ROMANTIC FASHION
“Do you think it is possible to design jewellery without the romance... ?” I venture. But Claire’s answer stops me from probing even more. “When you create a piece of jewellery, you are creating it for a woman,” she says.
In the business of designing jewellery, there’s no other deal cincher than a romantic story laced into the collection as an inspiration and in this case, it is Chaumet’s love for nature.
There is no need for superlatives or superfluous descriptions here as the Chaumet Hortensia collection does not need one. You know they are beautifully designed objects the moment you see them. And as you u touch and scrutinise their each and every detail, peeling one beautiful layer after another, the three simple words that Claire uses to describe the collection—harmony, suppleness and femininity—make perfect sense.
The collection has not been created just for the red carpet, it is designed to be worn by real women. The suppleness of the collection comes from the versatility of the pieces—some of the designs even allow the stones to be moveable—which is a testament to Chaumet’s savoir faire in jewellery design. Nothing is left unsaid in terms of the feminine factor of Hortensia. This collection is definitely made for a modern woman. The colour of the stones and their various cuts, make the pieces look like beautiful floral bouquets. The stones are chosen meticulously to evoke a hydrangea’s petal arrangement. When creating a collection with such precision, careful thought and consideration is needed. And the atelier’s unsurpassed craftsmanship and its technical know-how, cultivated cul since Napoleon’s time, shines through in each and a every setting in the Hortensia collection.
When a brand’s legacy extends over 230 years, and its collection makes a future statement, then it must definitely mean something. The antique clock that sits on the table in the room at 12, Place Vendôme, chimes twelve times and breaks my reverie and I hear Claire’s closing remark, “Don’t you love it here? It’s as if the time stands st still.”