Awakened Hands, Awakened Minds: Louis Vuitton jewelry is already on the rise
After Deep Time , Louis Vuitton is already talking about its next high jewelry collection. Awakened Hands, Awakened Minds evokes the decades that followed the French Revolution and which led to another revolution, this time industrial .
Awakened Hands, Awakened Minds: presentation of the collection in Saint-Tropez
The first chapter of 100 luxury jewels in the “ Awakened Hands, Awakened Minds ” high jewelry collection is revolutionary in its own way. These jewels include for the first time fully traceable rubies, a star-cut LV monogram yellow diamond and a Louis Vuitton tiara .
For the 11 themes unveiled today in Saint-Tropez, Francesca Amfitheatrof explored the period of a hundred years that begins after the French Revolution and ends with the Universal Exhibition in Paris in 1901 .
“ It was such an interesting time in France. After the Revolution, the abolition of guilds allowed workshops to work with anyone. It created a creative boom for artisans, ” she told WWD in an exclusive interview. You could say that luxury was born and became accessible to anyone who could afford it at that time.
The collection is divided into 2 parts, each covering about 5 decades. Louis Vuitton drew inspiration from traditional craftsmanship, technological innovations of the time and the Eiffel Tower (see the necklace below).
A historical period that coincides with the emergence of the Louis Vuitton house
The founder of the Louis Vuitton house opened his company in 1854. He therefore found himself right in the middle of this modern revolution .
Craftsmanship is the muse of the initial 4 themes. Beginning with Splendor , where floral motifs with ruby centers and diamond clusters are intricately layered and arranged to evoke carved woodwork.
The first Vuitton high jewelry tiara is the centerpiece of the Élégance set , inspired by the jewelry technique known as trembleuse , which makes the patterns sparkle with the slightest movement.
“ It’s such a French innovation, this idea that your diamonds are trembling in the candlelight and seducing the clientele, ” said Amfitheatrof, who gave it a novel interpretation through a mosaic of triangular shapes. “ It seemed to me that it was a wonderful and gentle way of modernizing a very old technique and making it contemporary. ”
Textile braiding and craftsmanship are revisited in metal and precious stones for the 6 jewels of Séduction . The centerpiece is a necklace that nods to ribbons laced in an intricate pattern composed of 8,000 stones, including a 12.92-carat octagonal Zambian emerald.
Part 2 of Louis Vuitton Awakened Hands, Awakened Minds Jewelry
The second sub-collection offers 7 themes representing the advances of the century in terms of science , engineering and technology.
A then revolutionary experiment proving the rotation of the Earth, still on display today at the Pantheon, inspired the asymmetrical layering of the Gravité necklace , adorned with 3 royal blue Kashmir sapphires. There is also:
- Optimism , with its interlocking design in yellow gold and platinum imitating metal folded to capture the light, embodies the optimistic, bold and playful spirit of the era.
- Vision, which asked the studio teams to turn to the railway.
- The highly detailed repeating patterns of Perception and Frequency designs refer to mechanization
- Victoire owes its volumes and structures to the ultimate symbol of Paris: the Eiffel Tower
Another nod to Amfitheatrof’s idea of combining beauty and engineering is the use of the first star-cut LV Monogram yellow diamond on a necklace with the same theme. “ It’s still this marriage of discovery, engineering and technology that allows us to achieve this cut today, ” she concluded.
