Louis Vuitton dives deep with its latest high jewellery collection

Formation of the earth, the explosive rumble of a volcano, irrepressible surge of the tsunami- elemental forces such as these have inspired Deep Time, Francesca Amfitheatrof’s fifth collection for the Parisian house

Francesca Amfitheatrof does not concern herself with the small things in life, the mere fripperies that might occupy the imaginations of some jewellers. Not for her an entire collection devoted to flowers, or the curves of the female form. The artistic director of Louis Vuitton Watches and Jewellery wants to grapple with life’s big subjects: the formation of the earth, the explosive rumble of the volcano, the irrepressible surge of the tsunami. These mind-blowing, life-changing elemental forces have inspired Deep Time, Amfitheatrof’s fifth high jewellery collection for the Parisian house, and one that marks a maturation of her unapologetically bold style.

“At Louis Vuitton, we are as ever adventurers, travelling to extraordinary, unexpected places,” says Amfitheatrof. Indeed, the collection’s unveiling took top clients and press from around the world on a whistle-stop Grecian odyssey that took in the luxurious environs of the Amanzoe resort on the Peloponnese coast, the island of Hydra and finally Athens.

The Odeon of Herodes Atticus, the city’s vast Roman theatre in the shadow of the Acropolis, was the dramatic setting for a performance directed by esteemed Greek choreographer Dimitris Papaioannou to a score by Renaud Capuçon. Models wearing jewels that would have provided perfect armour for the Amazons, those fierce female warriors of Greek myth, paraded under the piercing spotlight of mysterious, masked male dancers.

Amfitheatrof’s preoccupation with natural history in the collection’s 170 pieces extends to the choice of gemstones, those miracles of nature formed by geological forces billions of years ago. One magnificent rising wave of a tsunami-inspired necklace envelops the neck in diamonds, punctuated by a 40-carat velvety blue Sri Lankan sapphire that was formed underground by the passage of ancient rivers and rainfall. In another set inspired by the fiery eruption of a volcano, tourmalines and mandarin garnets, which were themselves formed in lava, are set in a signature Louis Vuitton V among vertical channels of diamonds and gold.

The second chapter of the collection takes in life on earth. The essence of life itself, the spindly, twisting form of DNA, is evoked in a necklace that spirals its way around the neck in diamond-tipped bars of white gold. As ever with Louis Vuitton, however, rich colour contrasts are the predominant theme. In one set, the natural beauty of flora is evoked in the fierce orange of spessartite garnets and juicy cabochons of deep pink rubellites. In another, sun and sea come together in a breastplate-style bib of yellow sapphires and giant aquamarines.

The presentation, attended by friends of the house including Léa Seydoux and Ana de Armas, culminated in Aphrodite emerging from a nautilus shell in the style of Botticelli’s Venus. Played by dancer Breanna O’Mara, she was then bedecked in pearlescent armour of her own. Like the future owners of Amfitheatrof’s designs, she was ready to face the world.

Courtesy: Vogue