The ‘Cadeau’ series by the expert jewelry duet Aisha Baker and Hoonik Chang is a one-of-a-kind, limited-edition marvel, a Present to a modern woman, accomplished and realistic yet still enchanted by the magic lingering in the world.

The fairytales are anything but forgotten. Reinvented by the artistic duo through precious and peculiar materials, imaginative and eccentric designs, perfect asymmetry and advanced techniques, they take a physical form of colorful, delicious, exuberant and happy pieces. Red, pink, yellow, blue, gold and white, little crowns, hearts, lips and stars—the castles, clear skies, princesses, romantic stories we were told as kids, still alive at the back of our minds.The ribbons of the Cadeau Pink earrings, a ‘present’ in yellow gold, enamel, diamonds and lemon quartz, wrap around the sublime fantasies hovering in the air, swinging to the gentle footsteps of a modern woman, open to the beauty and art of enchantment.

As you enter the Milanese Palazzo Reale, look around and breathe in the air of luxurious court life, the heart of political affairs, a centuries-old royal residence. These rooms have seen the works of Leonardo da Vinci, Giotto, Picasso and Van Gogh, Chagall, Caravaggio, Boccioni and Kandinsky, Klimt, Monet, Warhol and Dalí.Today they host Van Cleef & Arpels. Over 400 pieces of jewelry, watches and precious objects, produced since the establishment of the Maison in 1906, are exhibited alongside archival documents, sketches and gouache designs, deconstructing the creative process and leading you through the intricacies of artistic thought, which gave life to these poetic creations.The Palazzo looks different: walls draped in red silk, surfaces covered in gold leaf, pink and aquamarine lighting, showcases of plexiglass or mirrors transforming and amplifying the space around you. Everything reflects and refracts in everything, echoing the luminosity and shimmer of the jewels—scenography specifically designed by Johanna Grawunder.You enter Time, Nature and Love.Guiding you through this precious maze of gold and rubies, diamonds and emeralds, platinum and sapphires is the curator of the exhibition Alba Cappellieri. Connecting the Maison and Time through the literary work of Italo Calvino, she takes you to the multiple rooms of the Palazzo—Paris, Exoticism, Lightness, Quickness, Visibility, Exactitude, Multiplicity, followed by the intersections with Dance, Couture and Architecture. After you have passed the Time, enter the section of Love, exhibiting the precious and symbolic romantic gifts, for love was at the very origins of the Maison. Finally, as you have satiated your hunger for love, go on and dive into Nature: flowers, birds, animals, colors and shapes—an inexhaustible source of beauty and inspiration for artistic soul.The pieces of the puzzle come together as you immerse yourself in this divine concoction of exquisite jewelry, modern scenography and elite literature. The seemingly complex interrelations become clear as you walk through the exhibition, from one creation to another, savoring and relishing, allowing the story to tell itself.Join the experience at Palazzo Reale, Milan, from November 30, 2019, to February 23, 2020.

THE JEWELRY ICON

The new High Jewelry Collection ‘Le Paris Russe de Chanel’, presented to the art and jewelry aficionados in summer 2019, is a tribute to Coco Chanel’s love for Russia and Russians.

Coco Chanel was many things. She had been rising from the ashes like a phoenix and reinventing herself and the story of her life so many times that sometimes it was hard to tell the truth from the flight of her imagination. But what she was for sure is a woman who loved: intensely and passionately. It is an open secret that Coco Chanel had an affair with a genius and scandalous Russian-born composer and pianist Igor Stravinsky and an alluring Russian Grand Duke Dimitri Pavlovich, who later introduced her to the Russian culture and the aristocrats fleeing the country, torn by revolutions and uncertainty. Thus started Chanel’s romance with Russia and the ‘Russian period’ in her creations. The motifs and cuts of traditional shirts roubachkas, the imaginative ornamentation of traditional headdresses kokoshniks, the vibrant colors of sarafan dresses—all found their way into her Russia-inspired collection.

Decades have passed, and the style was rediscovered by Patrice Leguéreau, director of the Chanel jewelry studio. And thus, from the amalgamation of folklore and imperial symbols—the two otherwise polar opposite dimensions,—a new transplendent collection was born. The motifs, running like a golden thread through the entire collection, are easily recognizable: the cuts, the shapes, the two-headed eagles, the headpieces, the colors and ornaments. Yet, the pieces have been adapted to fit the modern context: by preserving the Russian flavor and sentiment, grandeur and sumptuousness but mixing in a touch of extranational mood. The jewels and the beauty of ‘Le Paris Russe’ transcend the borders of countries and nations and rise above the worldly life with its dramas and conspiracies.

Among the 69 unique pieces, our favorite are the Aigle Cambon ring in white gold and diamonds, the Blé Maria brooch in white and yellow gold with a yellow sapphire, pink spinels, Mandarin garnets, colored tourmalines and diamonds, and the Roubachka necklace in yellow gold and platinum with yellow and white diamonds.

They—and all other artworks in this exquisite collection—are nowhere near subtle and modest. They say: rich, blinding, beautiful, majestic. And thus they will look coupled with the Little Black Dress—the iconic creation of la Grande Mademoiselle.

THE JEWELRY ICON

Dior is out with а new, absolutely charming version of Dior Grand Bal. Without losing their functionality, Dior watches have become a true Fine Jewelry fashion piece, a combination of art and technology. A unique technique of incorporating feathers, embroidered with diamonds, melts the boundaries between high-tech and nature, airiness and imperishability.

Watch the black feathers do an atmospheric dance against the zoisite dial, enclosed in a golden ring and surrounded by diamonds. The brightly lit royal halls, to the sound of Straussian waltz, riffle of ball gowns and whisper of court ladies, gossiping about Her Majesty’s affair,— continue in this innovative, mesmerizing, intricate masterpiece.

The contrast between green, gold and red transcends into perfect classiness. This Dior Grand Bal watch shows more than time—it shows timelessness…

THE JEWELRY ICON