The most extravagant Christmas jewellery wish list
Presents that will outsparkle the fairy lights, from solitaire diamonds to earrings inspired by the Sistine Chapel. By Jessica Diamond
This time of year high-end jewellery designers outdo themselves with gorgeous pieces of the sort that will dazzle on the day and continue to give pleasure for a lifetime. From status bangles and boutique jewellery boxes to gem-set gold rings and diamond-encrusted pendants — and even a luxurious design-your-own-evil-eye experience — there is something here for everyone.
1. Cartier Love bangle
Cartier’s Love bangle, designed in 1969 by Aldo Cipullo, is as iconic as it gets and the French maison has done well to not mess with it over the years. Now, however, it’s had a little tweak and the results are brilliant with a new brushed-gold finish. Wear singularly (I’m all for not stacking), so its pared-back minimalism can really sing.
Love bracelet in yellow or white gold, brushed finish, from £7,050, cartier.com
2. Jenna Katz jewellery box
Jewellery boxes are problematic. I’m not interested in plain leather ones (yawn), and Jessica McCormack’s embroidered versions are gorgeous but require a second mortgage. This wooden box designed by the US jeweller Jenna Katz is beautiful to look at and beautifully made, like a piece of bespoke furniture. Grab one while you can — only ten have been created upfront while extra boxes will be made to order.
The Hart Box in red oak, suede and brass, $2,850, kk@thestaxadvisory.com
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3. Lily Gabriella evil eye talisman
The evil eye is a motif that’s resonated through jewellery history for millennia. Visit Lily Gabriella at her by-appointment salon above Burlington Arcade in London and have a go at designing your own version from an assortment of carved stones including turquoise, onyx, carnelian and agate — playtime at its best.
Talisman Collection Building Box. Pieces start from £1,200, lilygabriella.com
4. Chaumet Joséphine collection
Chaumet is known for its delicate diamonds — now in an addition to its evergreen Joséphine collection it has gone bolder with shapes and scale. The pear-drop motif remains, just supersized into some statement diamond-encrusted pendants, while its signature V-shape is worked into a pair of chunky cuffs.
Joséphine Aigrette pendant in rose gold and diamonds, £26,700, chaumet.com
Joséphine Aigrette bracelet in rose gold and diamonds, £49,200, chaumet.com
5. Nada Ghazal ring
The Lebanese jeweller Nada Ghazal’s new collection is inspired by her recent move from Beirut to London. A decorative door, left in the garden of her new house, proved the starting point to Doors of Opportunity with an offering that explores the idea of new beginnings and the importance of home. The softly rounded brushed-gold rings with gem-set keyholes are particularly covetable.
Unlock Courage ring in yellow gold and blue diamonds £3,720, nadaghazal.com
6. Pragnell Skimming Stone collection
Creating a new solitaire diamond collection is hard — a fine line must be walked between classic form and something fresh, and Pragnell has pitched it perfectly with Skimming Stone. Diamonds are claw set but also encased in softly shaped gold surrounds echoing the rounded edges of the design’s namesake. And there’s something for all budgets, from entry-level pendants to a sensational 5 carat-plus oval-cut ring.
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Skimming Stone in gold and diamonds, from £3,300, pragnell.co.uk
7. Venyx x Man Ray choker
Surrealism is having a moment in jewellery right now (see Daniel Roseberry at Schiaparelli for the most obvious examples). Now Eugenie Niarchos at Venyx has dedicated a whole collection to Man Ray, the American visual artist who championed the movement. Lips feature heavily, as would be expected, with the diamond-set lips choker fastened with a twisted cord top of my wish list.
Venyx x Man Ray Observatory Time choker in yellow gold and diamonds, $60,425, venyxworld.com, gagosianshop.com
8. Solange Azagury-Partridge earrings
Solange Azagury-Partridge’s latest jewellery collection is a mish-mash of things the British jeweller is inspired by, hence its name: Miscellaneous. I’m torn between a pair of earrings in the shape of the floorplan of the Sistine Chapel and another pair named Euphorians, based on the chemical structures of psilocybin, MDMA and ketamine. Maybe wear the former on Christmas Day and save the latter for New Year’s Eve…
Sistine earrings in blackened white gold, emerald, sapphire, diamonds, green ceramic and enamel, POA, solange.co.uk
Euphorians earrings in blackened white gold, emerald, sapphire, ruby, cornelian, diamonds and enamel, POA, solange.co.uk
9. Scrimshaw earrings
Of all the jewellery collaborations in 2023 this one from the British jeweller Theo Fennell and the Central Saint Martins graduate Tabitha Charlton felt the most genuine and interesting. Tabitha’s speciality is the revival of the folk-art scrimshaw technique first used by whalers in the 18th century to engrave bone and ivory. Here, she’s engraved baroque pearls then handed them to the Theo Fennell workshops to set with gold and gemstones.
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Scrimshaw Pearl Drop earrings in white gold with garnets, diamonds and pearls, £5,250, theofennell.com
