Paris Haute Couture Week is where the jewellery world sets the tone for the year ahead. This season once again showcased exceptional creativity, craftsmanship and gemstones. Rather than ranking the collections, I have organised them alphabetically to let each Maison shine on its own merits.
Anna Hu's 2026 Museum Collection comprises two suites: Route des Fleurs Impériales, celebrating the richness of pink tourmalines, and Jardin Émeraude de Monte-Carlo, dedicated to emeralds. Inspired by the geometric wooden windows of Beijing's Palace Museum, the collection translates a traditional Chinese motif into haute joaillerie through intricate openwork and exceptional gemstones.
Why this collection stands out
- Revives the ancient cabochon cut, one of the oldest gemstone-cutting traditions, chosen to emphasise the depth, softness and luminosity of emeralds and pink tourmalines.
- Brings together influences from Chinese decorative arts, Persian ornamentation, Silk Road textiles and Parisian haute joaillerie in a single collection.
- Conceived as part of Anna Hu's Museum Collection, the jewels are designed as works of art that celebrate cultural heritage as much as exceptional craftsmanship.
Highlight
The Jardin Émeraude de Monte-Carlo Emerald Necklace is set with five large Zambian cabochon emeralds. Its bold scale is balanced by an intricate diamond structure that gives the piece a remarkable sense of lightness.
For its 2026 Carte Blanche collection, Human Being, Boucheron explores what unites us while celebrating what makes each individual unique. Comprising five jewellery sets built around the same classic cluster necklace, the collection demonstrates how different materials, colours and artisanal techniques can transform a single design into five distinct expressions of humanity.
Why this collection stands out
- Explores a single jewellery archetype through five entirely different creative worlds, each defined by its own materials, colours and savoir-faire.
- Brings together an extraordinary range of craftsmanship, from glyptic engraving and micro-miniature painting to innovative stone-setting techniques, requiring more than 14,000 hours of work across the collection.
- Continues Claire Choisne's annual Carte Blanche reflections on what is truly precious, placing humanity, creativity and artisanal craftsmanship at the heart of the 2026 collection.
Highlight
The Tattoo necklace recreates the illusion of Victorian-inspired tattoos directly on the skin. Hand-carved smoky quartz is engraved on the reverse using the ancient art of glyptic engraving, allowing light to reveal Boucheron's signature motifs—including the rose, poppy, snake, butterfly and cicada—as if they were suspended beneath the surface.
Inspired by the timeless beauty of Venice, Serenissima pays tribute to the city's artistic heritage and, in particular, the delicate needle lace of Burano, the Venetian island renowned for its centuries-old lace-making tradition. Translating the transparency and lightness of lace into gold, the collection showcases Buccellati's signature openwork techniques and the exceptional craftsmanship that has defined the Maison for more than a century.
Why this collection stands out
- Founder Mario Buccellati's fascination with Burano lace gave birth to one of the Maison's defining signatures: transforming precious metal into jewels that resemble delicate fabric.
- The collection showcases Buccellati's Honeycomb, Radial Honeycomb and Lace techniques, alongside Renaissance engraving methods that continue to be executed entirely by hand.
- Creating the openwork requires exceptional precision: each tiny opening is cut and refined several times by hand before the metal is engraved and set with gemstones.
Highlight
The lace-inspired cuff bracelet perfectly captures the spirit of Serenissima. Crafted in white and yellow gold and set with diamonds, its intricate openwork recreates the delicate texture of Burano lace while retaining the flexibility and lightness of fabric.
Created for Paris Haute Couture, Eclettica – A Living Dialogue with Art is an all-diamond High Jewellery capsule that extends Bvlgari's latest high jewellery collection into the world of couture. Comprising 26 creations, it explores the art of weaving diamonds into lace-like compositions, transforming precious stones into fluid, fabric-like structures that move with the body.
Why this collection stands out
- Draws inspiration from three artistic disciplines—sculpture, painting and architecture—bringing them together in a contemporary vision of high jewellery.
- Every jewel is sculpted on a couture bust before being translated into a hidden architecture of articulated links and joints, allowing diamonds to move naturally with the body.
- Pushes the boundaries of diamond craftsmanship by transforming precious stones into supple, openwork structures that behave like fabric rather than traditional jewellery.
Highlight
The Dentelle Lumineuse choker perfectly captures the collection's couture spirit. Composed of 475 articulated elements, it wraps around the neck like a second skin, while a detachable pendant transforms into a bracelet, adding versatility to its remarkable technical sophistication.
With Le Chœur des Pierres, Cartier places exceptional gemstones at the heart of the creative process. The collection is organised around five gemstone worlds—emerald, ruby, sapphire, diamond and imperial topaz—each revealing a different facet of the Maison's creativity. Comprising more than 125 one-of-a-kind creations, it celebrates the dialogue between extraordinary gems and Cartier's craftsmanship.
Why this collection stands out
- Each jewel begins with the gemstone. Its colour, shape and character guide the design, rather than the other way round.
- The collection revisits some of Cartier's most iconic themes, from graphic Art Deco compositions and Tutti Frutti to the Maison's celebrated menagerie, while always allowing the gemstones to take centre stage.
- More than 125 unique creations required around 85,000 hours of craftsmanship, highlighting the scale and technical ambition of the collection.
Highlight
The Haryma necklace embodies the imperial topaz universe. A sculptural tiger, one of Cartier's enduring animal icons, prowls across a cascade of five imperial topazes, while diamonds, emeralds, garnets and onyx add contrast, movement and depth to the composition.
With Signes & Symboles, Chanel explores the personal mythology of Gabrielle Chanel through the four emblems that shaped her life and creativity: the camellia, lion, star and sun. Across 85 high jewellery creations, these enduring House codes are reinterpreted through bold geometry, vibrant colour and exceptional gemstones, offering a contemporary vision of the symbols that inspired Mademoiselle throughout her life.
Why this collection stands out
- Each emblem tells a story. The lion reflects Gabrielle Chanel's zodiac sign, the camellia her favourite flower, while the star and the sun evoke the symbols and places that influenced her creative vision.
- The collection combines the "Precious Four"—diamond, sapphire, ruby and emerald—with vivid ornamental stones, creating striking colour harmonies that have become a signature of Chanel High Jewellery.
- From imposing plastron necklaces to transformable jewels, the 85-piece collection balances graphic symmetry with exceptional lapidary work and contemporary design.
Highlight
The Symbole Ombré necklace reinterprets Chanel's iconic star through a bold graphic composition. Cascading strands of spessartite garnets and turquoise beads create a striking sense of movement, while brilliant-cut diamonds bring light and structure to the design.
With Jewels by Nature, Chaumet continues its dialogue with the natural world through a 46-piece high jewellery collection structured as a sensory journey. Divided into three chapters inspired by botanical sensations, it reinterprets flowers, herbs and spices through contemporary high jewellery, combining exceptional gemstones with the refined elegance that has long characterised the Maison.
Why this collection stands out
- Rather than celebrating the appearance of nature, the collection is inspired by the sensations it evokes.
- Many of the creations are transformable, allowing the wearer to style the jewels in different ways while showcasing Chaumet's long-standing expertise in movement and versatility.
- Every gemstone is selected not only for its rarity but also for the emotion it conveys, with Chaumet placing equal importance on colour, atmosphere and feeling.
Highlight
The Mint Leaf necklace is a masterclass in restraint. A 17.46-carat emerald-cut aquamarine takes centre stage beneath a graceful diamond and pearl collar, proving that exceptional gemstones need little embellishment.
David Morris continues its exploration of exceptional coloured gemstones with Legacy of Colour: Volume II, unveiled during Paris Haute Couture Week. The 12 unique creations build on the collection introduced in January, celebrating the House's instinctive approach to colour through rare gemstones and unexpected combinations. From monumental sapphires and Colombian emeralds to vivid Paraíba tourmalines, pink diamonds and cobalt spinels, the collection demonstrates how decades of gemstone collecting have shaped David Morris' distinctive chromatic language.
Why this collection stands out
- Some gemstone suites took years to complete. David Morris continuously assembles and reassembles rare gemstones until the balance of tone, saturation and proportion feels exactly right, with certain compositions requiring years before the perfect combination is achieved.
- Colour is treated as an instinct rather than a formula. Jeremy Morris describes colour as something that reveals itself over time, with a single exceptional gemstone often becoming the starting point for an entirely new creative direction.
- The collection is organised like a journey through colour. Rather than grouping jewels by gemstone, Volume II unfolds in three chapters—Colour in Motion, The Blue Spectrum and The Power of Green—each exploring how movement, light and carefully orchestrated colour pairings create a different emotional response.
Highlight
The Gemma necklace perfectly captures David Morris' gift for making exceptional gemstones feel alive. Inspired by the water nymphs of Greek mythology, its luminous Paraíba tourmalines flow through articulated diamond waves, while pear-shaped drops seem to float beneath the necklace, releasing flashes of electric blue-green light with every movement.
For Paris Haute Couture Week, De Beers London expanded two of its signature collections with new Lotus and TalismanHigh Jewellery creations. While Lotus celebrates fluidity, transformation and the elegance of polished diamonds, Talisman continues the House's pioneering dialogue between rough and polished stones.
Why this collection stands out
- Talisman was the first high jewellery collection to combine rough and polished diamonds, challenging traditional ideas of what makes a diamond beautiful.
- The new Lotus collection introduces a transformable necklace whose detachable diamond drop offers two distinct ways to wear the piece, reflecting the House's focus on versatility.
- Every diamond is sourced directly by De Beers and individually selected by the House's experts, whether for its exceptional brilliance or the unique character of its natural, unpolished form.
Highlight
The Talisman High Jewellery cuff is a bold interpretation of the collection's signature aesthetic. Set with approximately 11 carats of rough and polished diamonds, it transforms one of De Beers London's most recognisable designs into a contemporary statement piece.
Graff places the brooch centre stage with a collection of 12 unique Butterfly High Jewellery creations. Rather than presenting a traditional high jewellery suite, the House focuses on a single jewel, reinterpreting its iconic butterfly motif through 12 one-of-a-kind designs inspired by art, architecture and its own archives.
Why this collection stands out
- Each of the 12 brooches is entirely unique, using the butterfly's signature outline as a blank canvas for a different creative interpretation inspired by art, architecture and historical Graff designs.
- Every piece is transformable, converting from a brooch into a pendant. Mounted on a traditional 17th-century jabot pin, the butterfly is also set en tremblant, allowing it to flutter naturally with the wearer's movements.
- First introduced in 1975, the Graff Butterfly has evolved into one of the House's most recognisable motifs, with this latest collection demonstrating its remarkable versatility through 12 completely different artistic interpretations.
Highlight
The Flora Butterfly brooch stood out for its joyful simplicity. Set with white and yellow diamonds, its clean, graphic design proves that Graff doesn't need extravagant colour combinations to create a jewel full of life and movement
Rather than creating an entirely new high jewellery universe, Gucci looks to its own heritage for inspiration. The collection reinterprets some of the House's most recognisable signatures—from Flora and Nodo to the Horsebit and Marina Chain—transforming familiar fashion codes into contemporary high jewellery through exceptional gemstones and Italian craftsmanship.
Why this collection stands out
- Gucci proves that its iconic motifs can evolve naturally into high jewellery without losing their original identity.
- Each creative family showcases a different jewellery language, from sculptural titanium flowers and fluid articulated chains to geometric pavé and classic gem-setting, demonstrating the breadth of Gucci's technical expertise.
- The Flora motif traces its origins to a silk scarf created in 1966 by illustrator Vittorio Accornero for Princess Grace of Monaco. Nearly 60 years later, one of Gucci's most celebrated designs has been reimagined as high jewellery.
Highlight
The Nodo necklace transforms a simple rope into an elegant diamond-set silhouette. Accented with Paraíba tourmalines and sapphires, it is understated, contemporary and effortlessly wearable.
Rather than illustrating horses, Hermès distils them into pure form. Into the Horsescape is the ninth haute jewellery collection by Pierre Hardy, the House's long-standing Creative Director of Jewellery, who transforms bits, stirrups, nails and lassos into abstract, sculptural jewels where Hermès' equestrian heritage is sensed rather than seen.
Why this collection stands out
- Every piece is designed to be experienced in motion. Articulated links, hidden mechanisms and flexible constructions ensure the jewels move naturally with the body, reflecting Pierre Hardy's belief that jewellery should only come alive when worn.
- Hardy approaches gemstones like a painter uses colour. Rather than celebrating rarity for its own sake, he combines precious and semi-precious stones to enhance the design, placing form and wearability above spectacle.
- The collection deliberately blurs the boundaries between jewellery and object design. Clean architectural lines, generous negative space and pared-back compositions create a contemporary aesthetic that is unmistakably Hermès.
Highlight
The Étreintes necklace is a masterclass in restrained elegance. Interlocking diamond-set horse bits frame a vivid Colombian emerald drop, creating a jewel that is unmistakably Hermès—refined, architectural and quietly powerful.
Making her Paris Haute Couture Week debut at the Ritz Paris, Lily Gabriella presented a series of new creations spanning her signature collections alongside one-off Editions pieces. Rather than following a single narrative, the presentation highlighted her distinctive design language—sculptural forms, exceptional gemstones and innovative materials—while demonstrating how an independent designer can combine technical experimentation with everyday wearability.
Why this collection stands out
- Lily Gabriella embraces titanium, ceramic, hardstones and even ethically sourced snakeskin beads, expanding the traditional vocabulary of fine jewellery.
- The new Halo concept introduces interchangeable hardstone discs, allowing the wearer to personalise a jewel and create multiple looks from a single piece.
- Alongside wearable collections, the Editions series showcases one-off creations that push the brand's technical and creative boundaries, reflecting Lily Gabriella's most experimental work.
Highlight
The Marea Earrings capture the rhythm of the sea in a beautifully sculptural silhouette. Rows of tapered baguette-cut diamonds flow from striking trillion-cut diamonds, creating a design that feels fluid, contemporary and remarkably light despite its impressive presence.
Athens-based designer Lito Karakostanoglou continues to build one of contemporary jewellery's most distinctive worlds, where symbolism, nature and fine craftsmanship meet. Alongside her signature Evil Eye creations, her latest work revisits the Scarab Collection—using real preserved beetles whose extraordinary iridescent colours become the centrepiece of one-of-a-kind jewels. Rather than imitating nature, Lito celebrates it, transforming each scarab into a wearable work of art.
Why this collection stands out
- Lito uses real scarabs, carefully preserved and set in gold and gemstones. Each beetle is naturally unique, making every jewel a true one-of-a-kind creation.
- Her fascination with scarabs began during a trip to Egypt, where she discovered their symbolism of protection, rebirth and transformation. She first explored the motif in 2008 and has continued to reinterpret it as one of her signature themes.
- The iridescence of the scarabs is entirely natural, making each jewel impossible to replicate. Rather than altering or masking the insects, the settings are designed to preserve and showcase their extraordinary colours.
Highlight
While Lito's Scarab Collection was undoubtedly the highlight of her presentation, I couldn't resist choosing the L'Amour Perlée brooch. Framed by pearls, an oversized blue enamel eye transforms a universal symbol of protection into a bold contemporary jewel that is both graphic and poetic. The reverse is engraved with the phrase "Perles lunaires tissant ton destin sous l'éclat de la lune" ("Moon pearls weaving your destiny beneath the moonlight"), adding another layer of symbolism to the design.
The world's oldest jewellery house continues to prove that more than four centuries of history need not stand in the way of innovation. This season, Mellerio unveiled several new creations, from Renaissance-inspired necklaces and archival nail jewels to the Asteria talisman, which introduces the rare metal tantalum into the Maison's High Jewellery universe.
Why this collection stands out
- Rather than relying solely on exceptional gemstones, Mellerio chose tantalum – a rare, extremely dense metal almost never used in High Jewellery because of its technical complexity. Its naturally blue-grey hue creates a striking contrast with yellow gold and diamonds.
- Asteria expands Mellerio's Jumbo talisman collection with a medallion inspired by star motifs preserved in the House's archives, transforming a historic symbol into a contemporary jewel designed to be worn close to the heart.
- Alongside its High Jewellery pieces, the Maison also revived its remarkable 1951 patented nail ornaments—an idea decades ahead of its time that anticipated today's fascination with nail jewellery.
Highlight
The Asteria Talisman immediately caught my eye for its originality. Rather than letting a spectacular gemstone dominate, Mellerio transforms an understated slab of tantalum into a miniature night sky, where diamonds of different cuts sparkle like constellations—a subtle, contemporary take on the idea of a lucky talisman.
Light has always been inseparable from pearls, and Mikimoto's L'éclat collection explores that relationship with exceptional poetry. Inspired by the pearl's inner radiance and the light that travels through the cosmos, the Japanese Maison combines its unrivalled expertise in cultured pearls with diamonds, sculpted mother-of-pearl and coloured gemstones to create jewels that seem to capture light itself.
Why this collection stands out
L'éclat returns to the very origins of Mikimoto, using the pearl's natural radiance as the starting point for a collection inspired by celestial light and the mysteries of the universe
The collection showcases the extraordinary versatility of cultured pearls, pairing Akoya and White South Sea pearls with diamonds, mother-of-pearl and vibrant coloured gemstones in strikingly diverse creations
From dramatic necklaces and celestial brooches to an extraordinary head jewel, each creation captures a different expression of light, revealing the full breadth of Mikimoto's craftsmanship and creativity
Highlight
The L'éclat Stellaire head jewel is unlike anything else presented during Paris Haute Couture Week. Inspired by the countless stars that make up a galaxy, shimmering strands of pearls and diamonds drape the head before cascading through the hair in a luminous veil. It is an extraordinary demonstration of Mikimoto's craftsmanship, transforming pearls into one of the season's most unforgettable high jewellery creations
Nikos Koulis unveiled 77, opened his first Paris flagship and introduced moNO, his debut collection of sculptural furniture and objects. Together, the three projects expand the Greek designer’s distinctive visual language beyond jewellery and into a broader world of collectible design.
Why this collection stands out
- 77 takes its name from Koulis’ birth year, 1977, and reflects the freedom, individuality and bold personal style associated with that era.
- The collection introduces tortoiseshell-patterned cellulose acetate, a renewable plant-based material more commonly used for luxury eyewear. The idea began when Koulis noticed how the colour of his sunglasses changed in different light.
- Lightweight yet durable, the acetate can be curved into generous shell-like forms. Its shifting amber tones create an unexpected contrast with yellow and white gold and diamonds.
Highlight
The 77 long necklace turns oversized tortoiseshell acetate links into a fluid high jewellery chain. Diamond-set gold elements add brilliance without compromising its striking lightness.
For the final chapter of its Extraleganza High Jewellery trilogy, Piaget unveiled Colours of Extraleganza, a vibrant collection of 65 creations celebrating the Maison's long-standing love affair with colour. Inspired by the creative freedom of the 1960s and '70s, the collection explores colour not simply through gemstones, but as a material, a texture and even a language, combining ornamental stones, vivid gems and engraved gold in unmistakably Piaget compositions.
Why this collection stands out
- Piaget treats colour as a material, combining gemstones, ornamental stones and engraved gold to create bold chromatic compositions.
- Gold is used like another colour, enriching the palette and reinforcing the Maison's signature 1960s and '70s aesthetic.
- The collection reinterprets iconic Piaget creations, from Swinging Sautoirs and jewellery watches to oversized gold links, through a contemporary lens.
Highlight
The Gems Pop ring, a sculptural composition, perfectly captures Piaget's fearless use of colour. Framed by slices of opal, pink thulite and orange aventurine, an 8.53-carat mandarin garnet becomes the focal point of an almost architectural design that feels playful, modern and unmistakably Piaget.
During Paris Haute Couture Week, Pomellato unveiled Stile Libero, a High Jewellery collection of 65 one-of-a-kind creations exploring colour, gold and sculptural design through three distinct chapters. At the same time, the Maison opened a public exhibition at the Palais de Tokyo, offering visitors a broader immersion into Pomellato's creative universe beyond the private Couture presentations.
Why this collection stands out
- Stile Libero takes its inspiration from the artistic principle of creative freedom, favouring instinctive design, bold colour combinations and unexpected forms over traditional High Jewellery conventions.
- The collection showcases Pomellato's signature serti libre technique, in which gemstones appear to flow naturally across the jewel. Achieving this seemingly effortless effect requires painstaking craftsmanship and precise stone placement.
- Gold is given equal importance to gemstones. Sculpted surfaces, openwork structures and tactile textures demonstrate why Pomellato remains one of Italy's most accomplished goldsmiths, not just one of its great colourists.
Highlight
The Silent Lagoon necklace perfectly captures Pomellato's mastery of colour. A seamless gradient of white diamonds, Paraíba tourmalines and tsavorites recreates the changing shades of a tropical lagoon, drawing the eye to an exceptional oval-cut green tourmaline at its centre.
Serti sur Vide reflects the avant-garde spirit and savoir-faire of a Maison established on Place Vendôme for over 70 years. During Paris Haute Couture Week, Repossi expanded its signature High Jewellery collection with 13 new creations, introducing coloured diamonds, blue-green gemstones and sculptural new designs inspired by the jeweller's instinctive gesture of holding a gemstone between the fingertips before setting it.
Why this collection stands out
- Repossi's signature "Eiffel Tower" setting creates the illusion that gemstones float directly on the skin, reducing the setting to its bare minimum while maximising light.
- The new Fancy Serti sur Vide creations introduce coloured diamonds together with cushion and marquise cuts, expanding the collection's design vocabulary beyond its iconic pear-shaped stones.
- The collection continues Repossi's tradition of rethinking how high jewellery is worn, introducing a two-finger ring, a contemporary brooch designed to transcend masculine and feminine wardrobes, and fluid earrings inspired by the Maison's archives.
Highlight
My pick is the ring combining indicolite tourmalines, green tourmalines and aquamarines. Its asymmetrical composition and floating pear-shaped gemstones reinterpret the changing colours of the Vendôme Column in a design that feels both graphic and effortlessly contemporary.
Van Cleef & Arpels' Fascinating Egypt collection revisits the Maison's century-long fascination with Ancient Egypt through around 180 high jewellery creations. Drawing on its own Art Deco archives, royal commissions and one of civilisation's richest artistic legacies, the collection transforms historical references into a contemporary jewellery narrative.
Why this collection stands out
- Builds an entire high jewellery universe around Ancient Egypt. The collection unfolds across five chapters exploring Egypt's landscapes, architecture, symbols, everyday life and legendary rulers, creating one of the most ambitious storytelling collections of the season.
- Showcases an exceptionally rich gemstone palette. Diamonds are paired with emeralds, rubies, sapphires, turquoise, lapis lazuli, onyx, ornamental stones and coloured hardstones chosen to echo the vibrant hues of ancient Egyptian art and architecture.
- Brings Egypt's most celebrated figures back to life in jewellery. Cleopatra appears alongside the Pharaon sacréclip, while lotus flowers, scarabs, papyrus, hieroglyphs, temples and sacred emblems are transformed into exquisitely crafted necklaces, bracelets, rings, earrings and figurative clips.
Highlight
The Muse éternelle clip perfectly captures the spirit of the collection. Inspired by Cleopatra, the feminine figure is sculpted in white and yellow gold, her face represented by a rose-cut diamond while polished gold ribbons cascade over a diamond-set silhouette. Holding an Ankh cross in one hand and a sceptre in the other, she pays tribute to one of history's most iconic queens in a jewel that is both regal and wonderfully whimsical.
