Air April 2019

Jewellery
APRIL 2019 : ISSUE 95
A Sacred
Allure
Indicative of its high jewellery prowess, the
Guarani collection by Akillis is a gateway to
understanding the maison’s avant-garde energy
The Paraíba tourmaline is a
cultural gem of South America
– a rare and enigmatic Brazilian
find – and when Caroline Gaspard
was renewing her vows on honeymoon
in the region, she also had her heart
captured by this particular gift from
nature. “We went on a world tour,
getting re-married eight times,” the
founder of jewellery maison Akillis
explains. “I’m fascinated with tribal
jewels and I wanted to add an ethnic
stone to our high jewellery collection.”
The resulting suite – created to
celebrate the 10 th anniversary of
Gaspard’s jewellery house, which
she formed in 2008 – is the Guarani
collection, inspired by the Amazonian
art of the Guarani tribe. Its focal
point is a supple tribal necklace
bejwelled with 180 lagoon blue
Paraíba stones that, when mounted
on white gold with white diamonds,
evoke a ‘floating’ effect.
“The suite is the perfect addition to
the Akillis family,” explains Gaspard.
“Not only is the Paraíba tourmaline
known for its beauty, it’s one of the most
sought-after gems in the world, due
to its rarity. The necklace I created is
very pure and you have the impression
that every circular row is literally
flying in weightlessness on the skin.”
For the maison, sources of
inspiration can often be historic
(even the name itself is influenced
by Greek mythology, and Achilles).
Yet at just over a decade old, it is
relatively young; Gaspard herself
was born in 1981. As the majestic,
totem-esque Guarani collection
implies with its distinctive colour and
cut, this is not your grandmother’s
antique-producing company.
“High jewellery is becoming more
accessible and wearable, and we have
steered away from ‘jewellery in a
safety box’, only to be worn for special
occasions scenario that we used to see so
often,” Gaspard enlightens. “Jewellery
buyers are younger and are looking
for bolder designs, that still represent
luxury and beauty. New generations
are looking for smaller pieces that you
can wear and accumulate every day.”
Young, feminine, successful…
the brand, then, is somewhat
forged in her own image. “As part
of this segment myself, I created
Akillis because I wanted to provide
something that catered to this
request, and to my vision of how high
jewellery should look,” she adds.
Gaspard’s fascination with gems
and jewellery was ingrained from a
young age. “As a child, I was somewhat
surrounded by jewellery. First of all,
my mother always had a real passion
for precious stones, and a family friend
worked in the diamond industry and
always brought beautiful stones to
our home. It became the perfect game
All images:
The Guarani high
jewellery collection
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