What makes a gem treasured? There are solely 4 gem stones that get that distinction: diamonds, sapphires, emeralds and rubies. In keeping with geologists, these stones possess the minerals that mix the best levels of magnificence, hardness, sturdiness and rarity. Treasured stones in jewellery have fascinated mankind because the daybreak of time. Earlier than written language and even the spoken phrase, there was jewellery. British archaeologist Archibald Campbell Carlyle mentioned of primitive man, “The primary non secular need of a barbarous man is ornament.”

However jewellery is greater than a mere decoration, a flash of money or historic heirloom in a museum or gathering mud in a protected. Jewellery symbolizes a lot greater than that — it’s a image of our separation from the animal kingdom and our need to seize and recognize magnificence.

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Excessive jewellery — or in French, haute joaillerie — refers to the most costly items of jewellery accessible from the big-name homes, lots of that are one-of-a-kind; value hundreds of thousands because of supplies, workmanship and signature, and embrace extraordinarily invaluable gem stones as distinctive options.

The formal excessive jewellery reveals occur in Paris in the course of the Haute Couture reveals, and each exemplify the very best in creativity and supplies, and supply designs that drive the creativeness past the doable. However the highest type of jewellery artwork does greater than encourage fantasy and creativeness: It additionally retains previous craftsmanship alive, and presents a tangible and transportable technique to protect investments.

Right here, WWD showcases items made out of the best treasured stones — diamonds, sapphires, emeralds and rubies — crafting beautiful, one-of-a-kind items that dazzle the attention and keep the uncommon artwork that goes again centuries.

Launch Gallery: Colour Excessive: A Assortment of Excessive Jewellery

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