From breathtaking celestial phenomena, Piaget captures light in all its nuances in the Extraordinary Lights high-jewellery triptych to round off the year.
Celestial Ballet ring centred by a Sri Lankan cushion-cut sapphire. (Photos © Piaget)
Each chapter highlights exceptional precious stones and jewellery-making techniques that illuminate the gold pieces.
The first chapter Festive Lights is inspired by the release of lucky lanterns into the night sky. Among gem types, tourmaline offers a wide spectrum of shades, and green's combination of tone and saturation is particularly prized.
At the heart of the Glowing Lanterns necklace lies a cushion-cut tourmaline. The design combines the central gem with baguette-cut tourmalines, a chalcedony with apple-green hues and chrysoprase beads, not to mention white and yellow diamonds.
The beauty of the tourmaline is enhanced by a case of custom-carved translucid rock crystal that allows seeing the shifting dichroic hues of green as the necklace moves, just as the light within a lantern would as it drifts skyward, its tassel swaying gently as it floats into the night.
Emeralds and diamonds shimmer on the Voluptuous Borealis Cuff Watch.
Piaget also invented an invisible switch system at the back of the rock crystal. This allows a light to be turned on from behind, internally illuminating the tourmaline and allowing it to glow as a lantern would from within.
Matching earrings and a ring complete the one-of-a kind Glowing Lanterns set.
Piaget reimagines nature's most spectacular light show in the second set for Chapter 2: Magical Lights. Aurora Borealis' swathes of green, blue and white dance across the horizon when electrically-charged particles from the Sun meet gases present in the Earth's atmosphere.
The asymmmetrical Voluptuous Borealis pieces boast green emeralds and white diamonds with the finest cuts and colours.
It actually took Piaget more than two years to find and bring together the suite of Zambian emeralds.
Glowing Lanterns one-of-a-kind pieces are lit by diamonds and green precious stones.
The necklace's magnificent pear-shaped gem is in a bluish-green colour more redolent of Columbian emerald. The asymmetric ring features a smaller yet similar quality emerald as its centre stone. Matching earrings, ear cuff and cuff watch further complete the set of unique jewellery.
Custom cutting each and every gem to perfectly fit its dedicated position within the creation results in the dazzling "haloes of light" effect. A special open-work setting style further serves to accentuate the effect, maximising and scattering light travelling through the jewellery.
The wearability and comfort are rendered by the curvature of the necklace, the contour of the ear cuff, as the fluidity and flexibility have been articulated to mimic those of silk against the skin.
Piaget's stargazing observed the Lyrid showers, which inspires a sparkling finale for the Extraordinary Lights collection.
Glowing Lanterns one-of-a-kind pieces are lit by diamonds and green precious stones.
Appearing only once a year, the Lyrid showers comprise thousands of shooting stars that seem to dance together high above.
Nature's choreography is portrayed in Chapter 3: Infinite Lights showcasing the Celestial Ballet set starring sapphires, ranging from soft delicate blues to midnight hues.
Sourcing the stones with three different colour gradations, perfect tone and strong saturation took more than a year of meticulous gemmological work.
Complemented by marquise- and triangle-cut sapphires as well as diamonds, a pear-shaped sapphire from Sri Lanka adorns the necklace while oval-cut stones from Madagascar shimmer on the earrings.
The comet-like Celestial Ballet ring is designed to be worn laterally, east to west, artfully covering two fingers. Set with a graduated series of sapphires and diamonds, the gems streak out behind the Sri Lankan centre stone, blazing like the flaming tail of a falling Lyrid star.
Glowing Lanterns one-of-a-kind pieces are lit by diamonds and green precious stones.
Zambian emeralds shine on the unique Voluptuous Borealis pieces.
Zambian emeralds shine on the unique Voluptuous Borealis pieces.
Zambian emeralds shine on the unique Voluptuous Borealis pieces.
Along with diamonds, sapphires adorn the Celestial Ballet necklace and ear cuff.
