After last year's cancellation, it was business as usual at the Festival de Cannes 2021 held earlier this month. Official Partner Chopard marked the 74th edition with the Red Carpet Collection of 74 high-jewellery pieces.
Co-president and artistic director Caroline Scheufele created the first collection of 60 pieces for the 60th Festival de Cannes in 2007. The number of pieces increase each year to correspond to the edition.
Like a film director, she orchestrates each of her collections around a narrative, and this year the plot takes the audience to "Paradise".
The dreamlike and fertile place, is accessible to everyone, as Paradise is to be found within oneself, according to one's imagination and desires.
Various gem-set species adorn the Dog necklace in ethical 18-carat white and rose gold set with diamonds and multicoloured pearls.
"The Red Carpet Collection always gives me the opportunity to give free rein to my creativity and this year I was inspired by the idea of Paradise: I wanted our creations to invite women on a journey towards a comforting haven, an imaginary world brimming with dreams and optimism," she said.
"There are various ways of envisaging one's personal Paradise and I have tried to give life to these multiple worlds within the Red Carpet Collection through creations honouring fauna, flora and the finest gemstones, as well as by designing jewellery that is part of the fantasy of movies."
Bracelet in ethical Fairmined-certified white gold and titanium set with a cabochon spessartine garnet, mandarin garnets, tsavorites, tourmalines, lazulites, cabochon sapphires and amethysts.
While instilling a baroque, fanciful spirit into the collection, the artistic director drew inspiration from the lush nature of mythological or real places.
For instance, she imagined a bountiful Garden of Eden, where precious stones are picked like berries, where plants and animals offer their songs and spectacular colours.
Floral choker necklace in ethical Fairmined-certified white and rose gold with rubies, tsavorites, pink sapphires and amethysts.
The Sicilian island of Pantelleria and the fantasy film Avatar also inspire the designs which are brought to life at the Haute Joaillerie ateliers in Geneva, Switzerland.
The challenge of creating 74 pieces in the same workshop is taken up by Chopard's artisans, who applied their expertise to each creation.
Various gem-set species adorn the Dog necklace in ethical 18-carat white and rose gold set diamonds and multicoloured pearls.
The Paradise collection features the Dog necklace that teams up Newfoundland, Saint Bernard, Afghan Hound, Border Collie, Terrier and eight other species set with various gemstones, not to mention the diamond-set bone-shaped clasp.
Other animal-inspired pieces include the Doe necklace with the lovely creature embracing a heart-shaped diamond, and a brooch adorned with a sparkling elephant.
Doe necklace in ethical Fairmined-certified white gold and titanium set with diamonds, peridot cabochons, tsavorites, a heart-shaped diamond and a labradorite cabochon.
Floral designs include a choker necklace with rubies, tsavorites, pink sapphires and amethysts, and a ring featuring a black opal cabochon set with yellow sapphires.
