‘I love sparkles all over the body,” says Victoire de Castellane, the creative director of Dior Joaillerie, while discussing her latest high jewellery collection, Diorama & Diorigami. No surprise then that precious hairbands and anklets appeared at the launch presentation in Florence, as well as belts in the form of strings of pearls and diamonds.
It’s not the first time de Castellane has created a gem-set accessory: the fine jewellery Rose des Vents belt was unveiled earlier this year. Meanwhile, Boucheron has designed its own belt to celebrate 20 years of its Quatre line, echoing the textured gold and diamonds of the Quatre ring.
The Japanese pearl brand Tasaki has also embraced the trend. To mark its 70th anniversary, it has collaborated with the sneaker brand Asics on a hero trainer covered with a woven mesh of Akoya pearls. Tasaki has also teamed up with the eyewear label Eyevan to release eight styles of sunglasses with varying degrees of gold and pearl embellishment.
There’s more eyewear from Cartier and its Libre Polymorph collection, which pushes design boundaries. A pair of bejewelled sunglasses in a classic Cartier palette of red, green, black and white has jewellery elements that can be detached and worn as earrings and a tiara.
Tiffany & Co, which already has form with accessories — see the woven Mesh scarf by Elsa Peretti — this year brought out a clutch bag with a clasp that can be worn as a brooch. And smaller brands are in on the act too: take Rosa de la Cruz’s solid-gold bobby pin for some precious but practical hair adornment. The overall message? Go for gemstones and gold — but look beyond jewellery.
