Recently, it seems that big-name celebrities have been venturing outside their usual roles. From A-list veterans like Cate Blanchett and Julia Roberts to current heartthrobs Timothée Chalamet and Pharrell Williams, everyone’s making waves in the jewelry world. While they’re all industry elites in acting and singing, jewelry is a highly specialized field.
Honestly, would you buy into these “celebrity” jewelry designers? How would you rate their creations?
Some celebrities’ forays into jewelry design aren’t about creating unique pieces to showcase their artistic taste. Instead, they use it as a medium to convey their ideas or aesthetic concepts.
Similarly, when jewelry brands invite celebrities to participate in design, it’s not just for the fresh perspective but also to generate buzz-worthy topics for promotion and publicity. In essence, both parties have ulterior motives, so understanding the underlying spirit is key when evaluating these collaborations.
For instance, this year Julia Roberts collaborated with Chopard, launching her jewelry “debut.” While this household name isn’t particularly known for her jewelry collection or wearing habits, Chopard values her approachability and influence.
When she graced the Cannes red carpet in 2022 wearing a black tailcoat suit and the brand’s pride of the season – a massive 100-carat yellow diamond necklace – the resulting buzz met Chopard’s expectations perfectly.
This isn’t Chopard’s first celebrity collaboration; they’ve previously worked with Rihanna. Chopard never struggles to find celebrities to wear and promote their pieces, thanks to their stronghold on the Cannes Film Festival, where the long red carpet serves as the best stage for high jewelry debuts each year.
However, their choice of Julia Roberts among numerous celebrities might stem from the realization that after the hype dies down, what remains becomes classic. So, Chopard is steadily nurturing a rapport with this Oscar-winning actress.
In a 2023 interview after becoming Chopard’s global ambassador for all collections, Julia Roberts said: “They’re training me. I’m starting to really adapt to some fancy things that I didn’t have a feeling for before I put them on. They’ve taught me to appreciate these things.”
This year, Chopard wanted her to delve deeper into their jewelry world. They invited her to collaborate with Caroline Scheufele, Chopard’s Co-President and Artistic Director, on a design that boldly utilizes the Insofu emerald acquired in 2018. Indeed, this 6,225-carat Zambian emerald rough will undoubtedly be the star of this capsule collection.
The emerald’s name is apt – in the dialect of Zambia where it was discovered, “Insofu” means “elephant.” It comes from Kagem, the world’s largest emerald mine. Since Chopard secured it at a Gemfields emerald auction in 2018, jewelry enthusiasts have been closely following its progress. Finally, Caroline Scheufele found the perfect opportunity to use it.
Chopard x Julia Roberts is a capsule collection using the first batch of gems cut from the Insofu emerald. Julia Roberts chose to incorporate turquoise, a stone she’s loved since childhood, and infused the design with Indian influences, reflecting the time she’s spent there.
The vibrant happiness of India is perfectly suited for jewelry display. The final presentation of this jewelry set is quite remarkable, with red tourmaline and Insofu emerald creating a strong color contrast, accented by lively turquoise, perfectly blending Hollywood glamour with bohemian flair.
Cate Blanchett’s collaboration with Louis Vuitton fully embodies her environmental advocacy. This Hollywood “powerhouse” is known for her impeccable taste and strong presence. While she excels at choosing red carpet ensembles, she’s also a staunch environmentalist, often “recycling” outfits on the red carpet, in stark contrast to celebrities who flaunt their status with “new clothes” and “custom-made” outfits.
When Louis Vuitton’s High Jewelry Creative Director Francesca Amfitheatrof invited her to collaborate, she hoped to use jewelry to reemphasize her eco-friendly stance.
They collaborated on a distinctive shoulder chain, using 49 white Akoya pearls, 33 gray Tahitian pearls, and 633 diamonds, all sourced from previous Louis Vuitton high jewelry pieces. The piece offers multiple ways to wear it.
Cate has showcased it on the red carpet three times in different styles, practically demonstrating that jewelry can be a repeatedly worn, timeless heirloom that improves with age.
Timothée Chalamet’s collaboration with Cartier represents a win-win situation in terms of publicity. Chalamet’s ability to carry jewelry and his taste are undeniable, placing him in the top tier among the younger generation. Cartier‘s decision to invite a celebrity into the design process for the first time is commendable.
The necklace they collaborated on was inspired by Chalamet’s new film, “Wonka.” This piece, composed of 964 emeralds, red tourmalines, pink tourmalines, blue opals, and black enamel, aligns perfectly with the wonderful candy world in the film, both in design theme and style. Its debut at the film’s premiere maximized both attention and buzz.
Chalamet reportedly visited Paris twice to seek inspiration from Cartier’s archives. As a result, the necklace’s vibrant gemstone color scheme echoes Cartier‘s classic “Tutti Frutti” style. Working with Marie-Laure Cérède, Cartier’s Jewelry and Watch Creative Director, they ensured the three-dimensional abstract design remained consistent with Cartier’s modern high jewelry style of recent years.
Some celebrities enter the jewelry design world out of genuine passion. Kate Moss, known for her love of antique jewelry, collaborated with Messika on an entire series. This representative of the first wave of supermodels in the 1990s teamed up with Messika’s Artistic Director, Valérie Messika, to design 100 pieces. Many of these break convention, featuring head and body jewelry, ear cuffs, or double finger rings that are both ergonomic and elegant.
The entire Messika By Kate Moss collection showcases Kate’s understanding of bodily beauty as a supermodel, leading to her breakthroughs in jewelry styles. For instance, the “Colour Play” set includes a headpiece, necklace, and earrings.
The necklace, crafted with turquoise, malachite, agate, mother-of-pearl, and diamonds, is designed to fit perfectly along the neckline. Its ultra-thin, delicate design allows it to serve as a collar decoration for clothing.
Indeed, you’re not mistaken – Messika, previously known for diamonds, began incorporating these vibrant gemstones after collaborating with Kate. As a fashion icon, she couldn’t resist color, and fashion became the biggest inspiration she brought to Messika’s high jewelry.
Consequently, many pieces in the collection are multifunctional and can be stacked and mixed freely. Various asymmetrical earrings, hat ornaments, hair accessories, forehead pieces, and even earrings with nose chains appear in their works.
The inspiration for this collaboration came from Kate’s jewelry box. The supermodel began collecting jewelry at the start of her modeling career at 14. She carries her collection everywhere: from beach jewelry to red carpet high jewelry, with styles ranging from Victorian to Art Deco to Retro.
Kate is particularly fond of antique jewelry. Her first piece of high jewelry was found at Pennisi, an antique jeweler in Milan. Thus, in this collaborative collection, you can see shadows of Art Deco style, as well as feather and tassel elements popular in the 1970s Bohemian style.
This isn’t Kate Moss’s first venture into jewelry design. In 2017, she collaborated with her friend, jewelry designer Ara Vartanian, on her first jewelry collection. However, for that project, she chose to incorporate her favorite rock and bohemian styles into the design.
As Ara Vartanian specializes in talisman jewelry, they extensively used amethyst, citrine, garnet, lapis lazuli, diamonds, and rubies in new creations with a strong vintage and mysterious feel.
Another celebrity who entered the jewelry world out of passion is Pharrell Williams, a multi-talented artist in the fashion industry. Not only is he the lead vocalist of N.E.R.D, but he’s also a songwriter, music producer, film producer, fashion designer, and now a jewelry designer.
Williams isn’t just dabbling; he’s the men’s creative director at Louis Vuitton, firmly positioned in fashion’s top tier with considerable influence. As a rapper, he has long been associated with jewelry, becoming a representative and creative force in hip-hop jewelry.
Initially, Williams started with custom jewelry, describing his ideas to designers. He frequently worked with Jacob & Co., a favorite brand among musicians. The brand’s founder, Jacob Arabo, known as the “Diamond Designer,” is renowned for his dazzling, extravagant style favored by Madonna, Rihanna, and Jennifer Lopez.
Williams commissioned numerous pieces from Arabo, including the famous N.E.R.D character pendant necklace, featuring the band’s three members in pavé-set colored diamonds. This piece was even featured in the book “Ice Cold: A Hip-Hop Jewelry History,” where the author noted: “Pharrell ‘pioneered the era of colored stones,’ though Jacob Arabo primarily used colored diamonds.”
Williams also has a close relationship with Lorraine Schwartz, another Hollywood celebrity jeweler. They’ve collaborated on jewelry designs, and Schwartz even auctioned some of her signature pieces – jewelry worn by celebrities – on Joopiter, Williams’ online auction platform, in a special “A Journey Through Gems” event. This included two heart-shaped rings and a yellow diamond necklace they designed together.
Finally, in 2023, Williams sought to express his love for jewelry more fully. He chose to work with Tiffany & Co., having previously collaborated with them on diamond and emerald sunglasses. In the summer, they launched their first collection, Tiffany Titan.
The Tiffany Titan collection draws inspiration from Poseidon’s trident in Greek mythology. Williams crafted unique chain links using gold, black titanium, and diamonds, creating pieces that are both curved and soft, yet sharp and hard. He explained, “I grew up near Virginia Beach in a community called ‘Atlantis,’ always feeling the power of water, so this collection is inspired by Poseidon, the ruler of the seas and king of Atlantis.”
Some celebrities are even more passionate about jewelry, preferring to become jewelry designers themselves rather than collaborating with established brands. One successful example is Gwyneth Paltrow, a well-known Hollywood jewelry collector who loves sharing her lifestyle and aesthetic tastes. She launched her own jewelry brand, focusing on her signature “old money” style.
Her jewelry brand, G. Label, primarily uses gold and diamonds. Paltrow says, “Gold is so warm; when you wear it, you feel an ancient power coming through. It’s an expression of emotion.” She prefers jewelry that has warmth and can convey feelings, pieces that are special and closely related to her. Thus, she names almost all her designs after her daughter and friends, who are her greatest sources of inspiration.
Perhaps unexpectedly, Serena Williams, who transitioned from tennis stardom to fashion icon, has also created a jewelry brand bearing her name. The younger of the tennis-dominating Williams sisters has been actively involved in various fashion events, from the Oscars to the Met Gala, always adorned with abundant jewelry. She’s even known for wearing diamonds during her matches.
Consequently, her jewelry brand focuses on diamonds, favoring everyday, basic designs. Tennis bracelets are a must, along with the ever-popular letter designs. Interestingly, Williams’ powerful presence on the tennis court is reflected in her jewelry – while most brands design pieces with words like “Love” or “Peace,” she boldly offers a “Queen” collection.
As you can see, many celebrities take their foray into jewelry design seriously. Whether to convey concepts or lead trends, they’ve presented quite reliable works. So, which of these “celebrity jewelry designers” do you think is the most creative?
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