Editor’s Note
**Editor’s Note:** This piece explores how Hermès’ latest high jewelry collection, “Into the Horsescape,” reinterprets its equestrian roots through abstract symbols rather than literal depictions, highlighting creative director Pierre Hardy’s focus on heritage and craftsmanship.
Hermès Draws Inspiration for Jewelry from ‘This Animal’
The horse rarely makes a direct appearance. Instead, saddles, bits, and lassos—equestrian tools—showcase Hermès’ heritage. Through the new high jewelry collection ‘Into the Horsescape’, Pierre Hardy focuses on the symbol of the horse rather than the animal itself.
by Kim Na-hye
2026.07.13
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Hermès began with the horse. Earlier this month, the brand unveiled its ninth high jewelry collection, ‘INTO THE HORSESCAPE’, in Paris, France. At the heart of this collection are elements that evoke the horse more than the horse itself. Various equestrian elements—saddles, bits, and lassos—are reinterpreted as jewels, translating the brand’s roots into modern high jewelry.
White gold Etreintes Necklace set with white diamonds and an 11.27-carat cabochon pear-cut emerald © Julien Martinez Leclerc
Hermès Jewelry Creative Director, Pierre Hardy / Image source: Pierre Hardy Instagram @pierrehardy
Pierre Hardy, Creative Director of Hermès Jewelry, is a designer who maximizes body movement and structural aesthetics based on his studies in dance and plastic arts. Since 1990, he has designed Hermès shoes, and since 2001, he has also served as Jewelry Creative Director, establishing the house’s modern visual identity. He prioritizes form and architectural structure over the brilliance of gems, emphasizing silhouettes that are completed only when worn. He reinterprets Hermès’ traditional heritage—such as chains, horses, and the lock mechanisms of Kelly and Birkin bags—into modern, geometric designs. By infusing the traditionally decorative world of high jewelry with sculptural modernity and wit, he has built a unique identity for Hermès jewelry. He defines this collection as a “metonymic collection.” Based on his dance background, he has explored movement, balance, and three-dimensional forms, imbuing his jewelry with a personal sculptural language.
Etreintes Necklace combining white and brown diamonds with rose brown tourmaline to achieve what Pierre Hardy calls ‘painterly color’ ⓒ Guido Mocafico
In this collection, the horse does not appear in direct form. Instead, symbols of equestrian culture—saddles, bits, horseshoes—unfold Hermès’ long-standing heritage in a new way. Pierre Hardy explains, “I handled gemstones in a painterly way, as if painting with color,” completing deep color and light flow through combinations of various stones.
A prime example is the ÉTREINTES necklace. Reinterpreting the curve of an equestrian bit, this piece is densely set with white and brown diamonds, accented by three rose brown cabochon-cut tourmalines, embodying the painterly beauty Hardy describes.
«LASSO DISCO Necklace»
The most striking aspect of this collection is the transformation of practical equestrian tools into high jewelry. The LASSO DISCO necklace is a high jewelry piece crafted from baguette-cut white diamonds and white gold. Densely arranged baguette-cut diamonds depict the twisted form of a lasso, while a balanced asymmetrical design captures natural movement and vitality. It goes beyond simple repetition of straight lines, showcasing a three-dimensional beauty where light and structure harmonize.
«ÉTREINTES Cuff Bracelet and Earrings»
The ÉTREINTES cuff bracelet, set with white diamonds in white gold, features a design inspired by the elegant curves of an equestrian bit. Interlocking curves gently wrap the wrist, completing a sculptural beauty. The meticulously set white diamonds, combined with white gold, exude both restrained elegance and modern sensibility.
The ÉTREINTES earrings are crafted from white gold, set with white diamonds and drop-shaped emeralds weighing 10.63 carats and 11.12 carats. The design modernizes the curve of an equestrian bit, with deep, vivid emeralds adding a focal point. The two emeralds were carefully selected not only for size but also for color, transparency, and balance when paired, their drop form swaying naturally to complete an elegant presence.
«SELLETTE Bracelet»
The SELLETTE bracelet is a high jewelry piece inspired by an 18th-century miniature saddle from the Émile Hermès collection in Faubourg, Paris, which caught Pierre Hardy’s eye. Hardy reinterpreted the saddle’s delicate structure and decorative elements into a wrist-sized piece while preserving the original object’s detail and balance. The satin-brushed black ceramic-coated titanium evokes the patina of leather deepening over time, while intricately carved yellow gold, white gold, and white and brown diamonds come together to complete the saddle’s decorative elements as modern jewelry. This bracelet, where traditional equestrian objects meet cutting-edge materials, translates past craftsmanship into a modern sculptural language.
«CLOU DE FORGE LUMIÈRE Necklace»
The CLOU DE FORGE LUMIÈRE necklace is inspired by the iron nails that secure horseshoes. It reinterprets a rough, functional element into high jewelry, capturing Hermès’ unique aesthetic. Set in white gold with white diamonds and five pear-cut white diamonds, the piece uses the ‘pavage matière’ technique—arranging diamonds in a staggered pattern—to achieve a delicate yet three-dimensional brilliance.
As Pierre Hardy says, these Hermès pieces flow flexibly with the body’s movement, offering the wearer a special moment where time seems to stand still.
This collection translates Hermès’ starting point—the horse—into modern high jewelry. Elements associated with the horse—saddles, bits, lassos, horseshoes—are reborn as new objects through over 90 pieces. Unfolding Hermès’ identity through the symbol rather than the horse itself—that is the greatest charm of ‘Into the Horsescape’.