SimplyAbuDhabi XII

1 5 5 S I M P LY A B U DH A B I C haumet enjoys an incredible 230 years of history as a master jeweller, embodying the elegance and quality of classic French style. Chaumet’s expertise has been bequeathed from one master jeweller to another and bears witness to the tastes of Parisians of every period. Since its creation in 1780, its history has been intimately linked with the history of France. After collaborating with the jeweller of Queen Marie-Antoinette, the founder of the House, Marie-Étienne Nitot, established his own aristocratic clientele and became the official jeweller to Emperor Napoleon the First. Both as a designer and an innovator, he fulfilled sumptuous orders for Empress Joséphine and later, Empress Marie-Louise. He was the undisputed master of the Empire style and anticipated the Romantic period’s fondness for sentimentalism. The jewellery and watch creations reflect this insight and knowledge – sentimental jewellery is again the unifying theme of the new collections. In the jeweller’s latest High Jewellery showcase, Chaumet’s Hortensia Collection brings romance to life in an imaginary garden, subtly mastered in an architecture of spectacular gems. Rings are punctuated with botanical motifs in celebration of one flower: the hydrangea. Its infinite variety provides a sumptuous source of inspiration for the jeweller with petals that are round or elongated, forming delicate clusters or perfect spheres, lavishly colourful and blossoming in couture- like geometry. From corolla to stamen, Chaumet explores each facet of the flower with boldly graphic lines to offer an unbridled interpretation of ten variations of the petal.