Good catch! Vogue's edit of marine-inspired sea jewellery
The sea is big in jewellery right now. We can look easily to several collections of high jewellery to see a clutch of designers and jewellers exploring the idea. From Boucheron's categorical expressions of water in various forms to artful interpretations of the sea in art, as Singapore jeweller Simone did with an art nouveau collection inspired by Hokusai.
High jewellery creations like those lead the way creatively, but there is certainly also a wealth of alternative options out there. These run the gamut from fine jewels in precious materials, like Tiffany & Co.'s Titan line designed by Pharrell Williams. Set with lustrous black Tahitian pearls and spiked gold designed like the tines of Poseidon's trident, it makes its references graphically and subtly.
Fred, a maison that loves the sun and sea, has also built on its sailing cable collection—distilling its signature design elements into glamorous built-in stacks in the Force 10 Rise. Nautical and imbued with the spirit of the sea, yet designed with a modern subtlety that makes it easy to wear.
Cute motifs like seashells and little fish, meanwhile, offer an easy way into the trend. A piece in a bigger size makes a fabulous, summery statement which can be paired with daintier everyday jewellery. Goossens, the Parisian maison des métiers d'art that crafts fantasy bijoux for Chanel, has a playful jewelled seashell minaudière out this summer that's as pretty as it is handy.
Here, Vogue's edit of jewellery with sea motifs. Courtesy of Tiffany & Co.
1 / 13 Tiffany & Co. Titan by Pharrell Williams ring in rose gold with a Tahitian pearl and diamonds, $14,000
The May 2025 'Sonder' issue of Vogue Singapore is available online and on newsstands. Courtesy of CCWW Designs
2 / 13 CCWW Designs Ammonite earrings in carved aventurine with 14-carat gold and lab-grown diamonds, US$5,015 Courtesy of Dior
3 / 13 Dior Rose des Vents hidden watch in yellow gold with diamonds, price on request Courtesy of Fred
4 / 13 Fred Force 10 Rise ring in pink gold with diamonds, $9,700 Courtesy of Guita M
5 / 13 Guita M GE620 earrings in rose gold with grey mother-of-pearl, grey Tahitian pearls and imperial topaz, US$9,400 Courtesy of Goossens
6 / 13 Goossens Circé minaudière necklace in gold-dipped brass with freshwater pearls, carnelian, turquoise, agate and garnet, US$2,170 Courtesy of Goossens
7 / 13 Goossens Circé shell pendant in gold-dipped brass with a freshwater pearl, US$255 Courtesy of iTÄ
8 / 13 iTÄ Bahía Shell Bead pendant in 14-carat yellow gold with diamonds, $2,150 Courtesy of Brent Neale
9 / 13 Brent Neale Cancer ring in yellow gold with diamonds, US$12,250 Courtesy of Brent Neale
10 / 13 Brent Neale Pisces ring in platinum and yellow gold with diamonds, US$19,850 Courtesy of Misho
11 / 13 Misho Sirena necklace in gold-plated bronze with pearls, $346 Courtesy of Selim Mouzannar
12 / 13 Selim Mouzannar Fish For Love double-sided pendant in pink gold with diamonds, sapphires, spessartines and orange enamel, US$27,470 Courtesy of Mociun
13 / 13 Mociun fish charm in 14-carat gold, price on request
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Vogue Singapore
4 days ago
- Vogue Singapore
Good catch! Vogue's edit of marine-inspired sea jewellery
The sea is big in jewellery right now. We can look easily to several collections of high jewellery to see a clutch of designers and jewellers exploring the idea. From Boucheron's categorical expressions of water in various forms to artful interpretations of the sea in art, as Singapore jeweller Simone did with an art nouveau collection inspired by Hokusai. High jewellery creations like those lead the way creatively, but there is certainly also a wealth of alternative options out there. These run the gamut from fine jewels in precious materials, like Tiffany & Co.'s Titan line designed by Pharrell Williams. Set with lustrous black Tahitian pearls and spiked gold designed like the tines of Poseidon's trident, it makes its references graphically and subtly. Fred, a maison that loves the sun and sea, has also built on its sailing cable collection—distilling its signature design elements into glamorous built-in stacks in the Force 10 Rise. Nautical and imbued with the spirit of the sea, yet designed with a modern subtlety that makes it easy to wear. Cute motifs like seashells and little fish, meanwhile, offer an easy way into the trend. A piece in a bigger size makes a fabulous, summery statement which can be paired with daintier everyday jewellery. Goossens, the Parisian maison des métiers d'art that crafts fantasy bijoux for Chanel, has a playful jewelled seashell minaudière out this summer that's as pretty as it is handy. Here, Vogue's edit of jewellery with sea motifs. Courtesy of Tiffany & Co. 1 / 13 Tiffany & Co. Titan by Pharrell Williams ring in rose gold with a Tahitian pearl and diamonds, $14,000 The May 2025 'Sonder' issue of Vogue Singapore is available online and on newsstands. Courtesy of CCWW Designs 2 / 13 CCWW Designs Ammonite earrings in carved aventurine with 14-carat gold and lab-grown diamonds, US$5,015 Courtesy of Dior 3 / 13 Dior Rose des Vents hidden watch in yellow gold with diamonds, price on request Courtesy of Fred 4 / 13 Fred Force 10 Rise ring in pink gold with diamonds, $9,700 Courtesy of Guita M 5 / 13 Guita M GE620 earrings in rose gold with grey mother-of-pearl, grey Tahitian pearls and imperial topaz, US$9,400 Courtesy of Goossens 6 / 13 Goossens Circé minaudière necklace in gold-dipped brass with freshwater pearls, carnelian, turquoise, agate and garnet, US$2,170 Courtesy of Goossens 7 / 13 Goossens Circé shell pendant in gold-dipped brass with a freshwater pearl, US$255 Courtesy of iTÄ 8 / 13 iTÄ Bahía Shell Bead pendant in 14-carat yellow gold with diamonds, $2,150 Courtesy of Brent Neale 9 / 13 Brent Neale Cancer ring in yellow gold with diamonds, US$12,250 Courtesy of Brent Neale 10 / 13 Brent Neale Pisces ring in platinum and yellow gold with diamonds, US$19,850 Courtesy of Misho 11 / 13 Misho Sirena necklace in gold-plated bronze with pearls, $346 Courtesy of Selim Mouzannar 12 / 13 Selim Mouzannar Fish For Love double-sided pendant in pink gold with diamonds, sapphires, spessartines and orange enamel, US$27,470 Courtesy of Mociun 13 / 13 Mociun fish charm in 14-carat gold, price on request
Straits Times
09-05-2025
- Straits Times
Tick Talk: Louis Vuitton shoots for the stars, Tiffany & Co unwinds The Rope, Piaget channels Warhol
Housed in a bold 46.7mm titanium and white gold case, Louis Vuitton's one-of-a-kind Tambour Taiko Galactique showcases an automata of an astronaut on the moon. PHOTO: LOUIS VUITTON Tick Talk: Louis Vuitton shoots for the stars, Tiffany & Co unwinds The Rope, Piaget channels Warhol Louis Vuitton Tambour Taiko Galactique Rocketing high watchmaking into orbit, Louis Vuitton's Tambour Taiko Galactique is a cosmic spectacle of a minute repeater. Housed in a bold 46.7mm titanium and white gold case, the one-of-a-kind watch showcases an automata of an astronaut on the Moon. The dial is a stunner, featuring a vivid, hand-painted scene of Earth from the Moon with delicately mounted elements including the Sun, an astronaut and a satellite. It took more than 300 hours and four enamelling techniques to bring this extraordinary cosmic miniature to life. When actuated, the slide – set with blue sapphires and topaz – gets the cathedral gongs chiming. The dial also springs to life in a mesmerising ballet: the astronaut waves an LV flag on the Moon, the satellite whirs, shooting stars dance and the Sun rotates. Powering this lunar show is the LFT AU14.02 manual movement, assembled from 459 components with a 100-hour power reserve. Price: $1.64 million The Rope Watch by Tiffany & Co The Rope Watch is fitted with the maison's first solar-powered movement, developed in collaboration with Swiss specialists La Joux-Perret. PHOTO: TIFFANY & CO This watch is a tribute to the late legendary jewellery designer Jean Schlumberger and his iconic twisted gold motifs, inspired by his textile roots in Alsace, France. Dressed in 18K yellow gold and available with either a luminous white mother-of-pearl or glossy black dial, Tiffany's The Rope Watch comes in 27mm and 33mm sizes, and captivates with concentric coils of polished gold rope, shimmering with up to 39 brilliant diamonds. It is fitted with the maison's very first solar-powered movement, developed in collaboration with Swiss specialists La Joux-Perret. Tucked beneath a semi-translucent dial, hidden solar cells keep the timepiece running with effortless efficiency. Charging – which can be done under different lighting conditions – is a breeze. Just two minutes in the sun powers it for a full day, 14 minutes keeps it ticking for a week and a full charge of 14 hours fuels it for eight months. Available with a Tiffany Blue or classic black alligator strap, the watch is full of charming details – from its rope-inspired minute hand to a sunburst-engraved caseback finished with a sparkling diamond accent. Price: $35,400 (33mm) and $25,700 (27mm) Tudor Black Bay Chrono 'Carbon 25' Limited to just 2,025 pieces, the Black Bay Chrono 'Carbon 25' features a numbered PVD titanium caseback and is water-resistant to 200m. PHOTO: TUDOR Unveiled at the Miami Grand Prix and inspired by the Visa Cash App Racing Bulls Formula One Team, Tudor's Black Bay Chrono 'Carbon 25' is the brand's lightest, most race-ready Black Bay Chrono yet. The 42mm case, bezel, subdials and even end links are crafted entirely from lightweight carbon fibre. One of the watch's most handsome features is the 'racing white' dial, which pops with blue accents, echoing the F1 team's 2025 livery. It is powered by the COSC-certified MT5813 chronograph movement, which has a 70-hour power reserve and column wheel construction for precision timing. Limited to just 2,025 pieces, each watch features a numbered PVD titanium caseback and is water-resistant to 200m. Price: $10,470 Piaget The Andy Warhol Watch A high-jewellery white gold edition is set with deep blue baguette sapphires framing an opal dial. PHOTO: PIAGET Piaget's legendary Black Tie watch from the 1970s makes a bold return and has been dubbed the Andy Warhol Watch, a nod to the late P op Art icon who famously wore the timepiece. The revival comes through a fresh collaboration with The Andy Warhol Foundation for the Visual Arts. To mark the occasion, Piaget has unveiled four striking new references. Powered by the in-house ultra-slim 501P1 automatic movement, each model sports a 45mm cushion-shaped case in white or rose gold with signature stepped gadroons, and precious or semi-precious stone dials. Especially captivating is the high-jewellery white gold edition set with deep blue baguette sapphires framing an opal dial, a nod to both Warhol's and maison chairman Yves Piaget's love for the gemstone. Another standout in white gold features a lustrous tiger's-eye dial, with warm orange and deep brown tones. Collectors can make it their own with a choice of 10 vibrant stone dials, five leather strap colours and a variety of hand styles. Price: From $64,500 Zenith Chronomaster Original Triple Calendar A tribute to the iconic A386, Zenith's Chronomaster Original Triple Calendar is housed in a 38mm 18k rose gold case. PHOTO: ZENITH A tribute to the iconic A386 model launched in 1969, Zenith's Chronomaster Original Triple Calendar is housed in a 38mm 18K rose gold case, and features a striking black dial accented with matching gold subdials and a 1/10th of a second chapter ring. The triple calendar layout is intuitive and balanced: day and month windows sit at 11 and 2 o'clock, the date nestles at 4.30 and a moon phase is elegantly integrated at 6 o'clock. The watch is powered by the high-frequency El Primero 3610 calibre, which has a 1/10th-second chronograph function and a robust 60-hour power reserve. Fitted with a black calfskin strap and rose gold clasp, the watch has a sapphire display back which reveals the movement's blue column wheel and star-shaped rotor. Price: $38,000 Ulysse Nardin Diver Hammerhead Shark One percent of annual sales from the Hammerhead Shark edition will go to supporting the Shark Trust, a UK-based non-profit dedicated to shark protection. PHOTO: ULYSSE NARDIN Ulysse Nardin's latest high-horology dive watch is a bold tribute to one of the ocean's most iconic and endangered predators. The Diver Hammerhead Shark commands attention with its striking 44mm blue PVD-coated titanium case, honouring the majestic hammerhead whose numbers are plummeting worldwide. Some species are now on the brink of extinction, listed as critically endangered on the International Union for Conservation of Nature's Red List. Powering the watch is the in-house UN-118 calibre, a cutting-edge automatic movement which is equipped with a proprietary DiamonSil escapement and a silicon balance spring. Ticking at 28,800 vibrations an hour , it offers a robust 60-hour power reserve and features a handy date corrector that works both forward and backward. One per cent of annual sales from the Hammerhead Shark edition will go to supporting the Shark Trust, a UK-based non-profit dedicated to shark protection. The campaign is championed by Ulysse Nardin ambassador Mike Coots, a shark attack survivor turned passionate advocate for these creatures. Price: $17,800 Join ST's Telegram channel and get the latest breaking news delivered to you.
Vogue Singapore
01-05-2025
- Vogue Singapore
Fred high jewellery revisits the halcyon childhood of Fred Samuel
'Everything goes back to the fondateur , the founding act and the personality and vision of my grandfather.' Valérie Samuel, the third generation of Samuels to head the French jewellery house Fred, explains to me in a tea room at Josun Palace in Seoul. A night before, in the middle of March, the brand had staged a gala for Monsieur Fred Ideal Light, its latest collection of high jewellery. Courtesy of Fred The collection is the second part of a triptych dedicated to the maison's eponymous Fred Samuel, the Argentine-born, Paris-based jeweller who founded the brand in 1936. 'I started with Inner Light, which was really paying tribute to his personality. And now, I am trying to explain why light—us being the Sunshine Jeweller—is so important at Fred.' Valérie traced the source of the maison's solar obsession to its founder's childhood. A line from his memoirs, in particular, mentions almost exactly the 'ideal light' of Argentina. Blazing Audacity toi et moi ring in white gold, set with a vivid-orange spessartite garnet and a cushion-cut red spinel, with diamonds, orange spessartite garnets and pink rubellites. Courtesy of Fred Bright Vitality necklace in white gold, set with a pair of Colombian Muzo emeralds and with baguette- and brilliant-cut diamonds. Courtesy of Fred Endless Horizon rings in white gold. Left: Set with a royal blue sapphire, and with diamonds, sapphires, lapis lazuli and rock crystal. Right: Set with a Fred Hero cut diamond, and with diamonds and sapphires. Courtesy of Fred Exalting Joy ring in white gold, set with a cushion-cut 9.34-carat tourmaline, and with diamonds, and Opalazur doublets of white opal and turquoise. Courtesy of Fred The result is a collection in four thematic chapters that draws varied Argentinian inspiration. From the heat and passion of the tango, born in La Boca, comes the Blazing Audacity of red jewels set with spinels, rubellites and spessartite garnets. In Exalting Joy, Montserrat's fabulous parades and embroideries inspired a white, blue and green palette of diamonds, opals, aquamarines and tourmalines. Bright Vitality nods to the greens of the Palermo gardens with verdant Colombian emeralds. And lastly, the beaches of Mar del Plata offered nautical creativity with sailing cable designs in carved lapis lazuli and rock crystal. It tells a particular story: that of heritage, and of centring creativity at the highest levels of craftsmanship on a brand that takes its founder's first name. 'I realised that some things were put to the side and suddenly it's coming back,' Valérie offers of the house's close-to-nine-decade-long heritage. 'It's what happened to me when I came back seven years ago to the maison. Heritage is a source of inspiration, a starting point. But obviously, it's never a one-to-one application.' Embroidered Spanish bracelets inspired the woven design of the Exalting Joy necklace. Courtesy of Fred Rather than recreate history, she defines a successful design as one that surprises you to know where an idea came from and to see it translated. 'I'm always taking pictures,' she says of her creative process. 'I have the impression, if I've tried to analyse the creation process, that it's an amalgamation of a lot of pieces of inspiration' from architecture, art and fashion, for example. The flipside can also be true. 'On the Exalting Joy, to have that thread bracelet as an inspiration was quite direct.' This thread bracelet she refers to is one of the more innovative designs of the Monsieur Fred Ideal Light collection. It's inspired by the woven embroideries on the costumes of festival dancers. As jewellery, it's rendered in a tie necklace that can be broken up and transformed into a bracelet, and two shorter necklaces. To create the particular colours, the maison developed the Opalazur, a doublet of stacked opal and turquoise that gives it a beguiling specificity to its blue-green shades. Courtesy of Fred 'It was not that I wanted to innovate,' Valérie clarifies. 'It's innovation for bringing to life an idea.' It's what makes high jewellery exciting: that craftsmanship is guided by imagination, not industrial means putting parameters on design. This willingness to go further, she admits, is in the roots of the house. Part of what makes Fred an interesting maison to watch at the moment is its balancing act of being almost nine decades old and three generations in, while also championing a light-hearted, youthful spirit. 'It was not the philosophy and vision of my grandfather to be a statutory brand,' Valérie says. 'He created Fred with his own vision, his own soul and his own way of doing business. I think we keep that philosophy, even if now, as you say, we start to be respectable because we are close to 90 years old. It doesn't make us statutory in terms of the distance and connection with our client.' Fred global brand ambassador Jin. Courtesy of Fred Actress Lee Sung-kyung. Courtesy of Fred Actor and model Cha Seung-won. Courtesy of Fred Actress Kim Hye-soo. Courtesy of Fred What makes these words particularly impactful is the simple fact that Valérie grew up with Fred Samuel. She was two years old when she attended her first event by the maison, and she remembers being around 12 when she realised that Monsieur Fred was not merely her grandfather, but someone rather renowned. 'He was Monsieur Fred to his clients, his friends, to the concierge at the hotel. That's the most important memory, that he was a unique man.' This emphasis on Fred, the man, also played out at a catwalk show of the collection during the gala dinner. For the closing look: a male model, dressed in a white linen suit and boating shoes, his hair slicked back in the elegant manner of a turn-of-the-century dandy. For a brand touting a heritage and identity—sure, it's nothing new. But for Valérie, it is almost certainly a personal and closely held matter. 'He was Monsieur Fred to his clients, his friends, to the concierge at the hotel. That's the most important memory, that he was a unique man' She lets on that in the last few years, some of the most rewarding memories at the maison have in fact been pulling together an archive. It culminated when the brand staged its first heritage exhibition and continues today with the Monsieur Fred series of high jewellery collections. 'It was the first time we were able to tell the full story of the maison,' she says. 'I knew the stories because I was working with my family 20 years ago, but when I was telling these stories I didn't have the materials to show.' Not anymore. After sorting through over 1,000 boxes—of heritage and design, yes, but also financial and legal documents—she found some keepsakes of her youth. Forty years of letters and exchanges with the Nepalese royal family, who were clients of the maison, including an order that Valérie delivered personally in 1995. 'When we relaunched Pretty Woman in 2021, I don't know why but the stars were aligned. I rediscovered my father's authentication letter given to the client who bought the necklace from the movie,' she recounts of the ruby and diamond design that gave the maison its biggest Hollywood moment. Sailing is one of the design pillars at Fred. In the Endless Horizon suite of jewels, the taut lines of sailing ropes and cables are interpreted with carved lapis lazuli and rock crystal. Courtesy of Fred 'The DNA is there, and in 100 years I want the DNA to still be true to the vision of Monsieur Fred. This is very important,' she muses on the part she plays as the house's contemporary artistic director. 'But, of course, you can renew yourself. A brand is like a diamond with many facets—one day you can show one facet, and the other you show another.' A metaphor given like a true jeweller. One interesting facet of the Samuel family, moreover, is a love of sailing—a passion that has inspired the brand's signature Force 10 collection. I teasingly ask Valérie if she is a sailor herself. 'I am a very bad sailor, so I cannot say that,' she laughs. 'But my brother is a big sailor. He has crossed the Atlantic several times and done some races. So he got that talent, education and passion from my father. Myself, I'm actually very scared on the boat.' When I suggest that perhaps talents were split and she simply inherited the jeweller's side of the family, she laughs and nods amiably. 'I engraved my brother's [sailing] record on his Force 10 bracelet. When he came back, I think it was from two months on the boat, I engraved the days, hours and minutes— congratulations! I couldn't do that!' The May 'Sonder' issue of Vogue Singapore is now available to pre-order online and available on newsstands from 14 May.
