Solstice: discover the new Piaget jewelry and watches, inspired by cocktails
For its latest collection of watches and jewelry, Piaget has let loose. The Swiss house has taken inspiration from the world of cocktails to create the Solstice collection . Very summery pieces scheduled for a fall release.
Piaget Solstice Collection: watches and jewelry that sparkle as you wish
Unsurprisingly, this Piaget Solstice collection inspired by alcoholic beverages focuses mainly on cocktail rings . They feature stones that are more colorful than each other. Negroni, Manhattan, Gin Fizz and other clever mixes are evoked on these Piaget jewels. And unlike their source of inspiration, they can be consumed without moderation .
And while bartenders have mastered the art of dosage, Piaget's master designers use the same meticulousness to create their jewelry. How do you make a sparkling mix? Take a little peridot, citrine, tourmaline and indicolite, add a few diamonds, stir well and you have a colorful jewel ideal for enjoying a happy hour.
Bold Piaget jewelry that exudes the joy of living
“ The goal was to develop the highest expression of Piaget’s audacity and savoir-faire by creating pieces that express the joyful side of the brand, ” explained Christophe Bourrie, global director of high jewelry at Piaget . “ Semi-precious stones are the best way to express that and recreate the bright colors of cocktails. Each piece is a kind of fantasy, rather than a formal, classic jewel with sapphire, rubies or emeralds. They are fun. ”
- Piaget Possession Jewelry
Fierce competition reigns in the gemstone market
That may be true, but that doesn’t mean they’ve been easy to create. As more brands compete to serve a discerning affluent clientele, the competition to acquire the world’s finest gemstones is intensifying , according to Bourrie. “ Finding stones can be a nightmare, ” he said. “ There’s a huge pressure on the market, not only from the big houses, like Cartier, Bulgari and Graff, who are becoming increasingly important. But also from the fashion houses that are increasingly venturing into fine jewelry, like Louis Vuitton, Dior, Chanel and Gucci. We’re all competing to acquire the finest gemstones, which can’t be manufactured, ” Bourrie said.
“ Internally, we have a team of 7 gemologists looking for the best gemstones, 3 of whom are dedicated solely to central stones. We have focused on the highest quality for the simple reason that we want to position ourselves on the top range of high jewelry. This is how we will be different from the others, because we will never be a behemoth in the sector. ”
Piaget luxury jewelry with mint, grenadine or bourbon flavors
For the Solstice collection , the gems had to best represent the colorful ingredients of the cocktails represented by the designs: grenadine (pink sapphires), mint leaves (emeralds), sprinkled sugar (diamonds), ice cubes (rough diamonds), bourbon (brown diamonds) and lime slices (hand-carved peridot).
Piaget Solstice watch: a tangy timepiece
Wearing the collection’s flagship watch, the Piaget Solstice , is like having a cocktail on your wrist. The dial features lime slices and mint leaves floating in a white liquid topped with diamond ice cubes. It is the result of a collaboration between Anita Porchet, the reference in enameling, and Dutch master engraver Dick Steenman .
On a carved mother-of-pearl background, Steenman etched outlines of lime slices and mint leaves. Anita Porchet then applied a palette of translucent enamels to bring the limes and mint to life. Porchet’s work is featured on another dial, on the Festive Sharing watch, depicting a mix of lemons, limes, flowers and leaves.
Piaget launches a unique collection of 50 to 100 pieces once a year. The creation and manufacturing process can take 5 years, depending largely on the supply of precious stones. This means that several collections are usually in the works.
Piaget jewelry: a 60-year history
Piaget was founded in 1874, first as a manufacturer of watch movements, then as a producer of its own luxury watches. Mainly dress watches and high jewelry pieces. “ Piaget’s expertise in jewelry watches led to customers placing special orders for simple jewelry without the watch. So around the 1960s, the house began producing jewelry on demand, ” Bourrie explains. “ At first, it was just an additional activity, then we started, maybe 20 years ago, to offer real Piaget jewelry collections. ”
