Our Personal Shopper unveils Saint Laurent Diamond Jewelry Line

Hedi Slimane is launching a new line of stunning diamond jewelry for the Parisian luxury house.

Titled ‘Saint Laurent Diamond,‘ Slimane’s latest jewelry collection features stunning modernist designs in gold, set with brilliant-cut diamond paving.

The hand-crafted jewelry line, which features rings and bracelets for men and women, follows “the tradition and savoir-faire spirit of Parisian joaillerie,” says the brand.

Customers have the choice of 18K gold or 18K white gold set with diamonds and according to Saint Laurent the collection will be “permanent and evolving.”

Our Personal Shopper reveals Chanel Jewelry Collection

Chanel presented its new line of haute joaillerie on the occasion of haute couture week, which officially wraps up in Paris on Friday, July 5. All of the pieces in the French luxury house’s new collection were designed around the theme of the lion, symbol of Venice, the City of the Doges, a location very dear to Gabrielle Chanel. Leo was also the zodiac sign of the Chanel founder.

The “Sous le signe du Lion” jewelry collection includes 58 pieces inspired by Gabrielle Chanel’s ‘spirit animal,’ expertly and creatively translated into wearable luxury by Chanel’s fine jewelry department.

The “Lion Royal” set, the collection’s most emblematic piece, is made of platinum, white gold and diamonds. Composed of a transformable diamond necklace, the piece can be worn as either a chain or a short necklace. The central element is a lion’s head, which can be turned into a brooch.

Every piece in the collection includes a version of Gabrielle Chanel’s lion on it. The “Lion Céleste” brooch, in white gold and diamonds, is based on Venice’s lion motif, while the “Constellation du Lion” brooch and pendant earrings link this king of animals to the comet.

Chanel also chose to pay tribute to the lion of St Mark’s Basilica in Venice with the “Lion San Marco” gold and platinum ring, topped with a lion sculpted in lapis lazuli and a white and yellow diamond-studded star. Only five specimens of the ring will be available.

Jewelry sets, necklaces, brooches and pendant earrings with diamonds, white gold, sapphires, topaz and platinum complete this precious collection.

From Your Personal Shopper in New York: Chopard Launches E-boutique

Chopard launched a newly designed website and its first ecommerce boutique, developed with the primary goal of increasing brand awareness. The website’s other  objectives include, driving traffic to Chopard’s stores, generating new business, sharing brand philosophy and detailed product information with consumers.

“The watch and jewelry market has changed dramatically in the past four or five years thanks in great part to the rise of social media, and we aim to be on the forefront in all realms, including luxury e-commerce,” said Marc Hruschka, the president of Chopard USA.

The website, launched today as us.chopard.com, will serve the U.S.  and act as a pilot program for other global markets. The website is designed to reach consumers in major metropolitan areas that do not have a Chopard boutique or retail partner in their region.

“In many instances in the luxury world, customers want to see and touch the watches and jewelry before they buy it,” said Hruschka. “It is already clear to us that when we enter a market with a brick-and-mortar store, where we have retail partners, they benefit from the increased awareness; the same is true of this situation. We believe that retail partners and our boutiques will benefit from the halo effect of the increased brand recognition the site will generate.”

The website provides newly written information about each piece showcased,  with new photography and approximately 650 product references will be available for purchase for prices ranging from about $100 for accessories to more than $65,000 for fine jewelry. Collections such as Happy Diamonds, Imperiale, Classic Racing, L.U.C. and haute joaillerie as well as a host of specialty pieces and exclusive limited editions, will be offered.

Chopard has five U.S. boutiques, including the recently expanded and remodeled South Coast Plaza store in Orange County, California, the remodeled Bal Harbour store in Florida and a newly opened Wynn boutique in Las Vegas. Additionally, the brand partners with dozens of top-level retail jewelry stores.

From Your Personal Shopper in Paris: Hermès Centaure Collection

Unexpectedly avant garde from old guard Hermes, the Centaure collection, designed by Pierre Hardy, features horse hoof designs in materials such as gold, black jade, diamonds, aventurine, and pink opal. We would write more, but these rings have simply taken our breath away.

The Centaure ring comes in rose gold with a black jade or orange aventurine stone ringed with brilliant cut diamonds. Others are entirely paved with diamonds. The Fouet necklace is set with 3,669 diamonds, totaling 36.16 carats.

A closer study reveals that the rings, necklaces, and bracelets also embody the brand’s familiar equestrian motif. The 14-piece collection represents the first foray into fine jewelry for the French luxury-goods company, which began as a saddle maker in the mid-19th century.

The waiting time is five to seven months, and pieces can be adapted to customers’ tastes.

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