Chaumet: Déferlante High Jewellery Transforms Diamonds Into Precious Waves

February 18, 2022

By Katerina Perez

5 min read

For more than two centuries, nature in all its manifestations has been an inexhaustible source of inspiration for the French jewellery maison Chaumet. With the new Déferlante High Jewellery capsule collection, the company has begun an exciting new chapter. Waves captured in motion come to life in eight creations.

As a continuation of the maison’s previous high jewellery capsule collection, Torsade de Chaumet, Déferlante is an ode to life and movement. In this collection, the designers focused on key Chaumet jewellery techniques: they turned to archival drawings, created a new tiara (not a single high jewellery collection created by the house can do without one), added transformations and exceptional D-E-F diamonds of VVS clarity. Unlike Torsade de Chaumet, in which rubies, sapphires and emeralds were used, all the Déferlante jewellery is monochrome, set with colourless diamonds.

Chaumet Déferlante ring in white gold, set with one pear-shaped E VVS2 diamond of 0.40 carat, brilliant-cut, princess-cut, baguette-cut and square-cut diamonds

Chaumet Déferlante ring in white gold, set with one pear-shaped E VVS2 diamond of 0.40 carat, brilliant-cut, princess-cut, baguette-cut and square-cut diamonds

 Chaumet Déferlante earrings in white gold, set with two emerald-cut E VVS2 diamonds of 1.52 and1.50 carats, brilliant-cut, princess-cut and baguette-cut diamonds

Chaumet Déferlante earrings in white gold, set with two emerald-cut E VVS2 diamonds of 1.52 and1.50 carats, brilliant-cut, princess-cut and baguette-cut diamonds

 Chaumet Déferlante brooch in white gold set with one emerald-cut F VVS2 diamond of 1.57 carat, brilliant-cut, princess-cut, square-cut and baguette-cut diamonds

Chaumet Déferlante brooch in white gold set with one emerald-cut F VVS2 diamond of 1.57 carat, brilliant-cut, princess-cut, square-cut and baguette-cut diamonds

 Chaumet Déferlante long earrings with fancy-cut diamonds

Chaumet Déferlante long earrings with fancy-cut diamonds

The story of this collection begins with the waterfall ornament that was presented by Joseph Chaumet at the Exposition Universelle in Paris back in 1900. Renowned for its finesse and technical skill, this precious object inspired the critic Roger Marx to write the following lines: “Of all jewellery, the largest, the most sumptuous, the most magical, the Devant de Corsage exhibited by Mr Chaumet owes its splendour less to the number than to the size of the diamonds, to the composition which controlled their use and which made the limpidness of the gems sparkle like the waves of a waterfall, like bursts of light.”

After 122 years, the same can be said for every Déferlante piece. Inspired by an archival drawing of a fountain, the tiara realistically captures the effect of rolling waves. This extremely complex motif is masterfully realised in white gold and 1,600 colourless diamonds cut in two different ways: step and brilliant. I want to draw your attention to the fact that if you compare two square stones, where one is a princess-cut diamond (a square, brilliant-cut), and the second is step-cut, you will see that they sparkle in different ways. In the case of the princess, there is a more intense play of light, while the radiance of a step-cut diamond is calmer, nobler. This is due to the fusion of not only different shapes and sizes of stones but also types of cutting, through which the maison’s craftsmen manage to convey all the power and energy of water.

A model wears the Chaumet Déferlante tiara in white gold

A model wears the Chaumet Déferlante tiara in white gold

 Chaumet Déferlante tiara in white gold set with one princess-cut D VVS2 diamond of 1.02 carat, two princess-cut E VVS2 diamonds of 1.02 carat each, two square-cut F VVS1 diamonds and further brilliant-cut, princess-cut, square-cut and baguette-cut diamonds

Chaumet Déferlante tiara in white gold set with one princess-cut D VVS2 diamond of 1.02 carat, two princess-cut E VVS2 diamonds of 1.02 carat each, two square-cut F VVS1 diamonds and further brilliant-cut, princess-cut, square-cut and baguette-cut diamonds

 The Chaumet Déferlante tiara is inspired by the shape of rolling waves

The Chaumet Déferlante tiara is inspired by the shape of rolling waves

 A closer look at the Chaumet Déferlante tiara in white gold

A closer look at the Chaumet Déferlante tiara in white gold

 Fancy-cut diamond details on the Chaumet Déferlante tiara in white gold

Fancy-cut diamond details on the Chaumet Déferlante tiara in white gold

The theme of the movement of water is continued by a three-row necklace. As if carried away by the current, the diamonds flow to the neckline and illuminate everything that surrounds them with a stream of light, reminiscent of drops of a wave hitting the shore. The central 3.57 carat diamond, which is especially clear and transparent, is cut in the shape of a pear, so beloved by Josephine de Beauharnais for its resemblance to a dewdrop. Why do her predilections matter to Chaumet? Because over the years she became the maison’s most devoted and renowned client, actively participating in its development in the jewellery industry.

Chaumet Déferlante necklace in white gold, set with brilliant-cut, princess-cut, pear-shaped, square-cut and baguette-cut diamonds

Chaumet Déferlante necklace in white gold, set with brilliant-cut, princess-cut, pear-shaped, square-cut and baguette-cut diamonds

While we are on the subject of prominent protagonists, when it comes to stones in the Déferlante collection, the 6.05 carat diamond that adorns the asymmetrical ring wins the title of the stone with the largest carat weight. But this is not the ring’s only surprise: thanks to its transformation, it can be worn with or without a diamond “froth”, like a solitaire. Whichever option you choose, the essential thrust of the collection will still be easy to read. It is difficult to imagine how many hours it took to select the composition for this metamorphosis because all the magic of Déferlante is based on the carefully calibrated placement of stones, their angle and the most open setting. It’s a wonderful illusion of chaos, behind which there are so many hours of painstaking work!

Chaumet Déferlante transformable ring in white gold, set with one emerald-cut F VVS1 diamond of 6.05 carats, brilliant-cut, princess-cut, square-cut and baguette-cut diamonds

Chaumet Déferlante transformable ring in white gold, set with one emerald-cut F VVS1 diamond of 6.05 carats, brilliant-cut, princess-cut, square-cut and baguette-cut diamonds

 The Chaumet Déferlante transformable ring is set with a 6.05 carat emerald-cut diamond

The Chaumet Déferlante transformable ring is set with a 6.05 carat emerald-cut diamond

 The Chaumet Déferlante transformable ring without its 'froth' of diamonds

The Chaumet Déferlante transformable ring without its 'froth' of diamonds

Finally, let’s take a look at the one-of-a-kind secret gold timepiece. The watch’s dial is covered with a wave of diamonds, but, oddly enough, it’s not that element that I associate with water, but rather what is hidden under it: a gold engraving reminiscent of underwater sand.

Chaumet Déferlante Swiss mechanical self-winding secret watch in white gold set with brilliant-cut, square-cut, baguette-cut and princess-cut diamonds

Chaumet Déferlante Swiss mechanical self-winding secret watch in white gold set with brilliant-cut, square-cut, baguette-cut and princess-cut diamonds

The opening of the Déferlante collection was a pleasant journey to the sea in winter. It also offers something else that is no less disarming: unlike drops of water that evaporate in the sun, diamond ‘drops’ will stay with you forever.

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