Paris Jewelry: Best Of The Fall Showrooms

Alongside Paris Fashion Week earlier this month, the jewelry showrooms showcased some strong new collections from contemporary and independent designers. A round-up of top picks from the Paris jewelry showrooms, with fresh new pieces from Yael Sonia, Tabbah and Dinh Van alongside exciting younger labels like Panconesi, Tejen, Castro NYC and Maya Gemstones.

Dinh Van

With 16 points of sale already, Dinh Van is ramping up expansion in the U.S. to tap into women looking for understated, Paris chic staples. Started in 1965 by Cartier alumni Jean Dinh Van, the house is known for clean, minimalist jewelry and a modernist approach that has produced plays on new forms like gently squared rings and visible fastenings to bracelets and necklaces, in the trademark Menottes (‘handcuffs’) collection. The more recent Pulse collection channels the beat of contemporary music through graphically styled bracelets, necklaces, earrings, and rings in rose and white gold picked out in diamonds.

Panconesi

After many years designing for labels like Givenchy, Mugler, and Fenty, Marco Panconesi launched his own line earlier this year on Ssense. He is now preparing to release a Resort 2020 collection exclusively on Net-a-Porter later this fall, that carries all the Panconesi hallmarks: striking shapes that can be worn in different ways, protective forms that follow the lines of the body and that extra little dash of magic from the Florentine designer. The capsule featuring statement pieces that cage the ear or wrap the hand, worked in sterling silver, gold plate and crystal will finally be available on the luxury e-commerce site in November.

Tejen

Behind a sustainable jewelry brand, Tejen is a design team rooted in New York and Paris whose combined aesthetic marries Uptown elegance with Left Bank chic in pieces inspired by world cultures. The brand uses fair-mined gold exclusively and the founders both have serious eco-credentials; Isabel Encinias is part of the team who launched recycled gold fine jewelry house JEM and Mark Kroeker worked with Donna Karan on the Urban Zen philanthropic retail concept. With a pleasing weight that doesn’t drag the ear, these solid gold 18ct elongated hoops are from the Molten collection, inspired by the sunken city of Dwarka, off the coast of India, where the house’s pieces are all handmade.

Castro NYC

One of the most original finds in Paris this season was Castro NYC, previously a New Yorker, now an Istanbul-based master jeweler who marries an eye for the unusual with fine jewelry elegance. Produced with exceptionally innovative craftsmanship, Terry Castro’s pieces are rooted in an extraordinary mash-up of inspirations ranging from Medieval European architecture to ancient African artifacts via the animal kingdom, to produce a staggeringly detailed array of elaborate charms and one-off rings, earrings, and necklaces. His Infinity Locks are custom-designed, gemstone-set lock pendants, with a circular lock representing the infinite energy of the Circle of Life and a twist opening mechanism as a reminder to stop and recharge once in a while.

Tabbah

A prime new point of sale in the freshly renovated The Vault Jewelry Hall at Saks Fifth Avenue has brought the Lebanese brand’s finely crafted contemporary jewelry to the Big Apple. Tabbah brings generations of jewelry expertise to bear on high jewelry pieces like the Phoenix earrings, as well as more contemporary collections including Reptilia, a more minimalist riff on the serpent motif and B-Glam, featuring the beautifully modern elongated hoops so beloved of the French fashion press this summer. The Aquatica cuff follows the curves of the body with undulating forms in diamond-set rose gold.

Maya Gemstones

Behind Maya Gemstones, a young brand making waves in Europe is luxury entrepreneur Olga Pekarevskaia who has already seen success with the global concierge service Ginza Prime and its in-flight catering offshoot Ginza Sky. She works exclusively with her own triangle-cut diamonds in each of her highly wearable collections, including the new Out of Office collection, featuring white gold pavé set paperclip-inspired earrings that can be stacked to make a statement.

Tabayer

After launching in Paris in March, Nigora Tabayer was back during Fashion Week with the second collection of her diamond and gemstone jewelry centering around the third eye, a symbol of protection in the Mediterranean and Middle Eastern cultures. Designed to complement the existing collection of initial pendants and bracelets launched in March, each of which signifies a character trait, the new Third Eye Series focuses on rings and earrings inspired by the emblem through the clean contrast of white gold, diamond pave and emeralds, in a refined addition to the line.

Gaya de Garnazelle

Gaya de Garnazelle is a sister brand to Céline Rivet’s high-end boutique artistic jewelry house, Garnazelle and aimed at a slightly younger consumer, it’s all about love. A new collection of diamond wedding and commitment rings is designed to appeal to anyone celebrating a union, with organic waveforms providing a contemporary update to the classic band, alongside charm necklaces, earrings, and signet rings to complete a wedding look.

Credit to: Kate Matthams