LIT FROM WITHIN
Creative director Pierre Hardy’s sixth high jewellery collection for Hermes shines a light on your innermost self.
Stethoscopes, bones, skin. These are not the usual inspirations one hears about in high jewellery. But it’s those influences – raw, unexpected and a little morbid – that give Hermes’ latest high jewellery collection Lignes Sensibles (“sensitive lines” in French) a distinctive edge. Last month, Hermes held its first high jewellery exhibition in Singapore, featuring this 45-piece collection.
Pierre Hardy, creative director for jewellery and shoes, affirms that his aim for the collection was to “reverse how people typically think about jewellery”.
He says, “With this collection, I wanted to consider how you feel when you wear a piece of jewellery. Some days you want to be discreet and others, you want to feel strong. I also wanted the jewellery to be like an interface or a bridge between you and the outside world.”
A necklace from the A l’Ecoute set – one of five that make up the Lignes Sensibles collection – looks like a fancy cross between an electric circuit and a stethoscope. The diamond-set rose gold necklace forms a pathway lit up (figuratively) with a mix of stones, including three large green-yellow prehnite cabochons, an 8.3-carat blue-grey sapphire cabochon and tourmalines of different colours and sizes.
Despite the firm lines, its construction is a lot less rigid than its appearance suggests, allowing the necklace to lie comfortably against the body. Even if you cannot imagine how it is conveying your innermost feelings to the outside world, this unusual piece will have people wanting to start conversations with you.
When you’re feeling tough, Hardy recommends the Hermes Faire Corps cuff, his favourite piece from the collection. It’s made from satin-brushed rose gold with a cut-out at the bottom and set with five large cabochons – four quartz and one moonstone.
Explaining his fondness for it, Hardy uses an analogy one would expect from a designer who remains most synonymous with shoe design. Aside from overseeing footwear at Hermes since 1990, he also has his eponymous shoe brand. “I think it’s very strong. It’s like an enormous pair of boots,” he says with a smile. “It gives you strength and helps you feel more confident and powerful. I think this strength is one facet of the Hermes woman.”
When you’re in the mood for something softer and subtler – but still as spectacular – there is the Contre La Peau necklace with a matching bracelet. A fine lattice of rose gold set with white diamonds, this piece is incredibly articulated and supple. The necklace conforms to the contours of your neck and collarbone when worn.
This necklace is also the perfect example of how the making, rather than just the materials, sets Hermes jewellery apart from those by traditional haute joaillerie brands. While Hardy uses large precious stones in his pieces, they are seldom the principal attraction. He estimates that just the conceptualisation of the design and structure of the Contre La Peau necklace took about six months.
“As a designer, I love to draw, but I couldn’t draw this piece because I didn’t know the exact shape it would take and how it could be made. I wanted something invisible, that was like a fishnet or a veil, and would merge with the body and the skin. It was a long process to develop the right articulation and the right mounting so that it would almost look like a knit. Because it’s so soft and weightless, it could adapt to any part of the body.”
It epitomises Hermes’ signature blend of elegance and ease, which is a philosophy that Hardy lives by as well. “My job is to make ergonomics beautiful. With earrings, for example, weight is important. There comes a point when it hurts and also becomes ugly. As a designer, I have to consider these limits. Women want to look beautiful and cool, and not hurt themselves. To work with the body and to convey that ease, that’s a sign of modernity.”