Is modular jewellery the future of fashion? Chanel, Boucheron, Chaumet and De Beers all unveiled ingenious detachable pieces in 2023, proving that luxury and versatility can go hand in hand

Dec 27 , 2023

The Spring set from Chapter 2 of De Beers’ Metamorphosis collection was inspired by the King Protea flower from southern Africa. Photos: Handout

Boucheron’s Frosty White brooch transforms into a necklace clasp, while the brand’s Rolling Red pendant doubles as a brooch – and Chanel’s Tweed Royal necklace has a pendant that can be worn as a ring

With the natural world continuing to inspire, both the Blé (wheat) necklace from Le Jardin de Chaumet collection and De Beers’ Summer Masterpiece diamond and jacket ring can be worn in three ways

High jewellery that can be worn in various ways can feel like a gift that keeps on giving, different options providing fresh ways to wear a piece according to your outfit and mood.

In the high jewellery collections launched throughout 2023, there have been many ingeniously versatile pieces. Prime examples can be found in De Beers’ 46-piece Metamorphosis, a collection that conveys nature’s evolution as the seasons change. De Beers launched Chapter 1 in January 2023, following it up with Chapter 2 in July.

Metamorphosis by De Beers collection, Summer Masterpiece diamond and jacket ring

Spring is represented by the king protea, a flowering plant found in South Africa – just like De Beers’ diamonds. A necklace features petals set with diamonds that flutter gently when the wearer moves. Both white and rose gold are used to portray the pink hue of the flower, while the 3.02-carat fancy brown-orange diamond is detachable, enabling it to be worn on its own as a stunning pendant.

The design backstory for Summer is a surprising one, with De Beers pointing to the golden-brown spirals of ammonite fossils as inspiration for the pieces. A piece that can be worn in three ways, the Summer Masterpiece diamond and jacket ring features yellow gold wings set with rows of diamonds. A 7.61-carat fancy vivid yellow diamond is nestled inside the jacket ring and can be worn with the set or as a solitaire. A third ring, made of yellow gold and set with diamonds designed to match seamlessly with the jacket ring, can be used to replace the solitaire.

Le Jardin de Chaumet collection, The Fields Wheat necklace

The angular patterns formed on frozen lakes are a source of inspiration for Winter in Chapter 2, as seen in a necklace featuring a graphic pattern in white gold fragments. A rare 5.06-carat diamond in a dramatic dark grey-green hangs as a pendant from the centre, or can be worn on its own.

Chanel shows that no carat count is too high and no design too complicated to include detachable elements. The Tweed de Chanel high jewellery collection weaves gold and precious stones into a glittering homage to tweed, an iconic fabric for the maison.