The French luxury brand highlights the bravery of its founder with a showcase of jewels two centuries in the making
Words by DAVID NASH
The L’Aventure necklace which intersperses Colombian diamonds with three three rows of platinum, yellow and white gold which are pavé-set with diamonds
For a recent whirlwind presentation of its latest high-jewelry collection, Louis Vuitton descended on the Napa Valley with enough bling to light a starless night sky.
Marking the 200th anniversary of Louis Vuitton’s birth in 1821, the Bravery high jewelry collection pays tribute to the founder by reinterpreting the maison’s signatures
The appropriately named setting was the Constant Diamond Mountain Vineyard in Napa Valley
In celebration of the 200th anniversary of its namesake founder’s birth, the luxury brand set up a showcase of its newest collection, Bravery, at the idyllic Constant Diamond Mountain Vineyard overlooking the region’s vast winemaking landscape. Artistic director Francesca Amfitheatrof was on hand to discuss the collection, which was inspired by young Louis Vuitton’s incredible journey — on foot — from the Jura region of France to Paris, where he became a renowned master trunk maker.
An LV Monogram flower from the new Bravery high jewelry collection
The collection’s 90 meticulously designed and crafted pieces, each telling a story of sorts about Vuitton’s spectacular journey, are grouped into a series of “chapters” that illustrate milestones along the way. From La Constellation d’Hercule, which references Vuitton’s August 4, 1821, birthdate (the only time of year that constellation is visible in the sky) with combinations of tanzanite, opal, tsavorite, and sprays of LV Monogram Star- and Flower-cut diamonds, to The Arrow, a metaphor for his trek — and a literal interpretation of the V in his name — crafted with custom-cut rubies, sapphires and diamonds, the evolution is as staggering as the road he traveled. “I felt as though I was walking alongside the teenage Louis Vuitton as I designed the collection,” explained Amfitheatrof. Additional pieces, other chapters of the story, will be unveiled later this winter.
L’Elan Vital and La Passion necklaces from artistic director Francesca Amfitheatrof’s new Bravery high jewelry collection
Grouped into a series of “chapters”, the ninety meticulously crafted pieces each tell a story about Mr. Louis Vuitton’s journey
As an extra-special treat, the second-largest diamond in the world — the largest uncut — made an appearance. The 1,758-carat stone known as the Sewelo, acquired by the French fashion house in 2019, was on full display in a specially designed case. Though Amfitheatrof doesn’t appear to have any particular plans for the rock, it certainly makes its own impressive statement in the rough.
The second-largest diamond in the world, a 1,758-carat stone known as the Sewelo, sits inside its specially designed case
A selection of intricately wrought timepieces from the brand’s latest watch collections was also on display, with Michel Navas, master watchmaker at La Fabrique du Temps for Louis Vuitton, on-site to talk about them. High-concept models including the Tambour Curve Tourbillon Volant Poinçon de Genève and the Tambour Moon Dual Time Graphite 44 were, indeed, technical marvels to behold.
December 15, 2021
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