News Jewelry News

【Japan】6 High Jewelry Pieces Where ‘Craftsmanship’ Shines: Deciphering the Value of Proof from Three Perspectives

Jun 26, 2024

Editor’s Note

**Editor’s Note:** This piece highlights Damiani’s commitment to sourcing exceptional gemstones, exemplified by a rare 10.54-carat unheated Madagascar sapphire. It underscores the importance of a jeweler’s network and credibility in acquiring stones of such beauty and value.

1. [Gemstone | Stone]

The ability to source gemstones of absolute beauty and value is a testament to a jeweler’s established network and credibility.
[Damiani]
Savoring the rare cornflower blue among sapphires
Ring [Sapphire 10.54ct x Diamonds total 2.27ct x WG] ¥28,468,000 (Damiani / Damiani Ginza Tower tel.03-5537-3336)
Born in Valenza and still run as a family business by three brothers, Damiani. The 10.54-carat unheated sapphire from Madagascar, sourced by the third son Giorgio who inherited his father’s discerning eye for gemstones, is a rare stone with a highly saturated, elegant blue likened to a cornflower.
To make the most of its rare color, the ring is set with diamonds surrounding it in a three-dimensional setting, combining beauty with asset value.

“The ‘Craftsmanship’ Residing Here: For rare gemstones, details, design, and three-dimensionality that maximize their color and shape are crucial. The setting of the surrounding diamonds and the polishing of even the inside of small holes on the back to capture light amplify the beauty of this special sapphire.”

[Graff]
The story of the girl who made the stars, depicted through a chain of diamond brilliance and transparency
Earrings [Diamonds total 11.13ct x WG] ¥33,900,000 (Graff / Graff Diamonds Japan tel.0120-667-687)
The beauty of contrast created by combining a large, transparent emerald-cut diamond with sharply brilliant baguette-cut diamonds and dazzling round brilliant-cut diamonds.
Inspired by the story of the girl who made the stars, this collection’s precise combination of diamond cuts creates a more dramatic impression. It represents the ‘Sun’ and the ‘Moon’, and the ‘Time’ signifying the flow of their interchange.

“The ‘Craftsmanship’ Residing Here: Graff, known as the ‘King of Diamonds’ of the 21st century, has handled many large, top-quality, historic diamonds. Its high ability to source gems through discerning taste and special connections fulfills various client requests and realizes diverse designs.”

2. [Engraving]

The masterful skill of completing highly unique designs into beautiful and comfortable jewelry is truly one of a kind.

[Piaget]
A ring that rotates smoothly, born from skills cultivated in watchmaking
Ring [Diamonds total 1.75ct x PG x WG] ¥4,928,000 (Piaget tel.0120-73-1874)
The ‘Possession’ collection is renowned for its novel and playful mechanism where overlapping ring parts rotate freely and smoothly. The new piece, launched to commemorate the maison’s 150th anniversary, features a three-dimensional chain-like motif crafted in pink gold and white gold, delicately set with diamonds.
Spinning it is said to bring good luck, making it a ‘lucky ring’ that hints at positive changes ahead.

“The ‘Craftsmanship’ Residing Here: Piaget started in 1874 in La Côte-aux-Fées, Switzerland, manufacturing watch movements and components. The surprisingly smooth rotation structure of ‘Possession’ is a patented, closely guarded secret. It is the fruit of meticulous technology and craftsmanship perfected in ‘movement’.”

[Buccellati]
Traditional techniques by goldsmiths, elevated to the realm of art
Bracelet [Diamonds total 1.87ct x YG x WG] ¥11,385,000 (Buccellati tel.03-4461-8336)
Buccellati has experimented with and refined traditional Italian goldsmithing techniques—such as openwork, surface texturing, and hand-twisted wire—for over a century, making them uniquely its own.
This bracelet, crafted in 2018 by third-generation Andrea Buccellati, geometrically expresses a central honeycomb motif inspired by nature and diamond-set diamond-shaped petals. The silk-like texture achieved through the ‘Rigato’ technique adds a more brilliant impression.

“The ‘Craftsmanship’ Residing Here: An engraving technique where skilled artisans hand-carve countless fine, parallel lines onto the gold surface. It emits an elegant luster and a silk-like texture. This high-level engraving skill gives Buccellati jewelry a depth of expression recognizable at a glance.”

3. [Molding]

Forms calculated down to the micron are realized through the harmonious dialogue between designer and artisan.
[Pomellato]
A necklace that makes the chain itself, a fundamental jewelry item, the protagonist

Necklace [Diamonds total 15.00ct x Black Diamonds total 13.00ct x WG] ¥14,289,000 (Pomellato tel.0120-926-035)
Founded in 1967 in Milan, Italy, by Pino Rabolini, born into a family of goldsmiths, Pomellato places the chain at the heart of the brand, constantly evolving it.
This high jewelry model from the ‘Catene’ collection (Italian for ‘chains’) is a masterpiece of craftsmanship, with white and black diamonds delicately set on the curved surfaces of the chain. The two-tone contrast creates an edgy, contemporary style.

“The ‘Craftsmanship’ Residing Here: The chain, with each link perfectly and smoothly connected, is entirely handcrafted. Many artisans are involved in creating a single necklace. By keeping the thickness low and finishing it flat, it has a strong presence while naturally conforming to the décolletage.”

[Fred]
A sophisticated lucky motif that seems to offer infinite possibilities
Necklace [Diamonds total 4.50ct x Rubies total 1.82ct x PG] ¥8,866,000 (Fred tel.03-5635-7040)
Inspired by the lemniscate (figure eight) symbolizing infinity and eternity, the ‘Force 10’ collection is an iconic motif representing Fred.
This boldly designed necklace features a dramatic combination of rubies and diamonds, exquisitely tightened by black rhodium-plated gold. At the tips, two unheated rubies from Mozambique, one large and one small, dangle like drops.

“The ‘Craftsmanship’ Residing Here: A necklace where rubies and diamonds are meticulously and smoothly set, one by one, on the curved surface of the strongly curved lemniscate motif. As if two shimmering ribbons intertwine up and down, it creates an impactful, natural line.”

Photography = Masanori Akao (whiteSTOUT) Styling = Misaki Ito Text = Tomoko Shimizui Editing = Sachiko Tomizawa, Yukie Sudo, Seika Ida, Aya Sato (Fujingaho Editorial Department)
From Fujingaho July 2024 issue
■ ‘Craftsmanship’ is Eternal | Jewelry conveying the true value of craftsmanship
1. Keiko Honma discusses jewelry and the ‘evolution of craftsmanship’
2. 9 latest jewelry pieces imbued with the ‘craftsmanship’ of jewelers
3. 6 masterpieces shining with ‘ultimate craftsmanship’ to pass on to the future (this article)

4. 4 crystallizations of Japan’s proud ‘aesthetics of craftsmanship’ (scheduled for 6/30 release)

Full article: View original |
⏰ Published on: June 26, 2024