STYLE & BEAUTY BEHIND THE SCENES Clockwise from top left: BOODLES white-gold Raindrop earrings set with cabochon-cut moonstones, pink opals and diamonds DAMIANI white-gold Spicchi Luna bracelet set with diamonds BOUCHERON white-gold Dôme Graphique ring set with diamonds and rock crystal DE GRISOGONO pink-gold Ventaglio earrings set with amethysts and pink sapphires ADLER pink-gold ring set with pink sapphires and diamonds VAN CLEEF & ARPELS white-gold Caresse d‘Eole Clip set with sapphires and diamonds Previous page: HARRY WINSTON platinum Winston Cluster Wreath necklace set with marquise, pear-shaped and brilliant-cut diamonds way the stone rests on the metal, which can greatly enhance those qualitiy. The settingis intimately tied to design, and the thoughtful jeweller examines every stone to work out which one best suits it. The prong setting – where the stone is held by bent-over metal claws, as small as possible to let in maximum light – is the most common but can also form a component of more complex settings. Some mounts suit particular gem cuts, or create different light effects, and some are associated only with specific houses. But chances are, when you see an absolutely stunning jewellery piece centred on a scintillating gem, there is a unique, or very rare, setting that raises the masterpiece above its merely beautiful brethren. In the 1940s Winston invented a setting that is still the brand’s signature – the cluster. Said to have been inspired by snow glistening on the leaves of a holly wreath, it mixes diamond cuts layered at different angles to create a 3D effect, receiving and reflecting light from each angle, sparkling in all directions. Set in a delicate tracery of platinum, each stone is held by claws, but the secret lies in slanting the setting of each diamond, a process of determining angles and heights so no gaps and very little metal show. The Harry Winston (harrywinston.com) signature version entails pear, marquise and round brilliant cuts, 48 CENTURION-MAGAZINE.COM
while other designers who sometimes use a version of the cluster, such as David Morris (davidmorris.com), may introduce others. Also all about sparkle is the popular pavé setting, a “pavement” of tiny diamonds all over a flat or curved surface. Modern cutting means tiny stones reflect lots of light, and pavé gives good-value shine. At an elevated level it becomes art: De Grisogono (degrisogono.com) creates pavé with coloured gems for a deep, sumptuous effect, especially when the stones are graduated with minute precision from light to dark, like a shadow passing across the piece. Letting light in is crucial and an airily decorative back in gold, especially where it will be on show as in diamond earrings from Damiani (damiani.com), or De Grisogono’s signature ”volutes” pattern, is integral. The painstaking technique is also popular with Chinese designers such as Cindy Chao (cindychao.com) and Michelle Ong. More spectacular and much rarer is the snow setting, where the pavé is composed of apparently randomsized stones that twinkle like sunlight on snow crystals. “It’s like a carpet of small and large diamonds, none alike, seemingly casual,” says Alessio Guidelli of Vhernier (vhernier.it), which uses it for the 20thanniversary collection of its iconic Calla style, creating a dramatic contrast with smooth, opaque materials like lapis lazuli, ebony or titanium. “But it’s far from random and depends on holes cut in the gold base, exactly the size for each diamond.” The pavé is almost smooth, each stone held by two tiny prongs. Now, Guidelli says, “we have gone smoother with the Eyeliner technique, where instead of prongs each stone has a minuscule rim of gold, coloured to match the material, which makes the diamonds extra-visible, jumping with life. The precision of this process takes many hours.” Not, perhaps, so many hours as the most legendary setting of all, the mystery. Here absolutely no metal appears – it’s all underneath in the form of tiny gold rails on to which square-cut stones are threaded via minute grooves, creating a velvet-smooth mosaic of classic coloured gems, unparalleled in depth and richness. The technique was patented in 1933 by Van Cleef & Arpels (vancleefarpels.com), where even today only two lapidaries are entrusted with cutting the tiny stones to micron-level accuracy, before handing them to highly skilled jewellers who create a grid of gems where the smallest inaccuracy can jeopardise the whole piece. For the first time Van Cleef has applied the technique to diamonds in its latest collection. Other houses such as Cartier (cartier.co.uk) and Boucheron (boucheron.com) occasionally use their own versions. With some stones, the mystery’s simpler relation, the channel setting, can make them stand out: angular gems, often baguettes or princess cuts, are set between two metal sides that hold the stones in place. The setting protects the stones from wear, is smooth and modern-looking – it dates to the 1980s – and can make a virtuoso piece where the diamond cuts vary, as used by ARA VARTANIAN yellow-gold bracelet set with black, smoky and white diamonds Adler (adler.ch), Graff (graffdiamonds.com) and De Beers (debeers.com). Setting the stones closely and smoothly is difficult and time-consuming, making this an expensive mounting. More straightforward is the bezel setting, one of the most ancient, where a normally round stone is set in a ring of metal gently curved over the gem’s edge to both hold and protect it. “It has a cleanness and purity that, despite its long history, give a modern aesthetic,” says Rebecca Hawkins, head of design at Boodles (boodles.com), who often uses it to accentuate stones, as in the Raindance collection. “It’s good if stones are fragile or in a vulnerable position, and an excellent choice for everyday wear. You need to let light in, often with a decorative cut-out on the back of the cup shape that holds it.” The bezel is also integral to CENTURION-MAGAZINE.COM 49
