Simply Abu Dhabi XXII

2 4 5 S I M P LY A B U DH A B I C hopard has a long and illustrious history of crafting both fine watches and intricate pieces of haute joaillerie. Established in 1860, the Swiss house has for decades sought to marry technology with craftsmanship, artisanship with engineering and quality with good homes. Now a family business since being bought by the Scheufele family in 1963, the house employs some 2,000 people worldwide who keep a tight rein on operations, overseeing each and every step of the design, manufacture and distribution process. The company is artistically steered by daughter Caroline. She sealed her place in the horology ranks with her 1985 collection Happy Diamonds, which for the first time freed the stones from settings and allowed them to move freely within the watch face. Artistic director Caroline continues to work her creative charm in watchmaking and jewellery to this day, working in collusion with the expert artisans crafting her sparkling designs in the Geneva workshops. Together they faithfully produce series after series of audacious, avant-garde collections invariably well received by jewellery aficionados. For the high jewellery collection this season, a riot of colour. A technicolour rainbow of gems awaits the curious, lively and daring, as so often with Chopard. The company’s spring season pays homage to flowers and butterflies, titanium – sometimes shaded to match the stones – and white gold set with a kaleidoscope of precious stones in all colours of the rainbow. The bracelet cuff, for example, features two delicate butterflies in lightweight titanium bedecked with topazes, prized Paraiba tourmalines and amethysts which can be detached and worn as a pair of earrings and a brooch. Three new opal rings feature a sustainably sourced opal from a family-run Australianmine at their centre, with fragile gemstone petals unfurling around them in beautiful tribute to blossoming nature. First unveiled last summer, the Fleurs d’Opales have been a big hit among buyers and the new Chrysanthemum incarnation has petals that shiver with the movement of the wrist, thanks to tiny pavé fingers set en tremblant. Regularly seen on the necks, arms and fingers of the rich, talented and famous around the globe, Chopard’s creations are no stranger to the red carpet, and in fact they seem destined for such. Take the latest necklace, a position frisson of gemstones in a swirling paisley pattern that meld from warm pinks and oranges at one side to a cascade of cooler blues at the other, culminating in a divine 14-carat royal blue tanzanite. The house’s high jewellery collections were showcased in Abu Dhabi in April of this year when the Emirates Palace was taken over for a celebration of culture and arts, under the patronage of His Highness Sheikh Abdullah Bin Zayed Al Nahyan. At the same festival, four trophies were presented to leading international figures in recognition of their outstanding contributions to culture: Oscar-winning composer Gabriel Yared, who won recognition for his collaboration on the English Patient; ballet sensation Sylvie Guillem; acclaimed author and academic Amin Maalouf; and cultural champion and diplomat Ghassan Salamé. Specially-designed Chopard trophies, of course.