Editor’s Note
**Editor’s Note:** This piece explores the resurgence of torque jewellery, tracing its evolution from ancient symbolism to modern minimalism. We examine how designers like Cartier and Hong Kong’s Chantel Shafie are reimagining this bold, open-ended silhouette for contemporary wardrobes, proving that timeless craftsmanship and versatile design remain the true markers of luxury.
Jewellery
Bold, sculptural torque jewellery is enjoying a revival – minimalist, versatile and redefining modern luxury with timeless wearability.
Torque-style jewellery – defined by its circular or oval silhouette, usually left open at the front, ending in ornamental spheres or gems perhaps – has a long history. Some of the most recognisable torque motifs in high jewellery include Cartier’s Juste un Clou (meaning “just a nail”), envisioned as a nail bent into pieces of jewellery; Graff’s Laurence Graff Signature diamond bangles; and Tiffany & Co.’s T by Tiffany collection, with pieces finished with a “T” at each end.
While the style has been around for a long time, there’s a renewed focus on the form, says Chantel Shafie, founder of Hong Kong-based Chantel Shafie Jewellery. In April, the fine jewellery brand launched the Ravello Collection, which features earrings, necklaces, a ring, a bangle and – at the heart of it all – a torque collar that can be worn open or closed, with a spectacular five-carat emerald-cut diamond that can be detached and worn on a ring or bangle.
Torque styles can feel more refined and contemporary, and that comes down to proportion and line, she notes.
In the Ravello collection, a graduated pavé – where the pavé-set stones subtly shift in size and density – creates a sense of movement, drawing the eye along the curve. The pavé is more concentrated at the ends, tapering into a fine line to trace the piece’s length. The removable central diamond in the torque collar requires a very precise hand-forged mechanism developed in Shafie’s Hong Kong atelier to be both secure and easy to wear, she says.
For Anastasia Gardner, founder of Hong Kong-based Valentina Fine Jewellery, torque bracelets are “about tension and restraint”, she says.
It’s never overly engineered or bulky, she adds.
