Pearls in the era of change

Twice a year in Paris, the highly anticipated Haute Couture Week bears witness to exceptional works of art in the fashion and jewellery world. Last June 2024, the spotlight was on high jewellery collections by renowned houses on Place Vendôme. Pearls were omnipresent alongside diamonds and gems of all colours.

This spectacular necklace in 18-karat white gold from Mikimoto’s The Bows Collection is adorned with Akoya pearls and diamonds. When worn, the necklace sits delicately like lace on skin. The harmony between brilliant diamonds and lustrous Akoya pearls takes refinement to a new level

The hero piece in Mikimoto’s The Bows Collection, this one-of-a-kind necklace in 18-karat white gold features a ribbon pattern iconic to the maison. Exuding extraordinary elegance, the necklace’s showpiece is a bow of Akoya pearls and diamonds with an exquisite mint green tourmaline in the centre

The Harmonie Collection is a modern interpretation of the Parisian style of the 1920s aimed at recapturing this era’s cultural charm. The Harmonie necklace in 18-karat white gold is adorned with Akoya pearls, diamonds and coloured gems, including garnets, amethysts, moonstones, demantoid garnets, pink tourmalines, tanzanites, blue topazes and aquamarines

These platinum bracelet and ring from Tasaki’s Unisson Collection bring to mind the prosperous past of Paris at the height of its creative prowess centuries ago. The rows of Akoya pearls form soft, elegant curves reminiscent of delicate lace dresses while tanzanite gems illustrate the dynamic energy of this celebrated time

Splendour at its core. This daring high jewellery piece in 18-karat white gold with Akoya pearls by Mikimoto embodies extravagance, with diamond-studded ribbons that perfectly structure the neck and radiant pearls cascading down the shoulders. Meanwhile, this Rococo-style earrings in 18-karat white gold with white South Sea pearls, sapphires and diamonds is part of a set from Mikimoto that combines the graceful lightness of ribbons with the elegance of diamonds and gems

This article first appeared in the Pearl Report 2024-2025.

In Paris, high jewellery has long been linked with haute couture. As such, the Fédération de la Haute Couture et de la Mode or FHCM, which organises the highly awaited Haute Couture Week twice a year, also manages the Haute Joaillerie calendar. It is during Haute Joaillerie that luxury houses in Place Vendôme would shine the light on their latest high-end collections.

Pearls of luxury

Pearls are dominating luxury fashion and jewellery circles of late. Think aristocratic multi-row designs to ultra-modern punk and offbeat interpretations.

In high jewellery, pearls were the stars of the 2024 edition of Haute Joaillerie with one-of-a-kind collections by Boucheron, Buccellati, Chaumet, Messika and Pomellato. But above all, two major Japanese brands specialising in pearls, Tasaki and Mikimoto, were the centre of attention with their breathtaking pieces.

Mikimoto’s mesmerising pearls

Inspired by the iconic ribbon motif, the house of Mikimoto unveiled its latest high jewellery collection, The Bows, at the prestigious Hôtel d’Evreux on Place Vendôme.

Celebrating the sophisticated elegance of bows and ribbons, pieces in the collection are in perfect harmony with the world of haute couture. Speaking with the Fédération de la Haute Couture et de la Mode, Mikimoto General Manager Flaviene Barbier highlighted the house’s meticulous know-how and the exceptional quality of its pearls that define the collection. “We only keep the most beautiful pearls or less than 10 per cent of the pearl harvest,” she revealed.

According to Mikimoto, around 30 designers from Tokyo collaborated to bring The Bows to life. Extensive research on Art Deco drawings from Mikimoto’s archives was likewise carried out. These artworks were then reworked to create modern iterations of the jewellery pieces at the brand’s workshops in Japan.

New era of Tasaki

For its part, Tasaki presented a new chapter of its “Ritz Paris by Tasaki” high jewellery collection as the brand celebrated its 70th anniversary in 2024.

The collection consists of 13 pieces in total, each inspired by the 125-year history of the legendary Ritz Paris and its architecture. The collection features Lumineux, inspired by the lavish balls organised by Ritz Paris founder César Ritz; Scintillement, which takes inspiration from the hotel’s iconic curved staircase; and Unisson and Harmonie, both designed in homage to the creative spirit that inspired Parisian fashion a century ago as well as famous hotel guests, including Nancy Cunard, Marchesa Luisa Casati and Barbara Hutton.

#Japan #Mikimoto #Pearls #PearlJewellery