds, morganites, fancy colour sapphires, pink tourmalines, Paraiba tourmalines, topazes and spinels, bordered by graduated Akoya pearls. The bracelet is especially large, but thanks to the considered layout of gems and pearls, it doesn’t lose an ounce of femininity and lightness. As a final ode to the theme, the Flourish earrings utilise some larger individual gems in softer and subtler hues to throw light onto the face, balanced with the acidity of Paraiba pinpricks.
If I had to pick one piece to magically land in my personal collection, it would be the Ocean Light necklace, closely followed by one of the two earcuffs in this set. The offering tells the story of a full moon reflected on the surface of water and does so using peacock pearls with flashes of petrol green, purple and black. The Nature Spectacle Ocean Light centrepiece is more like a piece of clothing, with beautiful creamy swags of large and small Akoya and South Sea pearls, strung from an open torque-like collar with black South Sea pearls, blue zircon and yellow tourmalines, set between two curved lines of diamond-studded precious metal. I predict, on the average woman, this necklace would easily skim the navel, so it is far from a casual accessory! Alternatively, the super cool Ocean Light cuff covers the ear with Akoya pearls, South Sea pearls, and an oval-shaped yellow tourmaline. Its asymmetric sister, designed for the other ear, has an emerald-cut blue zircon instead.
Next in the collection is something different again: magical, whimsical and almost Alice in Wonderland-like in its fairytale aesthetic. Imagine petals gently swaying in the breeze, autumn leaves swept up in mini-whirlwinds, and birds gliding on the breeze; these are just some of the concepts guiding the Splendor suite with a pair of statement earrings and a matching necklace. Pastel sapphires in pink, yellow, orange, lilac, purple, pale green and grey blue are interspersed with Akoya pearls in a golden framework, similar to the roots of a tree beneath the ground. Again, the earrings are purposefully asymmetrical, but subtly to catch the viewer ever so slightly off guard.
Although no less beautiful, the final two sets in Nature Spectacle – Aurora and Swirl – are the ‘safer’ choices in so far as they are more wearable and less aesthetically demanding than their peers. Aurora features black South Sea pearls hugged by orbiting lines of gold and diamonds in what is described as “a new design being introduced this year”. Perhaps we can expect to see more of this style in the near future, but for now, we have a striking ring, earrings and a pendant to keep us entertained.
Finally, Swirl is all about colourless diamonds in spiral shapes that mimic ocean currents. The core motif of the necklace sits in the hollow of the neck and radiates with sprays of baguette- and round brilliant-cut diamonds. In total, there are 16.22 carats in the piece, plus a 1.11-carat solitaire at the centre of the main swirling element. The matching earrings and two-finger ring are similarly understated, making this the season's crispest and cleanest Tasaki Atelier 6 offering.
The Tasaki Atelier 6 Nature Spectacle collection is an abstract take on the world around us and one that leaves themes open to interpretation. With such enticing mineralogical specimens on display, paired with the biogenic delights of Akoya and South Sea pearls, this is undoubtedly one of my favourite collections of the season. Let’s hope the brand’s 2024 launch, Atelier 7, is just as outstanding!
