The top high jewellery maisons can’t shake their fascination with nature – from Gucci’s four seasons and Graff’s Classic Butterfly to Chanel’s iconic camellias, we’re still spellbound by natural wonder

Life has long imitated art, but in the realm of high jewellery, the reverse is equally true. For decades, the world’s most beautiful natural wonders have inspired high jewellery designs, from vibrant floral blooms to striking exotic animals. But the jewels themselves can lend inspiration to designs as well. “We find inspiration for our high jewellery in the stones themselves,” explains Jonathan Abram, brand director at Ronald Abram. He describes the jeweller as a “stone-led design house” that allows the gems to dictate the shape and form of the designs they populate. Abram describes a meticulous selection process and the exclusive use of natural stones, which “embody the purest expression of nature”, he says. “These stones are, in essence, precious gifts bestowed upon us by the natural world.” A-listers show how to mix costume and high jewellery Ronald Abram designs also draw inspiration from the natural world, “incorporating elements such as trees, leaves, animals, birds and other natural forms into many of our pieces”, says the brand director. The maison’s most recent creation, a pair of high jewellery droplet earrings, showcases radiant cabochon-cut emeralds, their shape mirroring the delicate form of a dewdrop. Cindy Chao, founder of high jewellery maison Cindy Chao The Art Jewel, describes nature as her “ultimate muse” – one that at essence is ever-evolving, as “no two leaves, no two landscapes look the same”. The designer dedicates two weeks each year to immersing herself in natural surroundings, no matter her schedule – “away from the city, crowds, phones and any other devices”, she adds. “The intricate details found in natural forms, such as leaves or flowers, can be challenging to replicate with precision, especially when using metal and gemstones that have their own textures and characteristics,” Chao notes. To overcome these challenges, she adopts something of an unconventional approach and begins her creative process with wax sculpting rather than the more typical framework of sketching. Chao is best known for her annual intricate high jewellery butterflies, the motif holding strong significance for the designer. As a new artist, Chao was faced with the choice of either following her passion or conforming to profitable market trends. “As I sat alone sculpting the wax mould of that first butterfly, I thought to myself, ‘This might be my last piece,’” she recalls. “Fortunately, that butterfly broke free from the cocoon. Each annual butterfly now symbolises my inner world – an accumulation of steadfast moments on my creative journey; an embodiment of each metamorphosis and transcendence I’ve gone through,” she adds. Wearable art? Brooches offer high jewellery designers the ultimate freedom The most recent one unveiled – the Amour Butterfly – is the result of 15,000 hours of craftsmanship and features an ornate arrangement of nearly 3,000 diamonds and gemstones. Central to the brooch is an 8.31-carat marquise brown diamond and a pair of sugarloaf Colombian emeralds totalling nearly 60 carats. “Many stories revolve around the Amour Butterfly, but at the centre of them all is an overarching theme of love,” says Chao. The butterfly motif is also significant for British jewellery house Graff. Epitomising the concept of metamorphosis – something that also sees raw gems transformed into jewellery pieces – Graff’s butterfly designs are near-synonymous with the brand. The shape of the butterfly “has offered us endless opportunities for reinterpretation”, comments the house’s design director, Anne-Eva Geffroy. The brand’s Butterfly Silhouette designs are meticulously detailed while achieving an everyday versatility. Round and marquise diamonds are set with pavé stones, the intricate arrangements creating the appearance of jewels in flight when the wearer moves. The Classic Butterfly diamond drop necklace features an intricate patchwork of pear-shaped and marquise diamonds set in white gold. A total of 24.15 carats of white diamonds have been designed to flow freely when worn, mimicking the delicate movements of a butterfly. The butterfly’s wings are outlined by pavé diamonds, from which are suspended a single pear-shaped stone. Style shoot: Gucci’s autumn high jewellery features the season’s fiery tints Chanel has a long-standing history of natural world inspiration, from the Camellia flower – said to be Coco Chanel’s favourite – to the majestic lion, inspired by the founder’s star sign, which has inspired many of the brand’s designs. The maison’s latest high jewellery collection, Tweed de Chanel, is no exception. The collection draws inspiration from the Scottish Highlands, where Coco Chanel fell in love with the Duke of Westminster and integrated herself into the British aristocracy. The designer is said to have borrowed his tweed jackets, which served as the initial inspiration for her iconic tweed and bouclé jackets. In the new Tweed de Chanel collection, 63 pieces are inspired by the undulating Scottish landscape and its many natural highlights. The collection is organised into five chapters, four of which are inspired by natural forms: the camellia, the star, the sun and the lion. Camellia designs feature striking spinels, sapphires and diamonds, while star designs present a multitude of blue hues depicted in onyx, sapphire and lapus lazuli. Sun designs are depicted in gold and an array of yellow stones, while the lion centrepiece features rubies and sapphires set in yellow gold with white diamonds depicting the beast’s mane. The intricate piece is the result of more than 2,400 hours of craftsmanship. Gucci’s Allegoria high jewellery collection references the ever-changing nature of the wilderness, and takes inspiration from the changing seasons. Among the summer pieces, a high jewellery necklace bursts into life with a diamond bloom featuring a mandarin garnet centre stone. The flower is suspended on an openwork necklace and finished with contrasting emerald beads. Elsewhere in the collection, lionhead earrings set with golden tourmalines and diamonds reflect autumnal tones.