Cover Photo Courtesy of Instagram.com/cartier
Behind every high jewelry house, there is a story that all jewelry enthusiasts are eager to discover and a creative mastermind they should get to know in order to understand the vision that lies behind all their wonderful creations. In this series, Azyaamode gives you a glimpse at the story of the geniuses who not only established high jewelry maisons that keep innovating up until today, but also a heritage that we will forever cherish.
Photo courtesy of Archives Cartier Paris © Cartier
Cartier
Louis Cartier was the shining star behind the history of the Maison. Inspired by Art-Déco, he created a new language in the jewelry world, one that is modern enough to be spoken in its époque, yet timeless enough to stand the test of time.
Photo Courtesy of Vancleefandarpels.com
Van Cleef & Arpels
The Maison was born from a love story that brought Alfred Van Cleef together with Estelle Arpels. While Estelle Arpels was the daughter of a precious stone dealer, Alfred Van Cleef was a craftsman and a diamond broker – and the two shared a spirit of innovation and a passion for gems that are still alive up until today through the house’s romantic high jewelry marvels.
Chopard
Initially founded by Louis-Ulysse Chopard, the Maison was a watch manufacturer specializing in pocket watches and chronometers. Its journey in jewelry-making didn’t start up until a few years after the company was sold to Karl Scheufele III, whose daughter is Caroline Scheufele – current artistic director and co-president of Chopard.
Piaget
Passionate about watchmaking from a young age, Georges-Édouard Piaget dedicated his expertise to creating high-precision movements and components. Driven by the motto “always do better than necessary”, the Piaget family started dedicating their creativity and savoir-faire to high jewelry, alongside their refined timepieces.
Chaumet
Marie-Étienne Nitot is the legendary genius who founded the Maison of Chaumet, which quickly became the jeweler to the Imperial court and personal jeweler to the Empress Joséphine. The “naturalist jeweler”, which was his way of signing his letters, gave the Maison an infinite source of inspiration that continues to be its identity and the essence of all its creations.
To be continued…
Article Written by Mirella Haddad
