Simply Abu Dhabi XXXI

M E S M E R I S I N G B R O O C H E S B rooches are back and are chic. High jewellery brands are looking back to the glorious era of high jewellery of the 30s and 40s and to the return of brooches. Chic and effortless, brooches have become more and more a statement piece. To pin on a power jacket or just to enhance femininity, brooches have the power to enrich your look and to empower your style. Modern jewellers have changed their approach, creating unique and artistic objet d’art that are separate from a parure and, most importantly, can be worn alone while still giving the same mesmerising result. What’s key for brooches is their unique design, their appeal and, of course, their colourful gems. Parisian Chaumet devoted its new high jewellery collection to Africa, entitling it ‘Tresors d’Afrique’. For the occasion, with an event at the Centre Pompidou in Paris where celebrities such as Naomi Campbell and Natalia vodianova attended, they also launched their new collaboration with Kenyan artist Evans Mbugua, who created a series of brooches depicting African creatures. In this case, the brooch represents a giraffe and is made in white gold, and yellow gold set with Grand Fleu enamel, wood, rock crystal, onyx and brilliant-cut diamonds. Chanel has a more intimate approach to high jewellery, dedicating their latest collection to the Coromandel, Chinese screens that Coco Chanel had at her house in rue Cambon and depicted life in China. The entire collection is devoted to Asian finesse or chinoiserie without forgetting Chanel’s themes like the Camelia or pearls. Chanel’s brooch is the Bestiaire d’Asie brooch in white gold and diamonds depicting whimsical creatures. Taiwanese jewellery designer Cindy Chao creates exclusive one- of-a-kind pieces that are pieces of art. For brooches, the designer presents the Star Sapphire brooch, a peony one-of-a-kind brooch, awarded as an Outstanding Object by the Masterpiece London 2018 committee. The brooch is mounted on titanium, 18ct white gold and lacquer and stands out for its round cabochon non- heated Burmese star sapphire of 64.01 carats which is flanked by 179 white diamonds of 14.00 carats, followed by 446 yellow diamonds (9.44 carats), 1.477 sapphires (85.98 carats) and 410 tsavorites (7.98 carats). Mesmerising. Fawaz Gruosi reimagines the greyhound as a superb brooch for deGRISOGONO. Made in 18ct white gold, set with one pear- shaped emerald (approx. 19.69 ct), eight baguette-cut emeralds (approx. 0.23 ct) and 585 black diamonds (approx. 10.56 ct), this unique piece impresses with its boldness. ‘Baci da Como’—bejewelled kisses from Como. For their Alta Gioielleria collection in Como, dolce & Gabbana presented this unique cross brooch in white and yellow gold with tourmalines, in which a 5.03 carat green tourmaline stands out, rubies, emeralds, blue sapphire and diamonds, one green tourmaline: an iconic piece for the designer duo that combines their heritage and aesthetic. donatella versace, always bold and strong, surprises the crowd with the daivi collection and, in particular, this unique piece which took a total 980 hours of manufacturing work. This collection immortalises the beauty of versace’s symbol, Medusa. This brooch, part of a transformable necklace, is encrusted with white, olive, green, orange and cognac diamonds for a total of 10.59 ct, an imperial topaz of 28.11 ct and green tourmalines of 151.76 ct. DEGRISOGONO CHAUMET CHANEL CINDY CHAO VERSACE DOLCE EGABBANA 1 0 1 S I M P LY A B U DH A B I