The Piaget Rose and the luxurious jewellery it inspires
Piaget have always been makers
of extravagant watches and more recently jewels, that don't
hold back in terms of design, be they horological marvels or
dazzling diamond-set rings. This year Piaget revisits its history
with a wide range of pieces inspired by the Yves Piaget Rose.
Voluptuous, sensual and exuberant, this is how Piaget has always
interpreted one of nature's most beautiful gifts, opting to make
the flower not into naturalistic jewellery but highly stylised and
expertly realised works.
Yves Piaget scion
of the founders of this Swiss watch and jewellery
house, describes what the Rose means to Piaget: "The rose is
the most universal flower. For me, it brings to mind childhood, and
my first love for the wild roses called Sweet Briars, which grow
wild at 1,100 metres. It was when I left La Côte-aux-Fées to go to
Neuchâtel that I discovered nursery roses… In 1982, when the rose
peony was christened the Yves Piaget rose, it was an extremely
emotional moment for me. To celebrate this joy daily, all you need
is a little row of a dozen rose bushes."
The rose itself was cultivated for
two years in the rose garden of Geneva's Parc des Eaux Vives and in
1982 won three prizes including the Coupe du Parfum-Rose
d'Or. Now, on its thirtieth birthday this collection celebrates
this beautiful bloom with watches, necklaces, pendants, earrings,
rings, and bracelets all displaying a wide variety of
interpretations of the rose. From the more simple pink gold pieces,
such as the Piaget Rose neck-chain in pink gold, set with six
brilliant-cut diamonds (approx. 0.24 ct) to the magnificent Piaget
Rose Limelight Garden Party necklace in white gold with 670
brilliant-cut diamonds (approx. 38.48 cts) and 26 pear-cut diamonds
(approx. 9.88 cts), the rose is celebrated in precious stones.
There are also some supremely
colourful pieces such as the Piaget Rose Limelight Garden Party
necklace in white gold with (and I do suggest you take a deep
breath): 396 brilliant-cut diamonds (approx. 23.97 cts); two oval
green tourmalines (approx. 9.59 cts); one cushion-cut green
tourmaline (approx. 10.92 cts); two pear-cut pink tourmalines
(approx. 7.91 cts); two cushion-cut pink tourmalines (approx. 33.89
cts); two cushion-cut mauve spinels (approx. 4.75 cts); two round
pink spinels (approx. 8.51 cts); two oval pink spinels (approx.
8.45 cts); one cushion-cut pink spinel (approx. 2.91 cts); four
oval aquamarines (approx. 27.81 cts); two cushion-cut aquamarines
(approx. 12.99 cts); one pear-cut aquamarine (approx. 19.25 cts);
one oval green beryl (approx. 6.81 cts); and one pear-cut green
beryl (approx. 13.39 cts).
Similarly this variety extends to
the timepiece. The Altiplano's simple rose is quietly seductive
next to the ornamental luxury of Limelight Garden Rose Party Watch,
with an impressive 68 brilliant-cut diamonds (approx. 8.7 cts) and
white gold bracelet set with 253 brilliant-cut diamonds (approx.
8.5 cts).
For the voluptuous, sensual and
jubilant Rose Piaget needed a model to match the inspiration
which they found in the Israeli model Bar Rafaeli, showing she's
the perfect complement to this Rose collection.
