Following the shift from Awakened Hands to Awakened Minds, this High Jewelry collection orchestrates the progression of savoir faire and science to renew the century’s cultural mobility and the advent of mechanization. Drawing on the malleability of precious metals and Louis Vuitton’s taste for remarkable gems, the jewelry presented here activates, interlocks, and animates the Maison’s unique ability to make artistry of technical mastery.
The second chapter of Awakened Hands, Awakened Minds resumes the journey through 19th century France’s innovations in craftsmanship and science with 7 themes and 50 extraordinary pieces inspired by the era’s visionary breakthroughs. Spurred by a deeper understanding of the world, and the advent of mobility, ateliers begin to experiment with other forms, materials, and techniques, broadening their skills and scope. True to the “awakened” ethos and Francesca Amfitheatrof’s unique ability to interpret and render the era’s industriousness and craft, the collection pulses with creative acceleration.
Befittingly, this testament to innovation introduces a men’s capsule that includes a compass, a pocket watch, and broaches, linking the era’s taste makers to the jewelry they inspired. Reflected in the wide-ranging designs, Louis Vuitton’s strong woman is ever-present and tantamount to the country’s evolution. Like the newly independent artisans who experienced a broadening of their scope and skills, the Maison’s vision continues to this day. From the LV Star cut Élégance Diamond headband, to the extraordinary yellow diamonds and exquisite stones that light up the second part of this collection, France’s appreciation for beauty knows no bounds.
Splendeur
Elaborately handcrafted, the exquisite range of designs in Splendeur evoke the ornate craftsmanship celebrated throughout France’s imperial palaces. The floral motifs embedded in the era’s royal furnishings inspire an homage to history, by dedicating its intricate techniques to reinterpret Louis Vuitton’s iconic Monogram flower. Accented by supple, openwork patterns, the distinct petals in the pendant’s design alternate patterns of yellow gold and platinum with elegantly set Diamond pinpricks that highlight the flower’s anatomy and movements. Central to the pendant’s iconic motif, are the 8,69 carat Rubies from Mozambique which feature prominently throughout Splendeur. Anchored by another Ruby, the diamond and gold chain balance the pendants with refined sophistication. The matching rings, and earrings that complete Splendeur’s extraordinary contribution to this tradition of excellence reflect the jeweler’s artform’s and testament to the era’s creative marvels.
Phénoménal
Inspired by France’s art of porcelain, with its famed latticework, ornate details, and colorful layers, the jeweler’s penchant for detail and innovation harmonizes its strength. A masterpiece in a collection of masterful designs, Phénoménal’s rope motif reaffirms Amfitheatrof’s signature use of bold and geometric articulation in a necklace rich in Louis Vuitton iconography. Rounded in a pattern of interlaced Diamond set baguettes, threaded links of Diamond set rings, the design’s central strand is woven in gold and Diamonds to evoke the Maison’s signature V. Taking center stage, under an LV Monogram Star cut Diamond, an exquisite 7,44 carat Emerald from Colombia. Sourced by the Maison’s expert gemologist, it magnifies Phénoménal’s open weave complexity.
New to the High Jewelry collection, is the men’s capsule which renews a historical tradition by highlighting the jeweler’s skill and the Maison’s penchant for boundless creativity. In a compliment to the collection’s universal appeal, an elegant compass highlights the jeweler’s awakened hands to denote an object of rare intricacy. Combining curved lines to engrave and design the space between them, the hand-crafted metalwork of the watch face is the perfect setting for geometry in motion. With Diamonds shards framing the composition, and the chain anchored by a 4,55 carat Tsavorite at the top. The watch case plays up the woven motif to host a 2,71 carat Tsavorite with a 2,16 carat Tsavorite. Throughout the open weave necklaces, bracelet, rings, earrings, and the introduction of a compass and watches, Louis Vuitton lays claim to an inheritance of timeless Élégance and intricacy that continues to defy what is possible.
Élégance
A delicate white gold and LV Monogram Star cut Diamond headband crowns Louis Vuitton as the emissary of the era. Worn across the forehead, the geometric trellis evokes the work of awakened hands and the mastery of awakened minds to come. Playing with tradition and the collection’s homage to inventions, the headband introduces an intricately feminine delicacy to the Maison’s graphic codes. Perfectly aligned to move with the body, the LV Monogram Star cut Diamond motif is woven into each design with remarkably fine execution. In the open weave grid of a transformable bracelet that converges in a V-shaped layout linking the Diamond threaded chain, to Élégance’s headlining LV Monogram Star cut Diamond. The same design is equally and beautifully rendered in two pairs of earrings. The first evokes a cascading tapestry of interlocked LV Monogram Star cut Diamonds while the second simply showcases its purity. In a masterful rendition of subtle workmanship that plays up Élégance’s focus on the total 22 carats of LV Monogram Star cut Diamonds, the delicately curated jewels, which include a transformable bracelet and a broach, crown this collection in a virtuoso act of unparalleled beauty and craft.
The extraordinary relationship that would advance and transform the work of the ateliers, takes center stage in the second part, by engaging and exposing the themes that catapulted France into the age of modernity. Celebrated throughout the World Fairs, ingenuity engineered a new design mechanism, engaging hand to mind in a new aesthetic language.
Gravité
Powered by the era’s advances and the advent of mobility, Gravité follows Foucault’s delineations with scientific precision and an eye for the invisible. Like the Pendulum, that etched its 360-degree petal shaped gravitational pull across the sand, Louis Vuitton’s design achieves harmony in juxtaposition and velocity in interaction, by alluding to the precious metals as conduits. Perfectly balanced, Gravité plays with different settings and Diamond cuts to channel the eye and highlight the designer’s intention. Rectangular, triangular and round pave set Diamonds line the strands to articulate graphic exactitude. Threading and overlapping to form a V shaped pendant that holds a breathtaking and detachable 6,48 carat Saphire from Kashmir. Set in perfect symmetry, two additional 4,38 and 2,13 carat Sapphires from Kashmir anchor the pendant from above endowing the articulation and complex superposition with the power of motion. This white gold Diamond and Sapphire necklace required 2,058 hours of work. Like the similarly inspired three stranded collared necklace which mimics the interplay of geometric patterns and overlay, the quality of the 27,20 carat star Sapphire is hypnotizing. Similarly inspired, the rings and bracelets follow the design’s graphic exactitude while energizing luminosity and movement. The headlining power of Gravité is emphasized in the setting and movement of the matching bracelet and rings, which like both necklaces, punctuate each hypnotic design with a showstopping Sapphire.
MindsDynamisme
The dynamic quality of this new design language lights the way to the era’s modern collectivism. In this highly structural necklace, the working alignment of each link powers into motion in a series of strong graphic codes. Like the travel phenomenon that placed Louis Vuitton at the forefront of innovation, Dynamisme propels the vision and ambition of the Maison’s high jewelry collection in a graphic rendition of interconnectedness in motion. The 3D effect of this two-strand, open chevron motif places a strong emphasis on technical prowess. Like the bicycle and the engine, the links work in tandem to relay their visual effect. The use of platinum and yellow gold accentuates the triangular contrast at play to accelerate the design’s directionality. Angularly set in yellow gold, the round Diamonds reference Louis Vuitton’s V in a domino effect that leads the eye to two strategically placed 1,59 carat LV Monogram Star cut Diamonds. Set in a baguette frame, the interlocking square shaped Diamonds snake through this supple and geometric design to home in on Dynamisme’s power center. A tribute to the times, and Louis Vuitton’s expert rendition, the LV Monogram Star cut Diamond holds the focal point of the open chevron necklaces, bracelet, earrings, and rings, to claim their beauty and power in a rare display of savoir faire that sets luxury at the apex of innovation.
Vision
Vision, the necklace that takes its cue from the flourishing industriousness of the times, explores the relationship to the railway’s mechanization by harnessing the power of travel. Playing with links and luxuriously revisited rivets to articulate each tier of this multis-stranded necklace, the use of Platinum, yellow gold and Diamonds mirror the marvels coming to life throughout the industrial revolution. Set on alternating Diamond baguettes, and rivets, yellow gold triangles propel the Maison’s codes on an expansive quest that powers the design’s intricacy as the circle expands. Pulsing with inner light, the arrow shaped baguettes create a coded grid that keeps multiplying and energizing as it funnels Louis Vuitton’s vision. Together, they draw on the era’s inventions to affirm the Maison’s symbolic allegiance. Drawn out in rectangular Diamond baguettes that fuel the lower tier of the necklace with the full power of its precious wattage, the geometric significance of the design, which took 2,504 hours to make, evokes its function.
Showstopping in its architectural splendor, this extraordinary testament to creativity, plays with the inner and outer workings of refinement to draw a parallel between the great discoveries in energy and modern metals that engineered the marvels of the railway. Set amidst interwoven Diamonds, a rare 50.01 carat Octogonal step-cut yellow Sapphire from Sri Lanka, radiating purity and the golden intensity of the sun, calls the artistry of this necklace to attention. Delicately set below the sapphire and cradled in the Diamond set V design pattern, a 3,07 carat LV Monogram Star cut Diamond pays tribute to the pantheon of awakened minds. Highlighting the essence of luxury and its majestic complexity, Vision presents a beautifully articulated series that weave the chevron motif throughout the necklaces, bracelets, earrings, and rings to celebrate the legacy of an enlightened nation.
Victoire
Among the collection’s masterpieces, is Louis Vuitton’s ode to the Eiffel Tower. Victoire honors the Parisian landmark’s feat of engineering in a highly inventive interpretation of unparalleled savoir faire and technical ambition representing more than 3 923 hours of work. Headlining the lineup, a showstopping high collared necklace, intricately constructed in its architecture and artistry, to exemplify the visionary leitmotif that correlates Awakened Hands to Awakened Minds. Likened to the tower, the impressive geometric workmanship dips and directs the eye to the Maison’s V. Hosting a remarkable 10,43 D IF carat and 3.08 D IF carat LV Monogram Star cut Diamond of never-before-seen technical mastery, these remarkable stones telegraph the design’s lit-from-within passion. Running the length of the multitiered tiered necklace, 33 Yellow Diamonds are strategically set in a luminous chorus line that amplifies Victoire’s ode to modernity. Equally striking, two impressive 5,05 and 5,07-carat Yellow Diamonds pendant earrings are the most precious in Louis Vuitton’s high jewelry collection to date. Articulating Victoire’s ingenuity, a companion bracelet with a 3.98 carat Yellow Diamond, and a 2,56 carat ring explore the graphic world and its mobility, likening this rendition of the Eiffel Tower to the architectural marvel that is a body in motion. With bold intricacy and structural agility, that on occasion hint at the surrealism to come, Victoire crowns this collection as Louis Vuitton’s visionary tribute to the 19th century.
Rarely has a collection delved into a historical rendition so sensitively attuned to the real-life dynamics taking shape
at the time. And in so doing set forth on a voyage of discovery that knows no bounds. Awakened Hands, Awakened Minds
articulates the relationship of craft and science in a journey of iconic beauty. Envisioned by Francesca Amfitheatrof,
Louis Vuitton’s Artistic Director of Jewelry and Watches, the country’s patrimony is a jeweler’s legacy for the world.
