Meticulously handmade lace was prized as a rich adornment for collars, cuffs, caps and ruffles on costumes, worn by royalty and nobility. Portraits of Elizabeth 1, for example, often show the Queen of England's neck with a majestic ruff made of decorative lace.
Like jewellery and gemstones, lace was a symbol of status and power. Inspired by its lightness and whiteness, Chopard created the Precious Lace collection, by weaving gold and diamonds together in fluid, intricate openwork.
Ethical white and rose gold, and diamonds sourced from Responsible Jewellery Council-certified members are used in hand-crafting the lace-like pieces, at its high jewellery atelier in Meyrin, in Switzerland's canton of Geneva.
The designs echo floral patterns, scrolls, swirls and scalloped edges of fine antique lace.
The stylised floral pattern called Mini-Froufrou features scalloped borders and diamond petals on an airy openwork background. A semi- circular floret in a similar style becomes the Nuage or cloud motif, while proportions of the Vague evoke foaming sea billows.
The collection also include the iconic Cœur or heart pendants in a choice of two sizes.
Cœur pendant in ethical rose gold.
The art of lacemaking was refined in 16th century Venice, from where it spread across Europe to Belgium, France, Spain and England, taking on different characteristics.
Vague pendant and ring.
Chopard interprets this art through an interplay of pear-shaped and round brilliant-cut diamonds, using their shapes and silhouettes within the openwork space in each design, to bring a lilting rhythm, playful fluidity and contemporary stylisation to the theme's classicism.
Mini-Froufrou bangle and earrings.
The delicacy of lace is replicated by the precision of the goldwork, the slender mounts and airiness that serve to highlight the radiance of the diamonds. At the same time, they showcase the skill of in-house artisans, which compares to that of nimble-fingered petites mains or seamstresses in the field of haute couture.
Mini-Froufrou bangle and earrings.
Vague pendant and ring.
