WILD AT HEART

Chaumet Tresors d’Afrique high jewellery collection

For the very first time, French jewellery maison Chaumet goes to sub-Saharan Africa, drawing deeply from its wells of inspiration to create a high jewellery collection named Tresors d’Afrique.

The entire collection is composed of five distinct series: Ronde de Pierres with its bold colours and Nilotic parures, Cascades Royales interpreting African objects in a fils couteau setting, Terres d’Or mirroring the African golden desert sand and ochre earth, Espiegleries celebrating the lush flora and fauna, and Talismania taking a closer look at African art and ornament.

An ode to colour and materials, the pieces are studded and sculpted using the finest gemstones. Deep green Muzo emeralds, bright yellow Ceylon sapphires, sensually hued pigeon’s blood rubies and vibrant ‘cornflower’ blue Ceylon sapphires nestle alongside red spinels, Mandarin garnets, rock crystal, malachite, turquoise, lapis lazuli and carnelian.

Within the Espiegleries line, traditional handcrafts raise the level of handcraftsmanship. For instance, woven gold threads crown a lion’s head forming a generous mane of fine mesh, while grand feu enamel spots lend a glorious colourful sheen to a giraffe’s spots and enliven miniature scenes in the dials of the animal-themed watches.

Tresors d’Afrique is the third installation of a three-part collection called Les Mondes du Chaumet, after Promenades Imperiales of Russia launched in January and Chant du Printemps of Japan launched in June. www.chaumet.com