FOLLOWING The shine
PIAGET JOURNEYS TO THE AMALFI COAST FOR INSPIRATION
From the break of dawn to the Sun dipping into the horizon, observing how the celestial body illuminates the scenic beauty of the Amalfi Coast and how the changing light produces a distinctive vibe took Piaget on a “Sunlight Journey”. The new collection showcases the Swiss brand’s savoir-faire and talents of notable artisans, who joined in the creation of exceptional timepieces and high jewellery that reference different times of the day.
Depicting sunlight shimmering on the sea in the first light of dawn involves the art of decorating gold by manually engraving irregular striations to create a raw silk-type effect, seen on the unique pink gold piece Sand Waves cuff watch with a cabochon-cut white opal set on the secret cover.
Sea waves viewed from the sky billowing across a Sun-dappled sea is captured as a décor by Isabelle Emmerique on the dial of the Schiuma d’Oro watch — a bejewelled version of the ultra-thin Altiplano available in 18 pieces.
Calling for extreme care and patience, the lacquer artist crafted the foam motif by means of a mosaic pattern featuring hundreds of skillfully-cut eggshell fragments to represent the movements of the water. The fragile fragments are then delicately applied onto gold leaf using a gilding technique that creates a volume effect.
A mosaic pattern reproducing sea wave ripples on the one-of-a kind asymmetrical Verde Bisazza watch sparkling with diamonds and emeralds celebrates the splendour of the Mediterranean Sea at noon.
The midday sky inspired the Celestial Blue necklace featuring feather marquetry by Nelly Saunier, who selected the feathers like precious stones for their shapes and shades, then cut and assembled them with precision around an oval-cut cabochon star blue sapphire from Ceylon.
Saunier also loaned her artistry to the sunny motif of the pink gold Viva l’Arte ring embellished with purple sapphires, red spinels and diamonds. The ring can be matched with a cuff radiating a beam of colourful gems from a purplish-pink spinel centrepiece.
These two Viva l’Arte jewellery with explosive precious stones reflect the start of a festive evening after the sky turns orange, pink and gold prior to sunset.
A collaboration with Cesare Bella, the white gold Paper Flower Watch limited to three pieces is another artistic interpretation of the Altiplano, by using gold micro-mosaic technique for the branch motif of bougainvilleas, combined with traditional glass micro-mosaic for the pink flowers.
The leaves and flowers are made from tesserae of various shades that must first be drawn out before Bella’s meticulous cutting and positioning of the pieces on the dial, which conceptually evokes the coolness of being sheltered from the scorching Sun in a flower garden.
The Sunlight Journey collection is available by order at Piaget Boutique by ST Dimension on M Floor, Siam Paragon, 02-610-9678.