Contemporary and intimate

High jewellery collection Lignes sensibles by Hermès gives attention to designs that not only embellish the body, but also highlights its beauty

Creative director of Hermès jewellery Pierre Hardy has put his creative flourish on Lignes sensibles — a contemporary and free-spirited collection that has been described as akin to designing a second skin. It is more than just wearing a piece of jewellery; it also allows you to let your personality shine through.

Hardy says: “The entire collection is oriented towards intimacy. I have tried to mark the passage between the interior and the exterior: the pieces of jewellery that I create are like small organs that emit sounds. They are subtle pulsations that form a connection with the invisible. Often, with jewellery, ‘sound mingles with light,’ to quote Baudelaire. But this collection is quite silent, the pieces are discreet, both in weight and dimensions.” Charles Pierre Baudelaire was a French poet in the mid-19th century who was known for his daring themes of love, sex, depression and corruption.

It is with these themes in mind that Hardy creates a collection using a wide range of gemstones in shades that comes close to skin tones such as “flesh colours, shades specific to the complexion, the lips, or the iris”, he describes.

Change is also a constant in the collection, Hardy adds, that goes from the most tangible to the most immaterial. His combined passion for anatomy and dance led him to consider bones: the wrists, and the beauty of bone structure. That then brought him to the idea of a circuit, and to droplets and expression — to the limits of the body.

Lignes sensibles’ selection of necklaces, bracelets, brooches and rings is a lesson in contrast. For example, the dominant rose gold against the soft skin; gemstones and metals find a common harmony; hand jewellery that resembles gloves.

It is an exciting collection that deserves a closer scrutiny.

PICTURES: ANGE LECCIA À l’écoute A ring and bracelet combined, it slides over the hand like an invisible glove, the sapphire and citrine feature along a diamond-studded chain. Ondes miroirs Delight in these light brown diamonds that run down the neck, adorn the chest and grace the hands. The colour is a favourite in Hermès jewellery and brings a touch of tenderness to a gentle composition that flows in a symmetry of graduated shades onto the back, like a caress. Hermès Réseau lumière A single earring embraces the contour of the ear, making a statement in diamonds. Contre la peau To weave this necklace, which delicately settles on every contour of the neck like a second skin, minuscule triangles of gold are interlocked with chatons in which the diamonds are set, forming a lace-like mesh of absolute fluidity. Hermès Faire corps Features the hand, whose wrist is adorned by a cuff of brown diamonds encrusted with quartz cabochons, clenched in a fist.