In rue de la Paix and Place Vendôme, the biggest jewellers have magnificent boutiques – veritable jewel cases for their creations. Place Vendôme, the luxury high-end Swiss brand Jaeger-LeCoultre owns its elegant boutique, decorated in understated luxury and Louis Vuitton its boutique and jewellery workshop.
Last autumn, the luxury French brand Chanel opened a high-end jewellery workshop above its boutique. Every year, it presents two collections (linked to the haute couture calendar) exclusively with precious stones and unique pieces of jewellery.
Other outstanding brands — Cartier, Van Cleef & Arpels, Dior Joaillerie, Boucheron, Bucherer, Chaumet, Bulgari, Mauboussin — each have their own boutique. And the watch maker Breguet has its largest international showcase here: 500 m² on two levels, a boutique on the ground floor and an exhibition area on the first floor.
It is not only the prestigious brands that draw the visitors here, but also the unbounded creativity of the jewellers, artists in their own right. In their hands, precious metals and gems take on new forms: arabesques, flowers, aquatic plants, animals, lacework and sculpture. Elegant, modern, unusual shapes emerge from their imagination, enabling everyone to find that precious ornament to suit their personality and enhance their looks.
Leading jewellers and new designers can meet at busy trade fairs, authentic window displays for the profession. Trade professionals are well acquainted with “BIJORHCA”, their exclusive international trade fair devoted to traditional and costume jewellery, clock- and watch-making and fashion accessories. This is the place for spotting the newest prodigies and where the trends for the coming months are determined.
The general public can attend the “Jewellery Designer Days” to witness the source of their inspiration. The spirit and imagination of the latest stylists find expression in the most unexpected materials: plastic, glass, feathers, fabrics and metals of all kinds, not just precious ones. They demonstrate that Paris is, more than ever, a city that gives free rein to fantasy and extravagance.
New trends and the arrival of body piercing, mean that jewellery is present from top to toe, giving inventive minds the opportunity to explore new fields of expression. Indeed, those jewellery virtuosos have plenty more surprises up their sleeves!