196 <strong>Manifesto</strong> blue print flash May - June 2015 197 FIRST GLIMPSE What the in-crowd is bidding on and pining for… DIOR JOAILLERIE’S ROSE DES VENTS BRACELET This medallion holds everything you need to know about Monsieur Christian Dior’s story – he was superstitious, loved roses, kept a lucky charm in the shape of a star, and his childhood home in Granville was named Les Rhumbs alluding to the 32 divisions of the wind rose (it translates to rose des vents in French). So what does wearing this medallion on your wrist mean? For starters, we hope to inherit a pinch of Monsieur Dior’s luck – just look at the empire he built. The double-sided medallion bracelet comes in various executions: yellow gold and mother-of-pearl with lapis lazuli or turquoise, or rose gold with pink opal. Good luck finding the one you fancy most. www.dior.com PIAGET’S POSSESSION RINGS You’ve probably been told about one of these rings before. You know, the kind that encourages those with the habit of touching one’s band and spinning them like a tell-tale sign for anxiety. Well, there is a ring for that too and they’re called spinners. Such rings feature a second rotating band that allows its wearer to smoothly turn the ring without moving the entire band around the finger (ouch). For the rest without the habit, be prepared to cultivate one because such rings are as stylish as they are addictive. Our current faves are those in pink gold set with diamonds by Piaget, who first launched these rings 25 years ago. The truth is, these make great wedding bands too. Helps with the anxiety, no? www.piaget.com MOODMETRIC’S RING They say that technology is doing all the work for us, and they’re probably right. That’s because some of us even require tech to confirm our own emotions (no, we don’t mean emojis). Enter Moodmetric, a smart ring that markets itself as the “technology that promotes happiness”. Think of it as your mobile psychiatrist. When worn on the finger, it partners with your smartphone app to give a statistical breakdown of your emotions, that’s if you weren’t already touchy feely with your inner self. It tracks your emotional levels (on a scale of 1 to 100 with the higher numeral being your most stressful) by measuring electrodermal activity of the skin (i.e. sweat glands), a method said to be widely adopted in psychological research. The ring also monitors your emotional peaks so as to inform better control and awareness of one’s stress levels, and advising when to take five. If you’ve got a higher budget, hire an assistant first. www.moodmetric.com 100.20-CARAT DIAMOND SOLD It is touted as the largest classic emerald-cut diamond to be sold in auction, and many have coined it as “perfect”. The 100.20-carat internally flawless D colour stone, mined by De Beers in South Africa, received the final hammer price of US$22.09 million at a Sotheby’s auction in New York, falling within the pre-auction estimate of US$19 million to US$25 million. Sotheby’s record in this department is well established having sold a 118.28-carat diamond in 2013 for US$30.6 million. www.sothebys.com VAN CLEEF & ARPELS’S TWO BUTTERFLY BETWEEN THE FINGER RING You’re shedding clothes because winter’s over but your jewellery game still remains the same. We can’t blame you for siding with the wedding band but why shouldn’t your other jewellery choices hail the change of seasons too? Start spring right like the rest of your floral-themed outfit with Van Cleef & Arpels’s bejewelled butterflies. The gold butterfly motifs perch on the periphery of your fingers recall that magical Disney princess moment when woodland creatures answer to your beck and call. This version is available with tsavorite garnets and diamonds, with another option in yellow sapphires and diamonds. BULGARI’S DIVA PENDANT NECKLACE Whether she is surfing or sleeping, it never leaves her side. But have you ever wondered why she walks around with that little pendant around her neck? That’s because the superstitious amongst us favour a talisman or an amulet, a precious item that we swear by to provide extra luck or protection at all times. The thing is, they don’t have to be shaped like a horseshoe or a four-leaf clover to be considered worthy or effective. Take for example, Bulgari’s Diva pendant necklace. It features a little brilliant stone of turquoise, lapis lazuli or precious coral along with a drop of diamond at the tip. Its simplicity is profound and its style is pretty. And your belief that it’s lucky is all that is required. www.bulgari.com MYINTENT’S BRACELET When you’ve got Jay-Z, Beyoncé, and Rihanna wearing your jewellery, you’ve got yourself a business. Throw Kanye West and his Time magazine cover into the equation and some would call it a career. That’s the story behind Los Angeles-based MyIntent’s ascent into the primetime as A-listers are starting to throw their weight behind this US$12 bracelet that features a brass or nickel medallion strung together with a hemp rope, black wax cotton or silk. While it might sound simplistic, the value is in its concept. Wearers get to engrave a word of their choosing – up to 12 letters – which answers two questions: what one wants more of in life and what challenge one wants to overcome. (West chose “beautify”, Rihanna chose “faith”, and Beyoncé chose “surrender”.) The bracelet then becomes a daily reminder to its wearer to achieve those goals. BITTERSWEET’S BRACELET Remember that unsightly reddish mark left on the wrist thanks to the iron grip of an elastic band for your long tresses? Yes, we’ve all been guilty of that more times than we’d care to admit but we’re still not ready to give it up anytime soon (how else are we going to rally our hair at a moment’s notice?) Now, there is a temp solution in lugging this hair accessory around beyond the coverage of a long sleeved top – and this looks way cooler. It comes in the form of a fashionable bracelet by BitterSweet that blends in with the rest of your wrist ornaments. How does it work? Think of the bracelet (available in gold and silver or in various finishes) as a wearable holder for the elastic band. And such is its refinement that spotting the ugly elastic band draped over the precious metal is a blink-and-miss. www.bittersweet.is www.vancleef.com www.myintent.org