Jewellery display from the Bangkok launch event for Stellar TImes By Tatler Thailand December 14, 2020
The second high jewellery collection of Louis Vuitton designed by artistic director of jewellery Francesca Amfitheatrof, Stellar Times envisions a fantastical journey to the centre of the cosmos with a spectacular interpretation of our universe. Through seven themes, the house journeys to the far corners of the galaxy where uncharted colours and sparkle are waiting to be encountered by the curious. This desire to explore where none has is indeed a characteristic of Louis Vuitton, especially when it comes to jewellery.
A whopping 90 pieces of jewellery make up the Stellar Times universe. Diamonds, opals, sapphires, rubies, emeralds, spinels and tourmalines, each meticulously selected for their exceptional quality, light up an otherwise dark and lonely galaxy. Of the 90, some of the biggest stars in the collection include the Lune Bleue, Apogée, Planète Bleue, Astre Rouge and Soleils sets.
Romanticising the blue moon, Lune Bleue combines beautiful blue sapphires of Sri Lanka and Madagascar with radiant diamonds on necklaces, rings and earrings. The choker is the centrepiece of the set, demanding 900 hours to create the house’s signature checkerboard pattern, which runs through the bold necklace via intricate latticework.
Apogée dives deeper into the blue of the universe, playing with reflections of indigo green and purple blue. One of the swooping, V-shaped white gold necklaces within this set highlights an extremely rare 34.88-carat indigo tourmaline with a vibrant turquoise colour.
The six pieces of jewellery in this set represent earth’s identity inside our galaxy. Alluding to our planet are breathtaking green and blue hued jewels. Take the Planète bleue necklace, which features a deep blue 16.49 carat sapphire from Madagascar and magnificent pure diamond baguettes. The choker, on the other hand, is set with a 4.63-carat Zambian emerald, swooping over the neck in a line of pure light and ending at the décolletage with another sapphire from Madagascar of 13.77 carats.
With Astre Rouge, Louis Vuitton pays tribute to the red planet, Mars, a symbol of cosmic conquest, strength and energy. The set highlights rubies from Mozambique and various shaped diamonds—from round and oval to navette, pear and princess—using the different cuts of diamonds to fan a shower of light around the magnificent red planet.
With a set that represents the important centre of our solar system and that which gives the earth its life, Louis Vuitton has created five pieces exuding the strength and splendour of the sun. the absolute highlight of the set, however, is the transformable necklace with four rows featuring the brand’s checkerboard pattern and three stunning Sri Lanka yellow sapphires of 8.48, 14.52 and 35.38 carats. This necklace can be worn as a simple choker, bib necklace or with the last two sapphires, making it one very versatile piece of jewellery.
The second-largest rough diamond in the world was discovered in Botswana by Lucara Diamond Corporation a year ago, and now Louis Vuitton is aboard to transform this rare 1,758-carat diamond into something incredible. Named Sewelo, which means Rare Find in the Setswana language, the diamond is not just astounding because of its size. The rough crystal is shrouded in a thin layer of black carbon, and so the full extent of its colour and clarity is still a mystery.
This beauty and mischievousness of Mother Nature is drew Louis Vuitton to the specimen. The house is now working closely with the master diamond cutters of HB Company from Antwep. Cutting the diamond is estimated to take a year to complete, from planning to polishing, and will perhaps require the help of new technology to accomplish. With its size, the diamond will enable the production of made-to-order Louis Vuitton cut diamonds, which will inevitably feature the house’s emblematic monogram.
For more information about jewellery by Louis Vuitton, visit louisvuitton.com.
