Time Shine To
Jewellery house Gübelin has brought out a dazzling collection of ruby-filled jewellery and collaborated with watchmaker Parmigiani Fleurier to create a timepiece that highlights the expertise of both brands
Founded in 1854 when a watchmaker opened a small shop in the Swiss city of Lucerne, Gübelin quickly rose to become one of Europe’s premier timekeeping brands, its reputation for making and repairing the world’s finest watches spreading across the continent. By the 1920s, the brand had launched a jewellery atelier and gemmological laboratory and soon became known also for the quality of its stones.
Today, the Gübelin jewellery atelier is famous globally for its exquisite, handcrafted pieces. The Gübelin Gem Lab, based in Lucerne with branches in Hong Kong and New York, has become one of the most renowned and respected institutions of its kind.
For its latest projects, Gübelin has been as creative as ever, inspired by the patterns to be found inside rubies revealed through photomicrography, the taking of photographs through a microscope. In a collaboration with the brand, Zurich-based artist Athene Galiciadis and jewellery designer Michael Bühler used the spectacular inner world of rubies as revealed by photomicrography to inspire unique works of art. Some photos reveal fine rutile needles and triangular shapes typical of Burmese rubies, which inspired Bühler to create the Red Dahlia ring.
The ring has already graced the pages of glossy magazines around the globe. It features sapphires in various colours as well as diamonds, with the trilliant-cut sapphires reflecting the ruby’s triangular inner shapes. The result is as beautiful as anything in nature, bringing to mind a lush dahlia blossom with a sparkling ruby at the heart.
The ruby itself is 2.18 carats of extraordinary quality and hails from Burma, the most highly prized source of rubies. Its red shade is the renowned pigeon blood hue, and its design is unique. The head of the ring can also be detached and fitted into a Gübelin necklace or brooch.
“The first time I visited the Gübelin atelier and looked inside a ruby, I was totally fascinated by the rich variety of colours,” says Galiciadis. For her part of the artistic collaboration, she was inspired to create a sculptural objet d’art, incorporating the triangular forms into ornamentation on a ceramic vase she enclosed in plexiglass, creating an object on which one could sit, hence the name Stool.
Photomicrography also finds beautiful swirling patterns within Burmese rubies. One image reveals an impressive shape formed by a drop of basaltic melt trapped in the growing ruby crystal, with two interweaving ovals appearing to rise up
like glowing embers in a smouldering fire, and it was this image that helped inspire a new Gübelin line of jewellery, Glowing Ember, and a remarkable watchmaking collaboration.
The world’s great artists and brands often enjoy the creative blossoming that comes from a fruitful partnership. Just look at Andy Warhol and Jeanmichel Basquiat’s famous working relationship, and the incredible projects of Alexander Mcqueen and Damien Hirst. Gübelin and watch company Parmigiani Fleurier are following in this time-honoured tradition by launching their first collaboration watch, with Gübelin also designing stunning jewellery to complement it.
The two maisons are an ideal match. Parmigiani Fleurier, a much-loved brand from the Swiss municipality of Fleurier, has gained a cult following among watch lovers. Founded by the renowned watchmaker Michel Parmigiani in 1996, it is known for its creativity and elegant timepieces. Right from the start, Parmigiani developed its own calibres and makes every part of its watches inhouse—with the exception of the leather straps, which are sourced from French couturier Hermès.
Bringing together the best and brightest minds in modern watchmaking and jewellery design, along with an impressive dose of Swiss heritage, the collaboration has produced the exquisite Tonda 1950, whose mother-of-pearl face is inspired by the interwoven oval shapes trapped within a ruby. The ruby theme continues throughout the watch, whose bezel is set with 84 of the stones. The movement, which is topped with an oscillating weight set with red enamel, can be seen via the transparent caseback.
To provide suitable accompaniment for such a spectacular watch, Gübelin created a matching ruby bracelet and earrings.
“Art and culture, along with creativity, artisanship, inspiration and authenticity, have always been of the utmost importance to the house of Gübelin,” says Raphael Gübelin, the president of the maison. “We have long been deeply involved with promoting these values.”
You will understand when you lay your eyes on these exquisite new pieces.