The Couture Show: French jewellers take to the Las Vegas strip

From 1 to 4 June, French jewellers headed stateside to the splendid Wynn Las Vegas hotel to showcase their know-how and creativity. Diamond days, gold architecture and an invitation to travel: we take a closer look at the French jewellery brands on show in Sin City.

Diamond days

This summer, it is apparent that French jewellers – and the stones that are always forever – are set to bring a sparkle to the eyes of onlookers with their hypnotic creations.

Staying true to the house’s diamond tradition, pieces by Messika once again revealed some dazzling jewels, with gold and diamonds subtly bringing an interplay of contrasts. At Viltier, fluted contours and reflections from their settings took diamonds into the spotlight, unlike at Persée, which chose to leave the stones free to express their romance and flamboyance, with neither setting nor gold surrounds.

Meanwhile, Yvonne Léon revisited the eternal classics with a bold stroke of ingenuity. The Parisian jeweller fearlessly pairs diamonds with colour to magnify contrasts and daubs a pop of vibrancy onto her sparkling collections.

Gold Architecture

The influence of gold has been leader of the pack in recent years. But at the show, the power of the architectural universe in French jewellery took centre stage.

Dinh Van stood out with its perfectly proportioned jewels, its monochrome golds in unisex collections with bold forms. This mastery of geometry also ran through the collections by Akillis. The brand enjoys shaking off conventional romantic codes by opting for striking lines and impactful shapes to drive its creations.

Sybille Von Münster turned heads with her architectural miniatures. The jewels work together lightly and elegantly to make segmented circles, forming structured shapes that represent true freedom. That same sassy mood also made its way over to the collections of Lauren Rubinski, with her unforgettable Golden Links that are a great fit for any occasion.

An invitation to travel

These are jewels which carry you away on a journey through time to explore the world, the sources of inspiration for the French creations that were unveiled for the show.

The innovative and visionary jewellers at Rainbow K presented Art Deco-style creations in which vintage chic and modern elegance intertwine to give rise to singular pieces with unusual settings and designs. Speaking of time travel, Lydia Courteille chose the queens of Sheba and the Orient, Marie-Antoinette and even Catherine II of Russia as the muses for her extraordinary collections with their distinctive names. Generous with her sophisticated exuberance, the jeweller Alexandra Rosier shone bright with her stunning, glittering and colourful collections. The virtuoso of colour found inspiration in memories from the incredible travelling she has done, much like the jeweller Marie Lichtenberg, who revisited chains, talismans and scapulars with a modern twist.

But the most unique contemporary creations were undoubtedly those by Maison Alix Dumas, which brought volume to its jewels to give them a sculptural feel, like ornaments.

The challenge for The Couture Show was to combine timelessness with the truly sublime. Mission accomplished. All in all, it was an intimate event at which French jewellers shone with their intrinsic style, expertise and creations.

In its aim to accelerate the development of French watchmaking, jewellery and tableware, Francéclat studies and understands markets, drives creativity, stimulates innovation and brings the right people together to boost their international reach.