Move Over Haute Couture and Make Room for Haute Joaillerie

July 31, 2015

When the French fashion shows took place earlier this month in Paris, haute couture wasn't the only thing luring the attention of attendees. As the "Wall Street Journal" explained, "All along the Place Vendome and Rue de la Paix here, roughly a dozen 'haute joaillerie' jewelers showed off their latest wares ... hoping to reach the rarefied clients who were in town to see France's haute couture fashions."

Translating in English to "high jewelry," haute joaillerie represents the highest level of fine jewelry. Its price tags often soar into the seven-digit figures and beyond. Think the starlets walking the red carpets of Cannes and Hollywood, and you get a good idea of what haute joaillerie is all about.

What's interesting about high jewelry is that it "is growing quickly, drawing in brands that had previously pulled back and encouraging them to try new angles to reach younger, more diverse clients." Some of the expanding game players include Christian Dior, De Beers and Bulgari.

To go along with the pricey one-of-a-kindness of these pieces, these jewelers are giving the individual items in their haute joaillerie collections pet names like "Blue Iridescence." Lending the blue aspect of its name, this Bulgari necklace features 187.48 carats of sapphires. These blue gemstones are joined by 81.13 carats of pink spinels and 24.75 carats of diamonds. The price tag on this colorful necklace? A cool $6.5 million.

Known for its pristine clear diamonds, DeBeers is going the non-conventional route with its haute joaillerie collection. "Rough, unpolished and wildly colourful diamonds in hues ranging from burnt orange to deep-sea blue" highlight the company's new high jewelry offerings, the newspaper describes.

A final company getting in on the haute joaillerie trend is Van Cleef & Arpels. The jeweler recently announced its ocean-inspired collection of high jewelry that captures the allure of the seven seas. A breaking wave bracelet enhanced with lapis lazuli, a diamond and pink sapphire starfish clip and a sea fairy pin boasting a light blue-gray chalcedony cabochon of 23.64 carats as it centerpiece are a few of the standouts in this haute joaillerie selection.

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