FLIGHT OF FANTASY
Chopard marks the opening of this year’s Cannes Film Festival with a dazzling Paradise-themed Red Carpet Collection
Every year since 1946, the entertainment industry has descended on the French Riviera for the Cannes Film Festival. And every year since 1998, when Swiss watch and jewellery house Chopard became an official event partner, the only thing more dazzling than the illustrious actors, actresses and supermodels in attendance are the jewels adorning their ears, necks, wrists and fingers.
This year, Chopard co-president and artistic director Caroline Scheufele paid tribute to the actresses who embody the radiant energy of the cinema by unveiling her latest Red Carpet Collection on the festival’s opening day of July 6. The 74 creations represent a new pinnacle of creativity for the maison, each embodying Scheufele’s dream-like and fantastical Paradise theme.
From an emotion to an idea to a sketch and eventually a mosaic of precious colourful stones, the pieces transport all who view them into a “paradise” within themselves. Scheufele was inspired by countless creative resources, from the bountiful Garden of Eden to the crystalline waters around the volcanic island of Pantelleria and even the supernatural vision of nature resembling that of the fantasy film Avatar.
“The Red Carpet Collection always gives me the opportunity to give free rein to my creativity and this year I was inspired by the idea of Paradise: I wanted our creations
to invite women on a journey towards a comforting haven, an imaginary world brimming with dreams and optimism,” she explains.
“There are various ways of envisaging one’s personal Paradise and I have tried to give life to these multiple worlds within the Red Carpet Collection through creations honouring fauna, flora and the finest gemstones, as well as by designing jewellery that is part of the fantasy of movies.”
Not only does the collection exemplify Scheufele’s creative view of the world but it also highlights the extraordinary skill and creativity of Chopard artisans, who each year apply their own genius and expertise to each creation to produce the ultimate in haute joaillerie.
One such example is the exceptional necklace the artistic director designed as a tribute to her beloved dogs. The unique piece, which required more than 9,000 precious stones and nearly 1,200 hours of work, is adorned with a parade of stunningly realistic dogs. It tells of Scheufele’s love for canines and offers an intimate echo of the Paradise-themed Red Carpet Collection. One of her faithful companions, a Cavalier King Charles spaniel named Byron, even served as model for one of the mascots.
The stunning rendition of the dogs’ coats, eyes and tongues in a combination of white, black, brown and yellow diamonds as well as pink spinels, tiger eye and onyx cabochon prove that our inner paradise is always within reach.
“The Red Carpet Collection is a jewellery masterpiece made possible by the skill of all the artisans who pool their talents in our Haute Joaillerie ateliers,” Scheufele says. “Each of these creations is a work of art in itself.”