In Sept 2019, Piaget staged its Asia-Pacific launch of the Golden Oasis high-jewellery collection at Park Hyatt Bangkok.
After four years, the Swiss brand came back to Bangkok for an even grander exhibition of more than 120 pieces, held recently at Nai Lert Park Heritage Home.
This year Piaget has redefined itself as the Maison of Extraleganza -- the word blend of extravagance and elegance.
The exhibition firstly celebrated the maison's heritage in the Patrimony Room, where pieces from a private collection express its DNA such as ultra-thin calibres, dials with ornamental stones, gold engraving, and swinging sautoirs from the 1960s.
In the late 1950s, Piaget entered a new realm. The debut jewellery collection was launched along with the opening of the first Piaget salon in Geneva in 1959.
Since then, jewellery making has become equally important as its haute horlogerie in order to offer the best of both worlds.
The watchmaking roots date back to 1874 when Georges-Édouard Piaget set up a workshop on the family farm in La Côte-aux-Fées, a small village in the Jura mountains.
Piaget's heritage is celebrated in the Patrimony Room.
Today, the historical home is still dedicated to developing and producing mechanical movements, including ultra-thin calibres.
On the outskirts of Geneva in Plan-les-Ouates, goldsmithing and gem-setting ateliers were set up in 2001 to work on fine and high jewellery collections.
The latter is created under various themes. The Vibrant Nature and Endless Radiance themes were chosen for this exhibition, with the selection on display showing how Piaget has mastered the art of jewellery-making over six decades.
Nature has always been a source of inspiration for abstract rather than figurative creations. Expressing its power, the designs illustrate how nature is vibrant and colourful, with blue and green typically recalling minerals and vegetation.
Highlights of the Vibrant Nature room included Celestial Ballet earrings boasting a pair of oval blue sapphires and intense blue sapphires from Madagascar.
Vibrant Nature room with Piaget's signature blue colour as a backdrop.
The matching white-gold necklace is centred by a blue sapphire from Sri Lanka. A degrade of marquise and triangle-cut blue sapphires along with brilliant-cut diamonds further sparkle on the unique piece.
Boasting a pear-shaped Zambian emerald, the white-gold Voluptuous Borealis necklace is shaped to evoke flowing movements of the mesmerising aurora borealis light illuminating the sky.
The Endless Radiance Room presented pieces inspired by natural and artificial light. Sunrays and light reflections are represented by the signature Palace décor and other gold engraving while the mix of cuts includes the most sparkling marquise to mimic light reflections.
Marquise-cut yellow diamonds as well as brilliant-cut diamonds sparkle along with radiant cut fancy vivid yellow diamonds on the Golden Hour Earrings.
Recalling warm and rich colours of a dark-brown liquor, the rose-gold Audacious Savor necklace sparkles with exceptional natural brown diamonds, sugarloaf spessartites and brilliant-cut diamonds. The square-shaped gold structures set with diamonds recall the shape of ice cubes.
Rose-gold Audacious Savor necklace and earrings.
Newly-announced Friend of the Maison, Nattawin Wattanagitiphat visited the exhibition and appeared at Piaget's gala dinner wearing the asymmetrical white-gold Generous Laces. With a fluidity of diamonds, the elegant necklace recalls lace embellishment and the low-cut neckline of the back of a haute couture evening gown.
On the Thai actor's wrist, the white-gold Altiplano Precious Skeleton High Jewellery watch is powered by an ultra-thin mechanical movement, which has been delicately hollowed, engraved and set with brilliant-cut diamonds and sapphires.
Likewise, Piaget's horological and jewellery expertise are combined for an Altiplano Tourbillon with an intricate snow setting employed for the diamond-paved dial.
Other standout high-jewellery timepieces include the Exquisite Moments secret watch dazzling with 500 diamonds and two radiant-cut fancy vivid yellow diamonds; and Piaget Treasures designed with two interlacing shapes and a shimmering black opal dial illuminated by white diamonds and blue sapphires.
Exquisite Moments secret watch.
Altiplano Precious Skeleton High Jewellery Watch.
Piaget Treasures High Jewellery Watch boasts a black opal dial.
Friend of the Maison Nattawin Wattanagitiphat.
