Swiss jeweller and watchmaker Chopard celebrates 50 years of Happy Diamonds, its signature design of freely moving diamonds invented in 1976. The milestone is marked by the revival of three archive icons: the 1985 Happy Clown pendant, the 1993 Happy Sport watch and the 2006 rectangular Happy Diamonds pendant.
Created in 1976 (above), Chopard looks to the past for inspiration by re-issuing three iconic Happy Diamonds designs using up to date materials such as ethical gold and Lucent Steel, which contains 80% recycled metal. Like the originals, they were designed by Caroline Scheufele, Co-President and Artistic Director of Chopard. Slight tweaks and modifications allow for sleeker, contemporary lines with more space for the diamonds to spin. Brand ambassador Bella Hadid is joined by Liu Wen in a new campaign to share the moment.
What are Happy Diamonds?
Happy Diamonds are diamonds that glide freely between two sapphire crystal sheets, forming a dazzling spectacle with each move of the wearer, like skaters on an icy pond. Chopard introduced the idea in 1976, inspired by sunlight breaking into sparkles on the spray of a Black Forest waterfall. When Karin Scheufele, who ran the house with her husband Karl Scheufele, saw the first prototype, she remarked that diamonds are happier when they are free. Fifty years on, the spirit of Happy Diamonds is alive and inspiring new designs.
"When I first had the idea of making jewellery in 1976 my brother and father thought I was crazy but they trusted me," explains Caroline, daughter of Karl and Karin. "After school I used to whizz up and down the corridors of the factory on a wheeled office chair. Later I was given little jobs to do like counting diamonds, so for me it has been natural to become part of the business." This key moment, began the successful transition of Chopard becoming both a watchmaker and jeweller.
Scheufele recalls: “I grew up with this idea, first expressed by my mother, that diamonds are happier when they are free. This deeply poetic vision has never left me. Over the years, I have continually reinterpreted it, exploring new forms and proportions, while preserving that essential sense of movement and joy. With these new creations, we wanted to return to a certain purity of line, while giving the diamonds even more space to move, to live, and to resonate with their wearer.”
For the anniversary, Chopard has gone back to three designs from its archives, making each a little lighter and freer and in sync with the house's ethical metal-sourcing commitments.
Discover more about the history of Happy Diamonds here
What is the Chopard Happy Clown?
In 1985 a young Caroline Scheufele, daughter of Karin and Karl, sketched a clown inspired by the circus. Secretly, her father had it made as a surprise, making the Happy Clown the present a generation of fathers gave their daughters. Prior to the arrival of the clown, Chopard was a watchmanufacturing, making this its first piece of jewellery.
The new Happy Clown comes in two versions, both in 18-carat ethical yellow gold. One is adorned moving diamonds, ruby, sapphire and emerald that shimmer with colour (above) and the other has five diamonds, each in the signature. Both keep the playful articulated head, arms and legs.
What is Happy Sport The First?
Happy Sport The First is a reissue of the original 1993 Chopard Happy Sport, the first watch to set diamonds moving directly over the dial and, according to Chopard, the first to pair steel with diamonds. Caroline Scheufele called it "almost provocative" at the time. She wanted a watch for jeans in the morning and a cocktail dress at night.
The new models come in 26 mm and 33 mm. A redesigned pebble link bracelet, based on stones smoothed by the sea, made in house is scaled to each case size so it drapes around the wrist. The grained silver dial has midnight blue Roman numerals, a railway minute track and blued sword-shape hands. Five diamonds float over the dials of the 26 mm and seven on the 33 mm cases. It comes in Lucent Steel, or in two-tone with ethical yellow gold, or entirely in ethical yellow gold.
What are the new rectangular Happy Diamonds pendants?
The rectangular Happy Diamonds design, first introduced in 2006, returns as seven pendants with softly bevelled edges and more room inside, so the stones respond to the slightest gesture. Each hangs from a new rectangular link chain, and the pendants are designed to be layered and worn alone. There are four different versions, a Compact (16.5mm) in ethical yellow, rose or white gold with three diamonds. The Elongated (25.4mm) in the same three metals, also with three diamonds or a Diamond-set model in white gold with a fully diamond-pavéd case and three loose diamonds (below). The highlight is the High Jewellery version (49mm) in ethical white gold with seven loose diamonds and surrounded by trapeze and emerald-cut diamonds.
The new arrivals confirm that Happy Diamonds is a modern classic and by subtly refining the designing and giving the stones more room to play, have a long life ahead.
