Fine Jewelry – South Coast Plaza https://www.southcoastplaza.com Fri, 09 Dec 2022 15:35:44 +0000 en-US hourly 1 https://wordpress.org/?v=6.1.1 Heritage Leads the Way with Today’s Most-Coveted Jewelry https://www.southcoastplaza.com/stories/2022/11/heritage-leads-the-way-with-todays-most-coveted-jewelry/ Thu, 03 Nov 2022 04:05:12 +0000 https://www.southcoastplaza.com/?p=84510

HERITAGE LEADS THE WAY WITH TODAY’S MOST COVETED JEWELRY

BY LAURIE BROOKINS

From the beauty of time-honored handcraft to the brilliance of rare diamonds and gemstones, the newest jewels from iconic houses are sure to inspire conversations about their stunning design and irresistible backstories.

Harry Winston

Trend may rule fashion, but when it comes to exceptional jewels, it’s all about timeless. That doesn’t mean jewelry fans must accept designs that feel too traditional or staid; on the contrary, it’s only intriguing to discover how many of today’s most-coveted diamond and gemstone designs are accompanied by heritage notes that wholeheartedly embrace the DNA of their respective houses. In other words, you may fall in love with a piece that feels thoroughly modern, without realizing its elements might hearken back to the 19th century — and beyond.

Then again, those details are half the fun when you’re wearing a diamond or gemstone sparkler from one of today’s most sought-after jewelry labels. Whether it’s the Coco-inspired elements in a Chanel necklace, the dazzling cut of a Harry Winston stone or the history and luster of Mikimoto pearls, each comes with irresistible anecdotes that add a layer of seduction in its value as a conversation piece. With that in mind, we’re highlighting some of the season’s most stunning jewels and offering a bit of the time-honored backstories that enable these designs to transcend from luxurious to legendary. 

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SOUTH COAST PLAZA HIGHLIGHTS

THE FALL FINE JEWELRY EDIT

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Harry Winston

Since he founded his eponymous house in New York City in 1932, Harry Winston has become known for exceptional diamonds and gemstones, and the latter inspired a grouping of one-of-a-kind cocktail rings known as the Candy Collection. Each ring highlights a fancy-colored gemstone in a statement size, surrounded by diamonds and gemstones, ranging from sapphires and spinels to Paraiba tourmalines, in complementary hues.
714.371.1910

Cartier

The seductive Panthère was first introduced on a women’s Cartier wristwatch in 1914, and in the 108 years since, this diamond-embellished cat with the emerald eyes has adorned a wide range of the house’s most coveted jewelry designs. Among the latest: This Panthere de Cartier high-jewelry necklace features a pendant embellished with emeralds, onyx, rubies and diamonds, all on a diamond-embellished chain crafted of 18-karat white gold.
714.540.8231

Tiffany & Co.

Among Tiffany & Co.’s bounty of signatures, from its Elsa Peretti Bone Cuffs to its iconic Tiffany setting, the work of Jean Schlumberger is held in deserved high regard by fans of the legendary New York house. Schlumberger joined Tiffany & Co. as its jewelry designer in 1956 and retired in the late 1970s, and during that time was prolific in creating sketches of pieces often inspired by nature, including the house’s famed “Bird on a Rock” brooch. Vine and leaf motifs also were key to his designs, including this Schlumberger Monarque necklace featuring diamond-embellished leaves set in 18-karat white and yellow gold, accented with delicate bows and a butterfly crafted of gemstones and diamonds.
714.540.5330

Chopard

Among Bvlgari’s most celebrated signatures is Serpenti, the alluring snake treatment the Rome-based house first introduced in a yellow-gold watch in the late 1940s. Over the years Bvlgari has reinterpreted Serpenti in a wide variety of motifs, including the abstract treatment seen in this necklace and matching earrings, each crafted of 18-karat rose gold embellished with diamonds.
714.432.0963

Mikimoto

In 2023 Mikimoto will celebrate the 130th anniversary of the moment Kokichi Mikimoto successfully cultured a beautifully round pearl, and in the decades since, the house has indeed become synonymous with this lustrous stone, celebrated equally for its classic strands of pearls and for its highly modern approach to mixing pearls with gemstones and diamonds in its latest designs. The latter is true of this Akoya cultured pearl necklace that showcases a 17.89-carat tanzanite set in 18-karate white gold and surrounded by diamonds, which graduate in size as they lead to a beautifully placed set of Akoya pearls in graduating sizes.
714.424.5440

Piaget

The play of light on rare stones is an idea that’s key to many Piaget designs and is often blended with nature-driven elements to create jewels that evoke multiple luxe messages. From Piaget’s Wings of Light high-jewelry collection, this Heliconia necklace perfectly represents this idea and is named for the flowering plant with petals resembling lobster claws. Piaget craftsmen recreated the positioning of those petals using 130 pear-shaped diamonds and 16 brilliant-cut diamonds, all totaling 44.81 carats, while the asymmetric design finishes with a spectacular fancy vivid pear-shaped yellow diamond totaling 6.46 carats. 
714.361.2020

Buccellati

For more than 100 years this Italian house has been crafting pieces that celebrate the art of Florentine jewelry design. Among its signatures is the mix of yellow and white gold and the exceedingly intricate metalwork that resembles lace; both are seen on Buccellati’s Unica necklace, which showcases 27 pear-shaped rubies surrounded by round brilliant diamonds, set in 18-karat white and yellow gold. 
714.481.1130

Chanel Fine Jewelry

Gabrielle Chanel introduced the first-ever high-jewelry collection in 1932; dubbed “Bijoux de Diamants,” the revolutionary collection of one-of-a-kind designs put an emphasis on comets and stars, a nod to the famed couturier’s love of astrology. The house continues its fascination with celestial elements with its latest jewels, including this Comète necklace with open-front styling and crafted in 18-karat white gold, embellished with diamonds. 
714.754.7295

Van Cleef & Arpels

Crafting artful pieces since Dutch diamond cutter Alfred Van Cleef and his father-in-law, Salomon Arpels, founded their Paris house in 1896, this legendary jeweler continues to excel at blending spectacular stones with handcraft that surprises and delights the wearer. Transformable jewels are key to this idea, as seen in this Pompon Leila high-jewelry necklace: a cushion-shaped green tourmaline totaling 11.87 carats is surrounded by diamonds in a coat-of-arms setting, which is removable from the necklace to be worn as a brooch. The tassel below, embellished with diamonds, pearls and lapis beads, hides a secret watch with mother-of-pearl dial, which also can be removed and worn separately.
714.545.9500

David Yurman

A bona fide rock star among jewelry fans, David Yurman paid tribute to his native New York City with his latest jewelry collection, which can be seen in the architectural elements of several designs. This Carlyle necklace indeed pays tribute to the Art Deco architecture of New York’s famed Carlyle Hotel; crafted in 18-karat yellow gold, the 24mm necklace features several links pavéd with diamonds totaling 8.42 carats.
714.444.1080

Bvlgari

Among Bvlgari’s most celebrated signatures is Serpenti, the alluring snake treatment the Rome-based house first introduced in a yellow-gold watch in the late 1940s. Over the years Bvlgari has reinterpreted Serpenti in a wide variety of motifs, including the abstract treatment seen in this necklace and matching earrings, each crafted of 18-karat rose gold embellished with diamonds.
714.751.7833

Fall Jewelry & Timepieces Lookbook

Explore our latest Fall 2022 Lookbook featuring fine jewelry and timepieces.

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]]> Tiffany & Co. Celebrates the Grand Designs of Jean Schlumberger https://www.southcoastplaza.com/stories/2021/12/tiffany-co-celebrates-the-grand-designs-of-jean-schlumberger/ Fri, 17 Dec 2021 08:09:51 +0000 https://www.southcoastplaza.com/?p=67092

TIFFANY & CO. CELEBRATES THE GRAND DESIGNS OF JEAN SCHLUMBERGER

Bird on a Rock and other Iconic Jewelry Sparkle for the Holidays

This season, an illuminated larger-than-life figure of a blue bird perched on a fuchsia jewel at the tip of a crescent moon graces the façade of Tiffany & Co. at South Coast Plaza. The opulent and whimsical display is a faithful interpretation of the storied “Bird on a Rock” brooch by Jean Michel Schlumberger and is a testament to the timeless artistry of one of Tiffany’s most celebrated designers.

Deeply imaginative, Schlumberger’s magnificent creations are famous and enduring icons that reflect his ingenuity and the technical virtuosity of Tiffany’s craftsmanship.

THE RIBBON ROSETTE DIAMOND NECKLACE

The partnership between Tiffany & Co. and Schlumberger began in 1956, when he accepted an invitation from Walter Hoving, then chairman of Tiffany & Co., to join the company as vice president. The next year, the designer was tasked with setting the largest yellow diamond in the world at the time – the 128.54-carat Tiffany Yellow Diamond. The result was the legendary Ribbon Rosette diamond necklace, unveiled in 1961 and worn that year by Audrey Hepburn to promote “Breakfast at Tiffany’s.” Rarely seen, the Ribbon Rosette has since made an appearance as part of Lady Gaga’s ensemble at the Oscars in 2019 and on Beyonce for the jeweler’s About Love campaign in August.

Jay-Z and Beyonce in Tiffany & Co. by Jean Schlumberger

 

THE SCHULMBERGER AESTHETIC

Throughout his career, Schlumberger showed a passion for flora and fauna, from fantastical birds and deep-water shells to exotic plants. A starfish became a star, a flower a sun, and a bird’s plumage an angel’s wing.

“I try to make everything look as if it were growing, uneven, organic,” he once said. “I want to capture the irregularity of the universe.”

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I try to make everything look as if it were growing, uneven, organic. I want to capture the irregularity of the universe.

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JEAN SCHLUMBERGER

BIRD ON A ROCK

After Schlumberger encountered a yellow cockatoo in the 1960s, he was inspired to design the Bird on a Rock clip, one of his most iconic works that continues to be re-envisioned with some of the most prized colored gemstones in the world. The most spectacular of these was unveiled in 1995, when the aforementioned Tiffany Yellow Diamond was set in a Bird on a Rock clip especially for the Musée des Arts Décoratifs’ Jean Schlumberger retrospective in Paris.

More recently, Tiffany & Co. cleverly adapted the Bird on a Rock design for a pair of one-of-a-kind cufflinks worn specifically for the About Love campaign by Jay-Z, who also displayed the Apollo brooch on his tuxedo lapel.

Schlumberger’s jewelry is prized by collectors and sought after as symbols of romance and love. President John F. Kennedy gave First Lady Jackie Kennedy (Onassis) the Berry Clip and Croisillon bracelets while Richard Burton presented Elizabeth Taylor with the Dolphin Clip.

Today, Schlumberger’s legacy shines brilliantly outside and inside the Tiffany & Co. boutique at South Coast Plaza. The Cooper bracelet, Sixteen Stone diamond ring, intricate paillonné enamel bangles, bold-colored rings, and of course, his collection of fanciful, nature-inspired jewelry are as captivating as ever, awaiting more generations to appreciate and collect them.

Photos courtesy of Tiffany & Co.

TIFFANY & CO.

LEVEL 1, BETWEEN JEWEL AND CAROUSEL COURTS
714.540.5330

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]]> Baccarat has Opened an Expansive and Interactive Boutique https://www.southcoastplaza.com/stories/2021/10/baccarat-has-opened-an-expansive-and-interactive-boutique-2/ Tue, 12 Oct 2021 17:02:53 +0000 https://www.southcoastplaza.com/?p=62097

BACCARAT HAS OPENED AN EXPANSIVE AND INTERACTIVE BOUTIQUE

Baccarat, the French luxury leader in high-end, exclusive crystal products since 1764, has opened an innovative, interactive boutique.

Baccarat, the French luxury leader in high-end, exclusive crystal products since 1764, has opened an innovative, interactive boutique in The Penthouse on level 3 at South Coast Plaza. The expanded boutique is modern and minimalist, yet sophisticated and inspired by timeless elements of the Philippe Starck concept. The design is clean but warm with a neutral palette and organic highlights of white concrete, white oak, matte black steel, vintage leather, clear acrylic and crystal. 

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The boutique opened with the theme of “The Color of Love,” which focuses on beautiful colored crystal found in dramatic window displays.

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“CRYSTAL CLEAR” BY VIRGIL ABLOH

The new Virgil Abloh “Crystal Clear” vases complement the earlier Virgil Abloh glassware collaboration. South Coast Plaza is the only boutique in North America to receive all four of the contemporary vases.

Baccarat debuted integrated digital elements with curated content presenting the latest brand campaign videos. An interactive space enables you to customize your lighting.

In the fall, Baccarat celebrated the 180th anniversary of the Harcourt, the most iconic and oldest collection in Baccarat’s vast portfolio. A collaboration with Martha Stewart on a collection appropriately called “Martha” was released in October —  the only pattern in 257 years to be named after a person. 

Baccarat Zénith Flou chandelier by Philippe Starck, photographed in a Parisian home

Baccarat

LEVEL 1, THE PENTHOUSE
714.435.9600

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