PRECIOUS PERSPECTIVES
THERE’S A LOT to be said about a watchmaker and jeweller whose history dates back to 1874. Piaget is renowned for its ultra-thin watches. The same attention to detail is applied to its jewellery collections – some decked in precious stones that take months to obtain.
The house started off in La Côte-aux-Fées, a small village in the Swiss part of the Jura. Georges Èdouard Piaget opened his first workshop and devoted himself to making high-precision movements for renowned watchmakers. But it was Gérald and Valentin, the founder’s grandsons, who worked on the brand’s international recognition. Today, Piaget is a member of the Richemont Group.
Piaget continuously renews itself, while preserving its heritage. “Indeed, style has to evolve to remain updated,” says Jean-Bernard Forot, Piaget Jewellery Marketing Director. “Our challenge is to remain Piaget while being inventive and daring. Our first pieces of jewellery were creative, audacious, and radiant, with a strong emphasis on gold craftsmanship and colourful gemstones, and still are today. Piaget has also expanded its offer to younger clients worldwide with more accessible jewellery such as Possession or Piaget Rose for instance.”
The jeweller announced Jessica Chastain as its ambassador in 2015, signalling an era of independent women. Piaget Possession, the first collection in which the actress appeared in, is made to be a woman’s talisman. Its tagline “turn and the world is yours” reflects both to the collection’s revolving ring and its tribute to the power of women. “To me, I love that movement, a woman can truly change her life. She can be herself, someone who is in charge of her life, and someone who takes control and constantly evolving,” says Chastain about the collection.
The ad campaign offers a new perspective on jewellery: something precious that women buy for themselves, rather than gifts from a lover. With that, Piaget wins hearts of contemporary women. “We play on a fast growing market, benefiting from the increasing purchasing power of women, with a very international approach, enriched by many historical culture, surrounded by passionate artisans and people,” says Forot.
talks to Forot in an exclusive interview about today’s jewellery industry and developing a house with a long heritage. Highlights: I have the chance to have an amazing job: to develop Piaget Jewellery worldwide, animate creativity, develop new collections, share our creations with our clients and also attract the interest of new clients. Daily, I’m often simultaneously working on collections which are at very different stages of development: from the validation of new jewels that will be launched in a few months to a brainstorming on a new creative theme, or choosing gemstones for a special order. Everything starts with a story or a gemstone. We always need to have an inspiration to express a new idea. Creation is essentially a personal point of view. Inspiration can come from anywhere, nature, architecture, art, fashion. Historically, we started creating jewels as special orders for our clients wishing to pair their watch to their jewels. Since then, we have developed pieces of jewels and watches within the same collection. For example, a modern woman in her thirties will