Can high jewellery still surprise us? Paris proves it can

This season’s most powerful high jewellery does more than dazzle — from poetic florals to sculptural extremes, each piece tells a story.

Ode to Italy necklace by Damiani

Update — 18 August 2025: The Cartier  Traforato Necklace has now been included, following the end of the embargo.

This summer, Paris Haute Couture Week revealed just how far high jewellery can stretch. Across more than 20 presentations, both storied maisons and rising designers unveiled creations that moved beyond ornament to become objects of thought and emotion — exploring impermanence, natural form, and the shifting boundaries of craftsmanship. We look at the collections under six headings that reflect these shared themes: Nature Reimagined, The Poetry of Impermanence, Echoes of Heritage, Jewels in Motion, the Emotion of Colour, and Golsmithing meets Couture.

1) NATURE REIMAGINED

Nature is always present in high jewellery, but this year, it was far more than a decorative motif. Several houses sought to capture not just beauty but the cycles, contrasts and quiet dramas of the natural world.

Chaumet – 'Wild Rose' Necklace
The Wild Rose necklace sits at the heart of Chaumet’s 2025 'Jewels by Nature' collection and channels the spirit of a 1922 tiara. Echoing its golden stamens and botanical intricacy, the modern design centres on an 8.23-carat Fancy Vivid Yellow diamond, framed by a flourish of brilliant-cut diamonds. Nearly 1,500 hours of craftsmanship went into the articulated, transformable necklace, which can be worn three ways with a single hidden clasp. Romantic yet precise, it sets the tone for a collection rooted in nature’s enduring power.

Wild Rose necklace by Chaumet
Inspired by a 1922 tiara, Chaumet’s Wild Rose necklace reinterprets Belle Époque botanical design with a vivid yellow diamond and fluid, articulated lines. High Jewellery collection July 2025.

De Beers – 'Baobab Magnitude'
De Beers continues its exploration of natural inspiration with 'Essence of Nature: Chapter Two', unveiled during Paris Haute Couture Week. Among the highlights is the Baobab Magnitude set, a tribute to Botswana’s ancient baobab tree,  known as the “tree of life.” The earrings combine bold black jet drops with a scattering of Fancy coloured rough and polished diamonds, arranged in organic clusters. With hand-carved jet and intricate diamond settings, they embody the vitality and generosity of the African landscape, while showcasing De Beers’ evolving craftsmanship and connection to its diamond-producing origins. Click here to watch an Instagram reel about the collection. 

Baobab Magnitude earrings by De Beers
De Beers pairs hand-carved jet with rough and polished diamonds in a tribute to Botswana’s baobab tree. High Jewellery collection July 2025.

Mellerio – 'Jardin des Rêves'
Inspired by a royal tapestry once owned by Marie-Antoinette, Mellerio’s 'Jardin des Rêves' necklace transforms a historic motif — the pineapple — into a glittering contemporary jewel. The vibrant design echoes the queen’s love of exoticism and fantasy through a painterly array of tourmalines, sapphires, tanzanites, heliodores and morganites, each carefully selected for hue and intensity. The house's Naturalist spirit and flair for colour find full expression in this transformable piece, crowned with a diamond-topped pineapple pendant that detaches into earrings. Opulent, joyful, and steeped in French heritage, it’s a wearable reverie.

Jardin de Rêves necklace by Mellerio
The pineapple, once a symbol of wealth and rarity in 18th-century France, becomes a detachable pendant in Mellerio’s imaginative tribute to royal fantasy. High Jewellery collection July 2025.

Dior – 'Diorexquis' Brooch
A miniature world of wonder, the Diorexquis brooch by Dior transforms high jewellery into storytelling. A forest tableau unfolds in exquisite detail, where a pink enamelled fawn nestles among sculpted flowers, turquoise berries, and pearl-laden trees. At its heart, a shimmering mother-of-pearl backdrop evokes twilight skies, while diamonds, tsavorites, spinels and lacquered gold capture the whimsical spirit of an enchanted garden — one of three themes explored by Victoire de Castellane in this 163-piece haute joaillerie collection.

Diorexquis brooch by Dior
Dior’s Diorexquis brooch hides a secret clasp that transforms the forest tableau into a detachable pendant. High Jewellery collection July 2025.

Mikimoto – 'Les Pétales'
A masterclass in poetic precision, Mikimoto’s Les Pétales collection captures the fleeting beauty of rose petals swept by the wind. The Japanese house translates this passing moment into jewels that shimmer with Akoya and South Sea pearls, softly glowing morganites, and diamonds. Petals appear to drift across pearl strands or unfurl in the serene curves of conch pearl rings, evoking the fluidity of Nature in motion. Lace-like necklaces and bracelets suggest the ripple of a breeze, while a set of brooches, composed of curving diamond-set lines, cradle conch pearls, Akoya pearls and sapphires in gentle shades of pink and white.

Les Pétales brooches by Mikimoto
Mikimoto captures a petal caught in the breeze with these Les Pétales brooches, combining conch pearls, Akoya pearls, diamonds and pink sapphires. High Jewellery collection July 2025.
 

2) THE POETRY OF IMPERMANENCE

The most philosophical theme of the season was also the most radical: jewellery as a meditation on time, memory, and change.

Boucheron – 'Impermenance: Composition No.2'
Claire Choisne’s 'Carte Blanche: Boucheron Impermanence' collection draws on the Japanese philosophy of wabi-sabi, where beauty resides in transience, asymmetry and quiet transformation. The collection comprises 30 unique pieces, each presented as a poetic still life — or composition — that can be worn or admired as sculpture. In Composition No.2, a magnolia branch appears mid-bloom, its petals traced in diamond-set aluminium and black ceramic, delicate yet suspended in time. A stick insect in rhodium-plated gold perches among the blossoms, heightening the sense of stillness and fragility. Here, impermanence is not a flaw but the very source of meaning — where high jewellery becomes a meditation on life, decay and the fleeting nature of beauty. Click here to watch an Instagram reel of our visit to Boucheron's unveiling of the 'Impermanence' collection.

Magnolia and stick insect Composition No2 by Boucheron
Boucheron’s magnolia transforms into a collar or headpiece, while the diamond-set stick insect detaches as a brooch. High Jewellery collection July 2025.

Nikos Koulis – 'Look' Bracelet
From  Nikos Koulis’ 'WISH' collection, the 'Look' bracelet evokes passing moments — like a wish carried on the wind. While it departs from the collection’s dandelion motif, its sculptural form captures the same sense of poetic minimalism. Unlike other 'WISH' pieces made of aluminium, it relies solely on the high-reflective effect of polished white gold paired with diamonds. With bold geometry and Art Deco symmetry, the piece distils Koulis’ Greek heritage into a sharp, contemporary statement.

Look bracelet by Nikos Kloulis
Nikos Koulis sets 29.62 carats of D-E colour marquise diamonds in high-polished gold for a mirrored flash of minimalism. High Jewellery collection July 2025.
 

3) ECHOES OF HERITAGE

Many houses drew strength from their archives — not to reproduce, but to reframe history through a contemporary lens.

Graff – '1963'
Graff pays tribute to its founding year with '1963', a high jewellery suite that revives the rebellious glamour of the Swinging Sixties. At its centre, a necklace composed of 7,790 diamonds — oval, baguette and round cuts totalling over 129 carats — traces hypnotic concentric ovals in white gold. A flash of pavé-set emeralds, discreetly tucked beneath the diamonds, offers a signature jolt of Graff green. Precision, energy and elegance converge in one of the house’s most technically ambitious creations to date.

1963 necklace by Graff
Graff’s 1963 necklace is set with 7,790 diamonds—cut, calibrated and set entirely in-house. High Jewellery collection July 2025.

Pomellato – 'Asimmetrico'
Pomellato’s 'Collezione 1967' is a bold manifesto of the house’s Milanese identity, named for the year the brand was founded. The collection celebrates Pomellato’s spirit of creative independence and its unconventional approach to design. Among the standout pieces is the  'Asimmetrico' necklace, a sculptural collar composed of 78 articulated rose gold segments pavé-set with white diamonds, designed to move fluidly against the skin. Seven aquamarines — each cut in a different shape and size — are set asymmetrically along the front, adding a vibrant splash of blue to the necklace’s graphic volume. 'Asimmetrico' is a striking example of Pomellato’s engineering finesse and chromatic instinct, reimagined in a distinctly contemporary style.  Click here to watch an Instagram reel about the collection. 

Asimmetrico necklace by Pomellato
Each aquamarine in Pomellato’s Asimmetrico necklace was custom-cut to fit its sculptural curve. High Jewellery collection July 2025.

Gucci – 'Marina Chain' Necklace
Gucci  'Allegoria' High Jewellery collection marks a confident evolution in the house’s  jewellery style, balancing archival codes with colour-forward design. Structured around three core motifs — the Horsebit, Labirinti Gucci, and Marina Chain — the collection explores heritage through bold form and saturated colour. The 'Marina Chain' stands out as a joyful reinterpretation of a 1960s nautical design, transformed into oversized links of pink, green, yellow, orange and blue sapphires and tsavorites. The polished gold and pavé diamonds give the necklace its exuberant, graphic, and distinctly Gucci look, and a clever sophisticated example of heritage reimagined with contemporary flair. Click here to watch our Instagram reel about Gucci. 

Marina Chain necklace by Gucci
Each oversized link of Gucci’s Marina Chain necklace is hand-set with coloured sapphires and tsavorites — over 230 stones in total. High Jewellery collection July 2025.

Chanel – 'Pink Hour' Necklace
The 'Pink Hour' necklace from the 'Reach for the Stars' collection, is the final high jewellery set by the late Patrice Leguéreau, who served as Chanel’s Creative Director of Fine Jewellery from 2009 to 2024. Under his vision, the house developed a distinctive high jewellery language rooted in movement, elegance, and celestial symbolism. This piece belongs to the Wings theme, inspired by Gabrielle Chanel’s maxim: “If you were born without wings, do nothing to prevent them from growing.” Crafted in pink gold and set with an oval-cut pink sapphire and beads, with diamonds, the necklace glows with the hues of dusk. Light, articulated, and radiant, it captures Leguéreau’s enduring flair for poetic precision. Click here to watch an Instagram reel about the collection. 

Pink Hour Necklace by Chanel
Chanel captures the glow of dusk with gradient pink sapphires and airy goldwork that moves like fabric. High Jewellery collection July 2025.

 

4) JEWELS IN MOTION

Movement and structure play a central role this season, as houses explore high jewellery as sculpture bringing articulation, architectural volumes, and often transformability to their creations.

Repossi – 'Blast'
Repossi returns to its roots with 'Blast',  sculptural high jewellery centred on the motif of the infinite gold thread. The standout bib necklace is composed of meticulously graduated gold bars, mirror-polished to catch the light, and set with 15 pear-shaped diamonds totalling 6.77 carats alongside 720 pavé-set bars. Inspired by tribal adornments, modernist art, and the maison’s 1980s heritage, the design plays with proportions and rhythm to create a bold yet fluid piece that sits like a second skin. It’s a statement of fullness, femininity, and Repossi’s Place Vendôme edge.

Blast necklace by Repossi
Repossi’s Blast necklace uses over 700 pavé diamonds to create a kinetic effect that shifts with every movement. High Jewellery collection July 2025.

Cartier – Traforato Necklace
Part of Cartier’s En Équilibre high jewellery collection, the Traforato necklace plays with light, geometry, and chromatic harmony. Its openwork mesh structure reveals a rhythmic arrangement of diamonds, emeralds and onyx — three colours that are a signature Cartier palette. The design centres on a trio of octagonal Colombian emeralds, creating a sense of both precision and movement. True to the collection’s ethos, Traforato explores balance through contrast: solid and void, line and volume, tradition and modern abstraction. A masterclass in Cartier’s understated complexity. Click here to watch an Instagram reel about the Cartier’s En Équilibre high jewellery collection

Traforato necklace by Cartier
Cartier’s Traforato necklace frames a trio of octagonal Colombian emeralds within a lattice of openwork gold — a play of solids and voids. High Jewellery collection July 2025.

Louis Vuitton – 'Savoir Set'
A dazzling tribute to sacred knowledge, Louis Vuitton’s 'Savoir' necklace and earrings are part of the Virtuosity High Jewellery collection’s 'World of Mastery' chapter. The necklace centres on a hypnotic 30.56-carat Australian black opal in a rare triangle cut, its shifting red and green hues echoed by an emerald drop of 28.01 carats and a string of hand-set emerald beads. Angular, architectural lines — referencing the maison’s trunk-making heritage — interweave with chevrons, Vs, and nail-style diamond settings. The earrings complete the set’s powerful geometry, each a reminder of Louis Vuitton’s storied savoir-faire, meticulously honed over 1,500 hours.

Savoir necklace and earrings by Louis Vuitton
Crafted over 1,500 hours, Louis Vuitton’s Savoir set pairs a rare triangle-cut black opal with bold architectural lines. High Jewellery collection July 2025.

Dries Criel – Chrome Tourmaline Ring
Part of Dries Criel’s debut high jewellery collection — unveiled during Paris Haute Couture Week — this bold yet refined ring captures the Belgian designer’s sculptural sensibility. A richly saturated chrome tourmaline is cradled in yellow gold, its deep green hue intensified by a graphic arrangement of white diamonds and green enamel. The geometric lines are a nod to architectural rigour while the domed silhouette conveys power and permanence. Criel’s first foray into high jewellery celebrates Nature not through mimicry but through material essence — revealing beauty in its elemental form, distilled and precise.

Tourmaline ring by Dries Criel
A domed chrome tourmaline anchors Dries Criel’s debut design, framed by enamel and diamonds in a bold study of volume and symmetry. High Jewellery collection July 2025.

Tasaki – 'Grâce Éternelle'
With 'Grâce Éternelle', Tasaki reworks the classical pearl ring with bold architectural poise. A luminous South Sea pearl hovers next to a vivid yellow diamond framed in white diamonds, creating a striking counterpoint of volume, textures and colour. The design speaks to the Japanese maison’s instinct for contrast — where softness meets geometry, and purity is heightened by light. 

Grâce Éternelle ring by Tasaki
Tasaki’s Grâce Éternelle ring nods to yin-yang duality, pairing softness and structure in a minimalist architectural design. High Jewellery collection July 2025.

Vhernier – 'Ardis' Collection
Making its high jewellery debut in Paris, Vhernier unveiled the 'Ardis' collection in a quietly powerful presentation at the Atelier Brancusi, just steps from the Centre Pompidou. The choice of location echoed the collection’s inspiration: modern sculpture. Artists such as Brâncuși, Hepworth and Max Bill inform the collection’s abstract yet organic forms, sculpted to follow the curves of the body. 'Ardis' is presented in various iterations that explore plays of light, shadow and volume through a mix of materials, including white gold, aluminium, and diamond pavés. The modular designs never repeat, creating a fluid, architectural rhythm that embodies Vhernier’s fusion of bold design and Italian craftsmanship.

Ardis necklace by Vhernier
Vhernier’s Ardis necklace in white gold, aluminium and diamonds showcases the brand’s sculptural roots and modular fluidity. High Jewellery collection July 2025.

 

4) THE EMOTION OF COLOUR

Colour this season was not just a final touch but the central vocabulary of emotion and narrative.

Bvlgari – 'Color Journey'
Bvlgari closes its 'Color Journey' saga with a final chapter dedicated to the tourmaline whose name means the 'stone of all colours.' Known for its vivid spectrum, the gem takes centre stage in a series of high jewellery creations born not from sketches but inspired by the stones themselves. A standout piece pairs polished green tourmalines with pink and orange tourmalines, framed by cabochon amethysts  in a rhythmic arrangement that pulses with chromatic energy. Sculptural settings, bold colour contrasts and instinctive design define this finale — an ode to Nature’s bounteous colour palette and the Roman house’s fearless embrace of colour.

Color Journey necklace with tourmalines by Bvlgari
Bvlgari selected each tourmaline first, designing the Color Journey necklace around their natural hues and shapes. High Jewellery collection July 2025.

Anna Hu – 'Butterfly' Brooch and 'Orchid Minuet' Ring
Anna Hu returned to Paris Couture Week with a lyrical display of 21 high jewellery creations that unite Eastern motifs with Western craftsmanship. Highlights include the sculptural butterfly brooch crafted in titanium and enamel, with hand-painted titanium wings edged in diamonds and anchored by a vivid blue-green tourmaline. Feather-light yet structurally complex, the design showcases Hu’s mastery of movement, material and symbolism — where Nature, culture and art converge in wearable form.
Another standout from the collection, is the 'Orchid Minuet' that ring captures the spirit of the Peking Opera heroine Mu Guiying in a vibrant bloom of colour and craftsmanship. Crafted in titanium and gold, the pastel-shaded petals are hand-painted using nano-electroplating pigments, while a 1.01-carat yellow-orange diamond burns bright at the centre.

Orchid ring by Anna Hu
Inspired by a Peking Opera heroine, this pastel-hued orchid blooms with hand-painted petals and a fiery yellow-orange diamond. High Jewellery collection July 2025.

Damiani – 'Ode All’Italia'
Damiani drew inspiration from the landscapes and cultural heritage of its homeland for 'Ode All’Italia'. The centrepiece is a necklace set with a 30.25-carat cushion-cut Colombian emerald, framed by a vivid arrangement of yellow and orange sapphires, spessartites, tsavorites and diamonds in a floral motif. The collection is divided into three chapters — Lights of the Sea, Landscapes of the Soul and Dwellings of Time — each capturing a different facet of the Italian spirit. Click here to watch our Instagram Reel about Damiani. 

Ode to Italy necklace by Damiani
Floral curves meet geometric precision in Damiani’s “Ode to Italy” necklace, set with a 30.25ct Colombian emerald. High Jewellery collection July 2025.

 

5) GOLDSMITHING MEETS COUTURE

Two final entries remind us that high jewellery does not stop at the neck or hand. It can become an object, a gesture, or a bridge between disciplines.

Buccellati – Spherical Velvet Evening Bag
Buccellati brings its signature ornamental language to the world of accessories with this spherical evening bag, part of the house’s 2025 high jewellery capsule collection. Inspired by archival clutches from the 1920s, the piece reimagines the classic minaudière as a wearable jewel. Black stretch velvet provides a sculptural canvas for a garland motif in white gold and diamonds, encircling the orb like a lace diadem. A yellow gold bangle-style handle finishes the composition — refined, functional, and unmistakably Buccellati. More than an accessory, it is an objet d’art that revives the tradition of haute couture adornment with contemporary poise.  Click here to watch an Instagram reel about Buccellati. 

Spherical black velvet evening bag by Buccellati
Buccellati revives the 1920s minaudière with this velvet orb, framed in lace-like gold and diamonds. High Jewellery collection July 2025.

Gucci and Pomellato – Monili Bracelet
Unveiled on the Gucci Cruise 2026 runway in Florence, the Monili bracelet is part of a new capsule high jewellery collection created in collaboration between Gucci and Pomellato. Named after the Italian word for jewels, the collection draws on Pomellato’s  goldsmithing and Gucci’s leatherworking heritage to craft pieces defined by textural contrast and sculptural fluidity. This sinuous design knots together curves of pavé-set white gold and smooth black leather in a refined interplay of textures. At once minimalist and expressive, it reflects the collection’s ethos: timeless form shaped by two distinct Italian identities. Click here to watch our Instagram reel about the Gucci x Pomellato.

Monili bracelet from Gucci & Pomellato capsule collection
The Monili bracelet from Gucci & Pomellato pairs sculptural gold with supple leather—two Italian crafts entwined in a single, tactile form. High Jewellery collection July 2025.

 

What emerged in Paris this season wasn’t a unified aesthetic, but a shared intention: to make jewellery speak. Whether drawing on Nature, impermanence or cultural memory, the most powerful pieces invited us to pause, reflect and feel. These weren’t just objects of beauty, but of meaning — proving that great jewellery doesn’t just shine, it resonates.

 

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