Chaumet pays tribute to Joséphine

Chaumet’s new high jewelry collection pays tribute to Empress Joséphine, for whom the House designed some of its most exquisite pieces after her marriage to Napoléon in 1796. A graceful collection inspired by Joséphine’s love of nature. Born and raised amidst the lush landscapes of Martinique, Joséphine acquired a love for nature, leisure and fantasy, a sense of finesse and unparalleled taste.

A delicate counterpoint to the rigorous masculine imperial style, she preferred poetic, sensual arabesques and floral motifs to the Emperor’s trappings of power. She imagined her finery laden with precious treasures, set with rare and colorful gemstones. Chaumet’s new collection celebrates Joséphine’s esthetic audacity with 45 exceptional pieces, inspired by Belle Epoque drawings made by the House between 1900 and 1915 in her memory.

The collection includes four motifs with a pared-down, geometrical style, highlighting Chaumet’s contrasts.Rondes de Nuit plays with shimmering diamonds to recreate the luminosity of a starlit night; Aigrette Impériale evokes the glistening morning dew.

Eclat Floral is like a bouquet of diamonds built around a colored precious stone, while the more timid Aube Printanière evokes delicate flower buds that are barely beginning to bloom. In necklaces, bracelets, earrings and rings these motifs reinvent Joséphine’s esthetic world.