Love in bloom: Chaumet Hortensia collection

An old tale says that there will be no life on the planet if there is no bee left. Or the flowers to nourish those bees. And here it is! After a beautiful Bee Love collection, and Attrape-moi… si tu m’aimes stunning pieces (I still lust for the fly and the spider earings), French jewellery house, Chaumet, strikes back with a beautiful collection inspired by nature, Hortensia Collection. Chaumet has created an imaginary garden of subtly mastered architecture punctuated with botanical embroidery in celebration of one flower: the hydrangea.

Coco Chanel embraced camellia and Cartier made the orchid its symbol, Dior and Piaget have chosen the rose as long as De Beers has meadow flower and roses. But Chaumet chose the hydrangea (or hortensia) and transformed blooming designs in shades of pink and gold highlight and the smallest movements – the delicate way the petals are furled, the falling of leaves, the flower in bloom – into a stunning piece of high jewellery .

Chaumet (a jewellery house founded in 1780) also debuts designs in three shades of gold, comprising eighteen different designs, for the Hortensia – Jewels collection.  The flowers are transformed depending on styles: wrapped around the finger in a wreath-like style on rings, with randomly aligned petals making each ring a unique bouquet clustered on pendants. A special edition features a white or rose gold set with diamonds pendant and ring. The hortensia project “gardener”, Claire Dévé-Rakoff, Chaumet’s new creative force, searched through the archives for a signature flower and transformed it into a 24-piece original collection. “Each element is different”, she said in a recent interview, adding that some pieces took 1.000 hours to create in the Chaumet workshop.

A special anniversary needs a special ring. Even that the 15th is the Crystal one, we chose the rose gold and a flower reminding us of a beautiful holiday in Normandy. With love…

Hortensia – High Jewellery . The Hortensia collection blooms in twenty-four unique pieces embodying the meticulous mastery of the jeweller’s art in the hands of Chaumet. The collection is formed of three shades of gemstone: powder pink for budding emotions, blue for bold sentiments, and red for profound feelings.

Photo: Chaumet