The biggest high jewellery drops of 2025: from Louis Vuitton's Virtuosity and Chanel's Reach for the Stars, to Cartier's En Équilibre and Tiffany & Co.'s Sea of Wonder
This year's high jewellery collections – from the likes of Cartier, Chaumet, Bulgari, Louis Vuitton and Chanel – transported clients to desirable locales, from Stockholm to Marbella. Inspirations behind the collections took to the stars and the sea, to the ephemeral quality of nature and philosophies of balance. Exceptional gemstones, a given in high jewellery, were particularly on show, from showstopping sapphires at Bulgari, to extraordinary electric Tiffany Blue cuprian tourmalines. Virtuoso techniques shone too, as seen in carved moonstones at Tiffany & Co., transformable pieces at Chaumet, and haute horology at Bulgari. Here are just a few highlights of a spectacular season.
Nature in full bloom
Emilia Clarke wears the Chaumet Wild Rose transformable necklace at the launch of the Jewels by Nature high jewellery collection in Marbella, Spain, in June. Photo: Handout
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As always, the beauty of nature in motion was a key source of inspiration. Chaumet hosted guests in Marbella, Spain, in June to celebrate its Jewels by Nature collection. A botanical take on nature has long influenced the storied maison. Indeed, founder Marie-Étienne Nitot described himself as a 'jeweller-naturalist', so passionate was he about plants. Chaumet's take on nature is realistic and organic, and could be seen in pieces worn by VIP guests such as Game of Thrones' Emilia Clarke, who wore the Wild Rose transformable necklace in white gold, set with an 8.23-carat emerald-cut yellow diamond.
Individuality brooch from the De Beers Forces of Nature collection. Photo: Handout
Nature is also at the heart of De Beers' latest collection – its largest yet. While Forces of Nature was launched last year, chapter two debuted in June. The landscape and animals of southern Africa – a region close to the maison's heart – are at the centre of the collection. Diamonds of all shapes, cuts and hues, both polished and rough, are celebrated, including some from the Natural Works of Art collection – the rarest in the house's possession.
Checks and balances
Cartier En Équilibre Tsagaan necklace. Photo: Handout
Cartier eschewed more typically luxurious – and sunnier – choices for a high jewellery event in May by whisking guests off to moody Stockholm.
The Swedish capital was a most deliberate choice, as Cartier senior vice-president and chief marketing officer Arnaud Carrez explained to guests at
the lavish launch of En Équilibre (In Balance).
'We chose Stockholm not for the weather, but we do believe this city embodies the perfect balance between tradition and innovation, urban life and nature, and also comfort and durability,' he said.
The choice of location was apt for a 113-piece collection that explores the French maison's ideas of balance in jewellery – in terms of shape, colour and composition. Many pieces toy with both the figurative and the abstract. One such highlight – and an addition to Cartier's treasured bestiary – is the Tsagaan snow leopard necklace in white gold, white diamonds and onyx.
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South China Morning Post
25-07-2025
- South China Morning Post
4 things trending this summer, from Labubu to Dubai chocolate
These days, it seems like everything from what we eat to what we wear is influenced by a viral internet sensation. Here are four trends that we have spotted online and in the city. Ballet flats Frequently spotted on Hong Kong streets and at designer shows, these easy-to-wear ballerina-inspired flat shoes have been enjoying quite the resurgence. Perhaps last popular in the 2000s, Vogue has proclaimed the flats the 'it-shoe' of 2025. But where did the shoe actually come from? Its origins date back to the 1600s. Marie-Anne de Cupis de Camargo, a French ballerina of the Paris Opera, removed the heel of her pointe shoes, creating the now-standard ballet slipper. Ballet flats from Miu Miu. Photo: Miu Miu Modern iterations would not become mainstream until the 20th century, when American designers like Claire McCardell began creating their own versions alongside Parisian shoemakers such as Repetto. Quickly becoming associated with French culture and classic, feminine looks, ballet flats have remained a wardrobe staple throughout the years. Today, designers have breathed new life into the trend, playing with different materials and styles. You can find ballet flats made of mesh, crochet or even jellylike plastic – the possibilities are endless! Pistachio Featured in everything from egg tarts to ice cream, mochi, and drinks, clamouring for this nutty filling and flavour has caused a pistachio shortage, not unlike matcha. The main culprit, if you ask this author, has to be 'Dubai chocolate', more on that later, which uses the nut as a vital component in its filling. Even beyond menus, the soft colour has also found its way into the 2025 spring/summer collections of brands like Miu Miu, Prada and Alexander McQueen. A promotional photo for Godiva's collaboration with Pop Mart, featuring pistachio flavours and Kasing Lung's character Labubu from his series 'The Monsters'. Dubai chocolate Although this trend began in 2024, it does not appear to be on its way out. Dubai-based chocolatier FIX is credited for this variety, which combines a rich pistachio cream filling with crunchy kataifi pastry, stuffed into a milk chocolate bar. It was first created by the company founder, Sarah Hamouda, as a unique way to satisfy her pregnancy cravings. As the crispy kadayif-pistachio cream chocolate gained popularity, other leading chocolate brands such as Läderach and Lindt began producing their own variations. Social media helped propel the rise of this decadent dessert, and soon the concept was incorporated into various other pastries. In Hong Kong, Godiva launched limited-edition Dubai chocolate soft serves and milkshakes in partnership with one of the other biggest trends of the year – Labubu. Labubu Depending on who you ask, Labubu is equal parts ugly, frightening and adorable. Chances are, you have heard of the furry dolls that have become a global toy sensation, – but do you know about their connection to Hong Kong? Labubu creator Lung Ka-sing, at his studio in Kwun Tong. Photo: Jonathan Wong Labubu is actually the name of an elfish creature featured in The Monsters, a series by Hong Kong-Dutch artist Lung Ka-sing, or Kasing Lung. Born in Hong Kong, Lung and his family immigrated to the Netherlands when he was around six years old. To improve his Dutch, a teacher suggested that he read young adult books with illustrations, especially those about Nordic folklore and mythology. Lung used this mythology to create Labubu and her friends! In mid-2024, Blackpink's Lisa was spotted with a furry toy keychain and also posted about a collection of plush dolls produced by the Chinese company Pop Mart, based on Lung's design. This propelled the character into the spotlight, starting in Thailand, Southeast Asia and East Asia, but quickly sweeping the globe. Fans wait in long queues to grab Pop Mart bling boxes, where you can only discover what you have bought after opening the package. Resell prices have gone up exponentially, and there is even a whole market ecosystem dedicated to accessorising the dolls.
South China Morning Post
24-07-2025
- South China Morning Post
The biggest high jewellery drops of 2025: from Louis Vuitton's Virtuosity and Chanel's Reach for the Stars, to Cartier's En Équilibre and Tiffany & Co.'s Sea of Wonder
High jewellery season is, to be sure, the most exhilarating romp through the world's most glamorous and exotic locations as the top maisons set out to woo their top clients. With good reason too. In a luxury slump, jewellery – and especially high jewellery – remains a bright (and glittering) spot. According to research released by global consultancy Bain as well as the Altagamma Foundation, an association of Italian luxury brands, luxury spending as a whole declined by 1 to 3 per cent in 2024. Jewellery, however, grew by up to 2 per cent, making it the most resilient core luxury category. High jewellery – the pinnacle of craftsmanship and exceptional gemstones – performed particularly well. This year's high jewellery collections – from the likes of Cartier, Chaumet, Bulgari, Louis Vuitton and Chanel – transported clients to desirable locales, from Stockholm to Marbella. Inspirations behind the collections took to the stars and the sea, to the ephemeral quality of nature and philosophies of balance. Exceptional gemstones, a given in high jewellery, were particularly on show, from showstopping sapphires at Bulgari, to extraordinary electric Tiffany Blue cuprian tourmalines. Virtuoso techniques shone too, as seen in carved moonstones at Tiffany & Co., transformable pieces at Chaumet, and haute horology at Bulgari. Here are just a few highlights of a spectacular season. Nature in full bloom Emilia Clarke wears the Chaumet Wild Rose transformable necklace at the launch of the Jewels by Nature high jewellery collection in Marbella, Spain, in June. Photo: Handout Advertisement As always, the beauty of nature in motion was a key source of inspiration. Chaumet hosted guests in Marbella, Spain, in June to celebrate its Jewels by Nature collection. A botanical take on nature has long influenced the storied maison. Indeed, founder Marie-Étienne Nitot described himself as a 'jeweller-naturalist', so passionate was he about plants. Chaumet's take on nature is realistic and organic, and could be seen in pieces worn by VIP guests such as Game of Thrones' Emilia Clarke, who wore the Wild Rose transformable necklace in white gold, set with an 8.23-carat emerald-cut yellow diamond. Individuality brooch from the De Beers Forces of Nature collection. Photo: Handout Nature is also at the heart of De Beers' latest collection – its largest yet. While Forces of Nature was launched last year, chapter two debuted in June. The landscape and animals of southern Africa – a region close to the maison's heart – are at the centre of the collection. Diamonds of all shapes, cuts and hues, both polished and rough, are celebrated, including some from the Natural Works of Art collection – the rarest in the house's possession. Checks and balances Cartier En Équilibre Tsagaan necklace. Photo: Handout Cartier eschewed more typically luxurious – and sunnier – choices for a high jewellery event in May by whisking guests off to moody Stockholm. The Swedish capital was a most deliberate choice, as Cartier senior vice-president and chief marketing officer Arnaud Carrez explained to guests at the lavish launch of En Équilibre (In Balance). 'We chose Stockholm not for the weather, but we do believe this city embodies the perfect balance between tradition and innovation, urban life and nature, and also comfort and durability,' he said. The choice of location was apt for a 113-piece collection that explores the French maison's ideas of balance in jewellery – in terms of shape, colour and composition. Many pieces toy with both the figurative and the abstract. One such highlight – and an addition to Cartier's treasured bestiary – is the Tsagaan snow leopard necklace in white gold, white diamonds and onyx.
AllAfrica
02-07-2025
- AllAfrica
Marcos-Duterte clash upending Philippine economy, too
As the Philippines cuts this year's growth target from the 8% to the 6% range, President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. can't point the finger at Donald Trump's trade war or Chinese deflation. The real culprit is chaotic local politics. Events from Washington and Beijing are surely taking a toll. But mostly it's the 'Game of Thrones' dynamic between the Marcos and Duterte dynasties that is distracting the government from taking steps to support growth today and increase competitiveness for the future. Prosecutors working on behalf of the House of Representatives want the Senate to hold a trial to remove Sara Duterte from the vice presidency. She was impeached in February on allegations of plotting to have Marcos assassinated and misusing public funds. Her father, former President Rodrigo Duterte, is in detention in The Hague for alleged crimes against humanity over his bloody war on drugs. Needless to say, these dramas and others aren't leaving the Marcos administration much bandwidth to stabilize an already unbalanced economy as the international scene goes haywire. Uncertainty over US President Trump's tariffs is damaging business and consumer sentiment everywhere. The specter of war in the Middle East and intensification of the US-China trade clash are making Manila's earlier 6% to 8% target unreachable. It's since been lowered to 5% to 6.5% for 2025. Looking at the state of global affairs, the Philippines' contention that it can grow between 6% and 7% in 2026 seems beyond fanciful. Not because of the inflationary fallout from tariffs and the Iran-Israel standoff, but because of extreme distraction at home. Three years in, the Marcos presidency has been steadier and more competent than many economists feared. The son of the dictator who ran the Philippine economy into the ground from 1965 to 1986 named a group of capable technocrats to key government posts. The Marcos Jr. administration has indeed restored some accountability to Manila and cheered the global business community. For investors, it was a welcome pivot back toward stability following the chaotic 2016-2022 Duterte presidency. A self-described strongman, Duterte was more interested in waging a war on drugs and cozying up to China than in economic reform. He restored much of the opacity and dysfunction that his predecessor, the late Benigno Aquino, had spent six years eradicating. From 2010 to 2026, Aquino, himself the scion of a family dynasty, ushered in a we're-open-for-business-once-again era. Aquino hit the ground running to restore trust in government and repair a long-neglected economy. Aquino strengthened the national balance sheet, curbed graft, increased accountability and transparency, went after tax cheats and took on the Catholic Church's meddling in politics to stymie population control efforts. In just six years, Aquino transformed the 'sick man of Asia' into an economic growth and investment star. All major credit rating companies raised Manila to investment-grade status for the very first time. To be sure, Aquino left much undone. He didn't create enough good-paying jobs. But then, reversing decades of neglect dating back to the days of dictator Ferdinand Marcos isn't a six-year job. Enter Duterte, who was elected to turbocharge Aquino's Big Bang reforms. Duterte rose to national folk hero status after two decades of running the southern city of Davao. On his watch, the city developed a reputation for efficient governance with faster growth rates and better infrastructure than the national average. The hope was that Duterte would do the same nationally, taking the economy Aquino bequeathed him to new heights. Instead, Duterte largely rested on Aquino's economic laurels. When Duterte arrived in the presidential palace on June 30, 2016, the Philippines was enjoying its fastest growth since the 1970s. It helped that, at the time, the global economy was enjoying a rare, synchronized growth spurt, one that even saw Japan producing solid growth. Rather than take the Philippine economy to a higher level of innovation and productivity, Duterte benched Manila's reform program. Where he should have empowered technocrats to curb graft, reduce bureaucracy and ensure infrastructure projects were being done sustainably, Duterte deployed legions of trigger-happy gunmen – landing Manila in the global headlines for all the wrong reasons. Duterte pivoted away from Aquino's public-private partnership model that reduced large-scale graft in infrastructure projects. By the time Duterte left, Manila's Transparency International ranking had worsened to 116th. In 2010, the Philippines ranked 134th, trailing Nigeria. When Aquino left office, Manila was 95th. The Marcos-Duterte alliance was always a precarious one. Whereas the Dutertes were close to China, Team Marcos quickly pivoted back toward the US alliance. Yet, now as the Marcos and Duterte dynasties clash, there's little bandwidth left to ensure economic reform efforts get back on track. Or, at the very least, that economic backsliding is limited. As the second half of 2025 unfolds, says Fitch Ratings analyst Krisjanis Krustins, 'domestic political uncertainty could affect investment' at a moment when 'global trade tensions will likely drag on growth, in particular indirectly through weaker global demand.' The good news, Krustins says, is that We continue to view the central bank's inflation-targeting framework and flexible exchange-rate regime as credible. Monetary financing of the fiscal deficit during the pandemic was limited and reversed more quickly than in some peers. The government's response to the commodity-price shock was measured, for example, in resisting calls for widespread fuel subsidies. The bad news is what Krustins calls 'charged domestic politics.' One saving grace is that among Association of Southeast Asian Nations ASEAN) members, the Philippines is less dependent on exports. As economist Priyanka Kishore at Asia Decoded points out, even if US tariffs remain unchanged, 'exports will likely slow as businesses and consumers fully absorb and adjust to the higher costs imposed by tariffs.' The impact on ASEAN economies, she adds, 'will be primarily felt through four main channels: a slowdown in goods and services exports, a lull in 'China plus' investments, knock-on impact of external slowdown on domestic demand and a pick-up in Chinese trade and investment inflows into ASEAN.' The resulting disinflationary impulse, Kishore notes, 'should create space for more monetary easing. Nevertheless, ASEAN's growth in 2025 is likely to be one percentage point lower than in 2024, with Singapore and Vietnam bearing the brunt of the slowdown and Indonesia and the Philippines least impacted.' Yet the fallout from the political brawl in Manila means elected officials are less focused on spreading the benefits of Philippine growth to reduce inequality. That's marring Marcos's economic legacy. 'From then until now, poverty and hunger have remained emblems of Marcos's brand of leadership,' says Danilo Ramos, chairperson of the Peasant Movement of the Philippines. The Social Weather Stations research group reports a significant increase in hunger among self-rated poor families. The number of households experiencing involuntary hunger rose to 20% in April. At the same time, a distracted Philippine government has consumers, businesses and investors alike worried about the economy's prospects. 'Uncertainty alone can prevent foreign direct investments,' says Aris Dacanay, ASEAN economist at HSBC. 'For the Philippines, foreign direct investment is important; around 10%of capital formation is FDI-funded. When investors hold back, that weighs on overall investment activities.' At present, Dacanay notes, many Philippine firms are delaying investments in capacity expansion. Also, demand from major trading partners like the US is weakening in real time. In a note to clients, economists at ANZ Research paint an even more cautious picture. 'Private investment and exports have been hindered by a lack of productivity growth, while real wage growth has been insufficient to drive a strong rebound in household spending,' ANZ argues. Looking forward, few economies are at greater risk from the artificial intelligence revolution to come than the Philippines. Citing the International Monetary Fund's numbers, Julius Cainglet, president of labor group Federation of Free Workers,warns that 14% of the country's workforce is at risk of being replaced by AI. This is largely due to the economy's reliance on the business process outsourcing industry. It would be grand if the Marcos administration were linearly focused on these challenges. The narrative needs to be more about economic upgrades and future prosperity and less about a 'Game of Thrones' sequel playing out in Manila.
