GARDEN OF DELIGHTS
Unveiled in four chapters, the house of GUCCI’s second high jewellery collection delivers more than 130 perennially captivating treasures, writes
Unveiled in four chapters, the house of Gucci’s second high jewellery collection delivers more than 130 captivating treasures
Mother Nature serves as Gucci’s inspiration for its second high jewellery collection, Hortus Deliciarum, which translates from Latin as ‘Garden of Delights’, where more than 130 one-of-a-kind precious pieces were revealed. This time around, two years after the first high jewellery launch, creative director Alessandro Michele seeks to evoke Hollywood glamour and perpetual sophistication as per the house’s latest campaign featuring rising English actress Jodie Turner-Smith, and yet he manages to also embellish with his own flamboyance and flair to the sublime collection that doesn’t overlook Gucci’s symbolic motifs and house iconography.
The vast inventory is derived from four poetic yet mystically themed chapters; the magnificent beauty of natural landscapes, breath-taking sunsets, rose garden romanticism and the majestic animal kingdom.
Fantasy is put to its best work here, as the first chapter draws inspiration from natural features like waterfalls and forestry to create intricate miniature tributes using jewels. Cascading diamonds evoke sparkling torrents of water, paraiba tourmalines represent the bright azure vividity of the ocean, and spinel-dotted diamonds reminiscing the aurora borealis are aesthetically mesmerising.
Through this chapter, Alessandro also seeks to recall the Roaring Twenties with fringed and tasselled necklaces and chandelier earrings.
The sunset chapter educes the regality of the nineteeth century but with a modern twist. Opals and topazes with spessartine garnets and tourmalines are used to create a skyscape of rich, warm colours. This is embodied by the breath-taking Georgiana collet-set Rivière necklace with an 8 carat opal and twilight-hued gemstones.
In the third chapter - rose garden romanticism - which is without a doubt Gucci’s most feminine narrative yet, rococo bows and talismanic sautoirs pay homage to delicate botanicals as light coloured gemstones like the sunset-hued pinkish-orange padparadscha sapphire take centre stage. Individualisation is celebrated as a selection of necklaces in the chapter have detachable pendants to be worn as charms, and also to form a bouquet of jewels from its dazzling collection of brooches.
The popularity of animal likeness in jewellery is ever-growing and so for the fourth chapter, Gucci adds its own twist in reinventing the theme with mythic bestiary and ancient fauna. A dazzling necklace from this chapter features a 16.36 carat opal surrounded by 22 lions. Other pieces see a recurring theme of sky-blue tanzanites, clasped by roaring lion heads or paired with serpentine opals and verdant tsavorites.
Not to be left out of the assemblage, standalone pieces are also presented with maximalist allure especially for the pieces that hold a 60 carat rubbelite, a heart-shaped mandarin garnet, and a 16 carat paraiba tourmaline. Vibrant colours and landscapes come to life with emerald-cut coloured gemstones juxtaposed with pavé heirloom settings. Afghani mint tourmaline, sunset-pink rubellite, velvety violet tanzanites, light orange sapphires, blushed-rosé topaz, and mandarin garnets, make these pezzounico pieces command devotion as they dazzle with their intricate splendour.
Showcasing Italian craftsmanship and creativity at its best, dare we say it won’t be a surprise to witness a third high jewellery drop from the house of Gucci in the near future.