High jewellers turn heads with transformable pieces

Apr 12 , 2017

Chaumet is known for its exquisite transformable high jewellery.

Transformable jewellery is making a comeback, and Chaumet, Van Cleef & Arpels, Cartier, Bulgari, Boucheron and Graff offer exquisite pieces

Why take one when you can have them all? It seems the sentiment of the-more-the-merrier is trending in high jewellery. Transformable pieces are making a strong comeback – necklaces with detachable pendants which metamorphose into brooches, tiaras which double as bracelets, and earrings that can be turned into elaborate hair combs.

“Transformable jewellery is perfectly adapted to our times,” says Jean-Marc Mansvelt, CEO of Chaumet. “Women are multifaceted; they live several lives in one day and want jewels that adapt to different occasions, outfits and moods.”

Shape shifting high jewellery by Bulgari worn by Actress Alicia Vikander at the 73rd Venice Film Festival. Photo: Getty

High jewellers are embracing the versatile trend in their recent collections. In its La Nature de Chaumet collection, for example, the jeweller created the Racines celestes white gold necklace that can be transformed into two shorter necklaces. Chopard highlighted in its latest Garden of Kalahari collection a transformable necklace featuring diamond pendants a total of 101ct.

All hail the queen: This necklace features a 50ct diamond cut from an exquisite 342 ct diamond, named the Queen of Kalahari. The stone was cut into 23 separate stones by @Chopard, all of which form the Garden of Kalahari #highjewellery collection.

A post shared by Style_SCMP (@style_scmp) on Mar 1, 2017 at 7:22am PST

Van Cleef & Arpels, too, reinterpreted its iconic “Zip” necklace in the Emeraude en Majesté collection. The Grand Opus Set necklace, for example, features emerald pendants that can be worn as a brooch or earrings.

Van Cleef & Arpels transformable necklace

The origin of transformable jewellery can be dated back to the late 19th century and early 20th century. Royalties and socialites commission high jewellers to create dramatic jewellery to be worn at coronations and stellar balls. However, the pieces were seldom used the rest of the year, hence innovative jewellers offered intricate creations that could be worn in a variety of ways. Early adopters include Cartier, Chaumet, Van Cleef & Arpels and Graff.

“It’s been part of our DNA and we’ve never stopped doing it, but recently more people are talking about it,” says Pierre Rainero,Cartier’s director of image, style and heritage. He says that in the beginning of the 20th century, clients invested in very big jewellery that sometimes they only got to wear once a year. That’s why some pieces were conceived to be transformed into different variations. “The origin is very pragmatic, especially with pieces like tiaras.”