Masterpiece London 2017: The Best Of The Best Jewels

The "Music on my Mind" necklace by Wallace Chan. All photos by Anthony DeMarco

My first trip to the Masterpiece London art fair, held June 28 – July 5, was short but nevertheless fruitful. There were 16 firms that presented jewelry at the annual art fair. They was a lot of diversity among contemporary and modern jewelry designers and branded firms that sell both period and modern pieces, and dealers of period and antique jewels. There were a number of exceptional pieces and quite a bit of variety.

Wallace Chan’s new pieces were whimsical and wild and wonderful. His standout piece was the colorful “Music on my Mind,” necklace, a titanium and gemstone masterpiece that appears like an extended bejeweled collar that floats and bounces on the neck when worn. The focal point of the necklace are seven, six-sided pendants made of lapis lazuli, crystal and a Burma ruby center stone. The piece was commissioned by a client who owned the Burmese rubies (more than 56 carats). Chan said he held onto the gems for many years until he decided on an appropriate design. The necklace comes with matching earrings and ring.

There were other exceptional pieces from Chan, including a colorful, gem-encrusted brooch (pictured above and below) that shimmered and an example of his famous “Wallace Cut,” an unconventional carving technique that creates a multi-layered, 3D relief illustration in transparent materials.

Chan began his artistic career as a sculptor and in recent years has returned to this art form, which he says he will continue. In his exhibition space was a large piece titled “A Dream of a Generation.” The focal point is a face of a person with suspended arms folded, with the right arm gripping the top of the left arm. Above the head is a bejeweled butterfly and spotlight behind, captures the shadow of the insect on the wall. The eyes on the face are just slightly open. Chan explained that he is in a semi-state of consciousness, being both in a dreamlike world while alert enough to be in the moment. He said the man’s unconscious self is looking inward at his internal struggles, while managing that struggle with the challenges of the world around him.

"A Dream of a Generation" sculpture by Wallace Chan

Tsavorite earrings and a tsavorite and copper ring by Hemmerle

Hemmerle presented its share of impressive artistic creations with new unique pieces that focus on combining precious gems with materials normally not associated with jewelry making. Its work with fashioning aluminum in ways never thought possible is well known. This year the Munich-based firm presented a few pieces that use copper and bronze. Among them is a ring with the metal darkened in grayish tones with a faceted tsavorite center stone. It could easily be paired with tsavorite and silver earrings that featured a rough textured cut that enhanced the sparkle. It’s a technique that is often used by the firm.

Various Grima rings cleverly displayed

The London firm Grima—founded by Andrew Grima, known for his modernist designs of the 1960s, and since his death in 2007, continued by his wife, Jojo and daughter, Francesca—presented a full complement of creative works, all cleverly displayed. Among the pieces that stood out was a large green tourmaline crystal pendant necklace set in white gold and diamonds, originally designed by Andrew, and a multicolored necklace made with amethysts, diamonds, tourmalines, citrines and aquamarines set in yellow gold, by Jojo.

Well crafted bejeweled crustaceans by Theo Fennell

One of the most outrageous and popular London jewelry designers, Theo Fennell, presented his whimsical pieces. The luxury jeweler was recently pulled out of bankruptcy protection by a “turnaround firm.” There are a lot of people in London’s jewelry industry breathing a sigh of relief that his jewels and personality will continue to be a fixture in the city. The pieces on view ranged from his iconic skulls to highly detailed sea crustaceans to more traditional opal jewels.

An aquamarine heart brooch wrapped with braided strands of gold by Verdura

The brands, Verdura and Belperron, were also on hand presenting collectable pieces and recently created jewels based on the drawings of the two iconic designers. Verdura was the most prevalent with highlights that included a large chunky peridot necklace and an aquamarine heart brooch, wrapped with braided strands of gold.

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Bulgari’s High Jewelry Collection Is A Colorful Italian Celebration

Platinum necklace set with a 19-carat cushion Sri Lanka sapphire, 17 South-sea pearls, 82 emerald beads, nine sapphires beads, 40 fancy diamonds and diamond pavé

There are few countries in the world whose people know how to celebrate life like Italy.

The Italian luxury brand, Bulgari, known nearly as much for presenting a lavish lifestyle as for its luxurious jewels, has put together a collection of more than 100 colorful jewels and watches that represents the diversity of Italian celebrations.

Lucia Silvestri, Bulgari Jewelry Creation & Gem Buying director, said the new collection named “Festa” (Italian for party) is inspired by the celebrations held throughout the country. It includes historical and modern-day festivals as well as children and adult celebrations. Some of the jewels are linked to women of Italian royalty known for their outrageous lives, loves and festas.

This horse head brooch is made with 18k white gold with 26 rubies, 24 trapezoidal step diamonds and diamond pavé

“The main inspiration of the Festa collection is happiness. Joy, and sharing that joy with others in a public or private celebration is very much part of the Italian art de vivre,” Silvestri said. “This is something you can find in Rome, in Venice, in Tuscany, in Puglia, everywhere in Italy. The Festa runs deep in our way of life. The theme is closely linked to Bulgari, as one of the purposes of our jewels is to give joy and happiness to the women who wear them.”

This gift wrapped necklace is made of 18k pink gold with yellow green chalcedony, 38 diamonds and diamond pavè

Two pieces in the collection, the Palio necklace and bracelet, refer to the Tuscan city of Siena and its legendary horse race: the Palio, which dates back to the Middle Ages. The race normally takes place twice a year in July and August. The colors of Siena’s 17 contrade (districts), whose riders participate in the race, are included in the two jewels. Silvestri said Bulgari worked for months in close collaboration with city authorities to get the 17 colors of the contrade right. Two necklaces and two pairs of earrings are inspired by two of the 17 contrade: la Pantera and la Lupa. Horses used in the races are present in the form of in diamond, ruby and onyx brooches.

This sweet ice cream treat is a brooch made with 18k pink gold with three buff-top rubies and diamond pavé

The Tarantella—a rapid whirling dance celebration in southern Italian regions of Calabria, Puglia and Sicily—is often performed at weddings and private celebrations. However, there’s an annual festival where people can dance until dawn. A necklace in the form of spiders’ nests; and two sautoirs, a bracelet and a pair of earrings are inspired by the popular folk dance.

Platinum necklace set with a 26-carat round cabochon Colombia emerald, 47 round brilliant cut diamonds, 90 buff top Emeralds, 36 baguette cut diamonds and diamond pavé

Some of the jewels in the collection are designed to bring back childhood memories with the use of gold, enamel, diamonds, tourmalines, turquoises, coral and jade. Bulgari calls them “happy jewels,” which range from sweet desserts to party favors. They include rings that depict pistachio, lemon and raspberry, chocolate and cream cakes. Precious balloon necklaces and earrings made of gold, diamonds and colored gems are also part of the collection.

This platinum necklace is mounted with a 53-carat round Colombia emerald, eight pear shaped diamonds, eight emeralds, 31 pear-shaped diamonds and round diamond pavè

“We have explored new alliances of stones and colors,” Silvestri said. “In some jewels, the green of emeralds is mixed with the blue of sapphires and the pink of spinels.”

Rome, the home of Bulgari, gets special recognition with a number of pieces, including the Monete Secret-Watch pendant is a statement piece. A silver tetradrachm (an Ancient Greek silver coin) depicting the profile of Alexander the Great, the King of Macedonia and Conqueror of the Persian Empire, decorates the front cover of the octagonal pendant—made of pink gold, diamonds and rubies— opens to reveal a skeletonized dial, exposing the in-house tourbillon caliber BVL 208.

18k pink gold necklace set with five pink rubellite tourmalines, four purple double rose amethysts, 83 bead sapphires (31,84 ct) and diamond pavé

Others pieces that reflect the “Eternal City” are a ruby ring that depicts the Piazza Navona; and a 12.10-carat ruby set in the pendant of a necklace surrounded by diamonds. The color represents the official coat of arms of the city.

Platinum ring centered with a 15-carat emerald-cut diamond (D FL) and diamond pavé

More than 30 jewels are dedicated to three Italian princesses: Maria Mancini, Principessa Colonna (1639-1715), Paolina Bonaparte, Principessa Borghese (1780-1825), and Margherita di Savoia, Regina d’Italia (1851-1926). Among the highlights are a sautoir set with a 26.10-carat cabochon emerald, a 41.98-carat bead emerald and 104 South Seas Akoya pearls; a ring and necklace set with a cabochon emerald; and a secret bangle-watch.

Bulgari's new collection brings la dolce vita to high jewelry.

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Embattled Signet Jewelers CEO, Mark Light, Resigns Due To ‘Health Reasons’

Signet Jewelers new CEO, Virginia “Gina” C. Drosos

Signet Jewelers Ltd., the world’s largest retailer of diamond jewelry, has named Virginia “Gina” C. Drosos as its new CEO, effective August 1. She will replace Mark Light, who served as CEO since October 2014. 

Light, who has been an executive at Signet for more than 35 years, is retiring due to “health reasons,” according to a company statement. 

Light has been struggling with allegations that stem from a class-action arbitration case dating back to 2008, alleging years of systemic, mass sexual harassment; and gender discrimination in pay and promotion. The case, which has now grown to 69,000 employees with these allegations dating back to the 1990s, was made public in February in a long, detailed Washington Post story that included interviews with some of the victims. 

Light was identified in the story, which reads in part: “Multiple witnesses told attorneys that they saw Light ‘being entertained’ as he watched and joined nude and partially undressed female employees in a swimming pool, according to the 2013 memorandum.”

The company denied the allegations at the time calling the Post story and subsequent press stories that followed, “distorted and inaccurate.” It reads in part: “(The) arbitration claim was brought against Sterling in 2008 that alleged gender discrimination in pay and promotion. None of the 69,000 class members have brought legal claims in this arbitration for sexual harassment or sexual impropriety. Since its filing, it has never included legal claims of sexual harassment or hostile work environment discrimination.”

At the time Light was head of Signet’s largest U.S. division, Sterling Jewelers, which includes the jewelry chain stores, Kay, Jared The Galleria of Jewelry and regional brands. This division currently makes up approximately 58 percent of Signet’s total sales.

“Given the company’s positive direction and my need to address some health issues, the board and I agreed that it is a good time for a transition,” Light said in a statement.

Drosos, a former beauty and consumer goods executive, has served as an independent director of the company’s board since 2012. She has nearly 30 years of executive leadership experience and previously served as president & CEO of Assurex Health and as a group president of Global Beauty Care at The Procter & Gamble Company. 

“She is a visionary and transformational leader with a proven track record of growing and scaling global businesses through winning strategies and innovation,” Stitzer said. “Gina’s experience brings a unique combination of demonstrated brand building, given her strong background in beauty, along with the creativity, flexibility and boldness of an entrepreneurial mindset. She also possesses a strong financial background, having managed multibillion dollar P&Ls through phases of high growth, while delivering cost reductions and operational efficiencies. As a member of the board since 2012, she is deeply familiar with Signet’s strategic vision.”

Drosos joined Signet’s Board of Directors in 2012, serving on the Compensation and Nomination and Corporate Governance committees. She is a member of the Board’s Customer Experience sub-committee focused on “OmniChannel” strategy and winning in fashion jewelry, as well as the board’s “Respect in the Workforce” committee focused on programs and policies to support the advancement and development of employees. 

Signet operates approximately 3,600 stores in the U.S., Canada and the U.K., primarily under the name brands of Kay Jewelers, Zales, Jared The Galleria Of Jewelry, H.Samuel, Ernest Jones, Peoples and Piercing Pagoda. 

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Georges Kern Leaves Richemont To Pursue An Ownership Role With Breitling

Georges Kern Photo by StephZibi - Wikipedia

Georges Kern, a 17-year veteran of Compagnie Financière Richemont, has resigned after nearly rising to the top position in the Swiss luxury goods company. 

“Richemont regrets to announce the resignation with immediate effect of Mr. Georges Kern,” the company said in a brief statement. Kern was head of Watchmaking, Marketing and Digital for Richemont, a newly-created position he held for fewer than four months, after an extremely successful 15-year leadership role with Richemont owned watch brand, IWC Schaffhausen. 

At the same time Jérôme Lambert, who had an equally successful runs as the head of Richemont owned luxury brands Montblanc and Jaeger-LeCoultre, took the newly-created position of head of Operations responsible for central and regional services and all its brands other than jewelry and watchmaking. 

The two executives were basically co-CEOs of Richemont reporting to its board of directors and Johann Rupert, chairman and founder of Richemont. The talk in the industry was that one of them would be tapped to fill the top spot. Both were already responsible for activities within their category for the 16 watch, jewelry and fashion brands the Geneva-based company owns. They include Cartier, Van Cleef & Arpels and Baume & Mercier. 

In addition, Richemont holds a 49% equity-accounted interest in the YOOX Net-A-Porter Group, a publicly traded eCommerce company.

“Georges has been offered an interesting opportunity to become an entrepreneur,” Rupert said in the Richemont statement. “He has had a very successful career at IWC Schaffhausen and we wish him well.”

According to reports, the entrepreneurial opportunity is a stake in rival watchmaker Breitling. The company was purchased by private equity firm, CVC Capital Partners, headquartered in Luxembourg. 

The Richemont statement notes that Kern has stepped down from Richemont’s senior executive committee and group management committee and will no longer be standing for election to the company’s board of directors at the forthcoming annual general meeting of shareholders.

Richemont’s watchmaking, marketing and digital activities will report to its senior executive committee. 

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Actress Margot Robbie Joins Watch Brand Richard Mille

Photo by Dennis Leupold for Opus reps

Actress Margot Robbie will partner with luxury watch brand, Richard Mille to produce a collection of women watches of which the proceeds will be donated to charity. 

“The watch we are working on embodies Richard Mille’s vision of horology; it’s beautiful, unique and modern. I can’t wait for everyone to see it,” Robbie said.

They will donate proceeds from the new products to Youngcare, a foundation committed to helping young Australians with high-care needs the opportunity to live with choice, independence and dignity.

Robbie, 27, is known for both her beauty and her ability to excel at high profile roles. She is perhaps best known for her breakout role in Martin Scorsese’s 2013 hit, The Wolf of Wall Street, in which she stars as the female lead opposite Leonardo DiCaprio. Her performance in the film garnered praise from critics and audiences—most notably for her authentic Brooklyn accent from the Aussie native.

The Wolf of Wall Street paved the way for other opportunities for Robbie. Roles included starring opposite Will Smith in Focus, a lead role in sci-fi thriller Z for Zachariah, starring as “Jane” in David Yates’ The Legend of Tarzan, as well as the iconic “Harley Quinn” in David Ayer’s Suicide Squad.

Photo by Dennis Leupold for Opus reps

This new partnership between Margot Robbie and Richard Mille “complements the very contemporary spirit of the collection in which Margot will bring her creative energy and her own interpretation of femininity as she participates in the design of several models,” the watch brand said in a statement.

Women the watch brand has partnered with in the past, include actresses Michelle Yeoh and Natalie Portman.

Robbie grew up on the Gold Coast of Australia and eventually moved to Melbourne where she began acting professionally at the age of 17. She appeared on Neighbors, Australia’s longest-running television serial, from 2008-2010. In 2011, Robbie moved to the United States to pursue her career and was cast in the television series, Pan Am.

Robbie can be seen next in Simon Curtis’ Goodbye Christopher Robin. She recently wrapped production on Craig Gillespie’s I, Tonya, which she stars in as Tonya Harding, and served as a producer under her production company, LuckyChap Entertainment. Robbie will soon begin production on Josie Rourke’s Mary Queen of Scots in which she will star as “Queen Elizabeth.”

Richard Mille is known for producing tonneau-shaped timepieces with high complications that use high-tech materials and modern crafting techniques. In addition to celebrity endorsements, the company partners with athletes ranging from Formula 1 racers to tennis stars, creating watches designed to be used in their athletic pursuits. 

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Christie’s Offers 300 Vintage Patek Watches In Special Selling Exhibition

Patek Philippe. 18k white gold ref.5270G 

Christie’s will host what it calls a “once in a lifetime” opportunity to purchase Patek Philippe vintage watches from an expertly curated collection of approximately 300 Patek timepieces. The private selling exhibition opened moments ago and will run till July 23 at its Rockefeller Center headquarters in New York.

The watches are from the mid-19th century to the 20th century ranging in price from $5,000 to $5 million. It will include several models new to the market. They are from various sources around the world, with some purchased from Christie’s decades ago and others from the original owners or families.

Patek Philippe. 18k rose gold ref.533R, manufactured in 1942 and sold in 1943

The Christie’s selling exhibition coincides with the much publicized Patek Philippe “Art of Watches Grand Exhibition” that will take place at Cipriani 42nd Street on the same days. John Reardon, Christie’s international head of watches, said the timing is no mere coincidence.

“With thousands of Patek Philippe collectors and enthusiasts converging on New York in July, it is the perfect time to celebrate all things Patek Philippe and offer collectors the chance to see and purchase exceptional museum quality watches,” he said. “This exhibition offers buyers the opportunity to own a piece of Patek Philippe’s history at all price points.”

Patek Philippe. 18k rose gold ref.5020R, manufactured in 1995

Reardon said his favorite part of the exhibition is being able to present 20th Century Patek watches in a way that shows the development of key complications, beginning at the reference 130 moving onward to the 530, 533, 591, 1579, 1463 and the split seconds 1436.

For perpetual chronographs the exhibit includes four 1518s and then a range of 2499s with examples in each series, Reardon said. With calendars, the exhibit shows the development starting with two examples of early triple calendar 96s and moving on to the presentation of superlative examples of the 1526, 2497, 2438, 3448, and 3450.

Patek Philippe. 18k gold ref. 1463J, manufactured in 1946, sold in 1947

“The icing on the cake is the total production run of the minute repeaters highlighted by seven early minute repeating wristwatches and nearly the entire run of modern discontinued minute repeaters, many with unique variants,” he said.

There will also be educational components to the exhibition with guided tours, lectures and watchmaking seminars with the goal of helping watch connoisseurs to be better collectors.

Patek Philippe, Perpetual Calendar, ref. 2438 being sold on Christie's watches online. Estimate: $150,000 - $250,000

The watches will be on public view at Christie’s Rockefeller Plaza galleries, alongside a display of 85 Patek Philippe pieces to be sold in a dedicated online auction July 13 - 27.

To complement the pieces on sale, there will be more than 20 historically important and rare Patek Philippe watches on display, loaned from global private collections, including many rare models that the watch world has never seen before in public or in horological literature, the auction house said. These includes what are described as “unicorn watches,” such as a Patek Philippe two tone “Reverso” cased wristwatch, a 3448 in white gold case “Senza Luna” with a confirmed extract from Patek Philippe, and an exceptional collection of early Patek Philippe minute repeaters.

James Ward Packard Patek Philippe ring watch

Other items on display include James Ward Packard’s Patek Philippe Walking Stick and Patek Philippe ring watch on view for the first time publicly. The walking stick features a Patek Philippe watch embedded onto the silver knob with a movement that is engraved with Packard’s name. The ring also has a movement and case bearing James Ward Packard's name.

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Tiffany Names Diesel Head Alessandro Bogliolo As New CEO

Tiffany & Co. said Thursday that it has named Alessandro Bogliolo, the former head of global apparel and accessories company, Diesel, as its next chief executive officer and newest board member. He will join the company on October 2.

Bogliolo, 52, is a veteran luxury industry executive who for the past four years led Diesel's efforts to revitalize its brand and enhance the customer experience, according to a statement by Tiffany. He also worked for 16 at Bulgari SpA, including in the roles of chief operating officer and executive VP of Jewelry, Watches & Accessories. During his career, Bogliolo has worked in a range of countries, including China, Singapore, Italy, France, Spain and the United States.

 “Today's announcement concludes the board's thorough process to identify and recruit an accomplished leader to position the Company for sustainable growth in the years ahead,” Michael J. Kowalski, chairman and interim CEO, said in a statement. “Alessandro has a well-deserved reputation for creativity and execution, having previously led a number of international brands to success and improved performance. I also believe that his vision and team-oriented approach make him an ideal fit with Tiffany’s long-standing values. Tiffany is an iconic brand and is at an important time in its history. We look forward to Alessandro and the Tiffany team delivering a distinctive vision of luxury and style to our customers around the world, while also focusing on driving attractive returns for our shareholders.”

“I am honored and excited by the opportunity to lead this remarkable company,” Bogliolo said. “Tiffany, with its legendary history, has always represented luxury, style, and an extraordinary standard of quality and excellence, and I look forward to working with the board and the rest of the Tiffany team to build on this foundation. It is my goal to continue to delight our customers with compelling product offerings, supported by best-in-class operations. I am committed to strengthening the company's position as one of the world's most important luxury brands and delivering value for all of our stakeholders.”

The new appointment is the latest development in leadership changes that began February 5, with the resignation of its former CEO, Frederic Cumenal, on Super Bowl Sunday, the same day it launched Lady Gaga as the face of its new fashion jewelry collection, Tiffany HardWear, with its first ever Super Bowl commercial prior to her halftime performance.

He was replaced in the interim by Michael J. Kowalski, the former longtime CEO of Tiffany’s and its current board chairman.

Later in the month the luxury jewelry retailer announced that it has increased its board of directors from 10 to 13 members. The most familiar name within the jewelry trade is Francesco Trapani, the former CEO of the Italian jewelry house, Bulgari. The other new members were also associated with high profile companies: Roger Farah, co-CEO of the fashion brand, Tory Burch, and James Lillie, the former CEO of the former consumer products conglomerate, Jarden Corp.

In the same announcement Kowalski said he plans to step down as board chairman.

Bogliolo started his career at the global consulting firm Bain & Co., after graduating from UniversitaÌ Bocconi with a degree in business administration and later completed the International Management Program at HEC Paris. According to his Linkedin profile, he also served as COO of North America for Sephora and as VP of sales and marketing in Greater China for the Piaggio Group, an Italian company that produces scooters, mopeds and motorcycles under several brand names.

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