As the one and only jeweller granted the right to craft the Palme d’Or, the most prestigious of all cinematography awards, Chopard has cultivated exceptional ties with the Cannes Film Festival since 1998. This legendary trophy, representing the starting point of this peerless partnership, symbolises the Maison’s love of cinema as well as its commitment to sustainable luxury. Since 2014, the Palme d’Or has been made from Fairmined-certified ethical gold. A close-up look at this much-coveted object.
Love at first sight
In 1997, Chopard’s Co-President and Artistic Director Caroline Scheufele met Pierre Viot, then President of the Cannes International Film Festival. “I asked him which jeweller was partnering with the Cannes Festival and he replied that there was none. As my job is to create jewellery, I suggested that Chopard should become the partner jeweller for the event and also that I should redesign the Palme d’Or with a more contemporary look.” Pierre Viot accepted the proposal and the world’s most coveted film-making trophy thus became the cornerstone of the partnership between Chopard and the Cannes Festival. This collaboration has been deepened and enriched over the years, notably with the creation of the Trophée Chopard which, since 2001, has rewarded cinema’s breakthrough male and female talents.
A legendary trophy
“The Palme d’Or is the starting point of our commitment to cinema”, says Caroline Scheufele. “For 26 years, we have been crafting it with the same enthusiasm and passion in our Geneva Haute Joaillerie workshops. This is an enormous responsibility, because not only are we the only jeweller entitled to create this trophy, but its emotional charge and symbolism remain truly unique.” A reference to the palm trees lining La Croisette as well as to the city of Cannes’ coat-of-arms recalling that Saint Honorat took refuge in a palm tree when a storm chased the snakes away from the Lérins Islands, the Palme d’Or was completely rethought and redesigned by Caroline Scheufele in 1998. Previously manufactured in a small Parisian workshop, the Cannes trophy was gold-plated and mounted on a Plexiglas base. Chopard chose to transform it into a truly precious jewel by using 18-carat yellow gold and rock crystal. In terms of design, the jeweller instils volume and movement into the 19 leaves of the ‘divine’ golden palm branch that appears to be undulating in a sea breeze, while the stem is tipped with a heart, the signature of the Geneva-based Maison. The stunning Palme d’Or rests on a block of rock crystal in the form of an emerald-cut diamond, whose natural inclusions render each piece unique.
118 grams of ethical gold
Apart from a few special editions set with diamonds (for the Festival’s 70th and 75th anniversaries and the 25th anniversary of Chopard‘s partnership in 2022), the timeless design of the Palme d’Or has not been modified since 1998. However, in 2014, the Maison decided to include the manufacture of the Cannes award in its Journey to Sustainable Luxury begun in 2013: for the first time in the history of the Festival, the Palme d’Or was thus made of Fairmined-certified ethical gold, a responsibly mined artisanal gold. It remains to this day the only film industry prize made of this certified ethical precious metal.
Unparalleled skills
The manufacturing secrets of the famous Palme reside in the expertise deployed within Chopard‘s Geneva workshops. No less than 70 hours of work are required to produce this supreme award from A to Z. To ensure the result is perfectly homogeneous, the same jeweller crafts the piece from start to finish with the help of six Artisans who are involved in the various stages of production. The gold is first melted in the Maison’s workshops, then poured into a mould where the palm branch has been modelled in wax. This “lost wax casting” technique serves to obtain a golden branch after the wax has melted during its firing in an oven. It is then trimmed, cleaned and polished from every angle by the jeweller, before being secured to its rock crystal cushion and finally ready to be awarded in front of the world’s cameras. The Cannes Film Festival is in fact the world’s most widely publicised event after the Olympic Games. Like the Palme d’Or, the eight other awards presented at the closing ceremony – the Best Actress Award, the Best Actor Award, the Grand Prix, the Best Director Award, the Screenplay Award, the Jury Prize, the Short Film Palme d’Or and the Caméra d’Or – are also crafted in Chopard’s Haute Joaillerie workshops.
The undisputed emblem of the famous film festival, the Palme d’Or remains the symbol of the unique relationship between this jeweller and the Cannes Festival, which can be summed up in a single phrase: “Chopard Loves Cinema”.
Trophée Chopard
An award for the next generation of international cinema
Official partner to the Cannes Film Festival since 1998, Chopard annually turns the spotlight on an actor or actress enjoying a promising start to their career by presenting them with the Trophée Chopard. Handed over by a prestigious godmother during the Cannes fortnight, since 2001 the prize has been awarded to various rising stars in international cinema, such as Marion Cotillard, Diane Kruger, Léa Seydoux, Florence Pugh as well as Niels Schneider, Jeremy Irvine and Joe Alwyn.
At the initiative of Caroline Scheufele, since 2001, the Trophée Chopard has been awarded at an emotional annual ceremony to rising talents in the form of an actress and an actor who have had a successful debut. Through this accolade, the Maison – in association with the Cannes Festival – reaffirms its unconditional support for creative filmmaking.
For more than two decades, the winners of the Trophée have consistently confirmed the hopes placed in them. From Marion Cotillard, who won an Oscar in 2008 for her performance in Olivier Dahan’s La Vie en Rose; Léa Seydoux, who was awarded a Palme d’Or in 2013; Diane Kruger, who won an acting award at Cannes in 2017; Niels Schneider, who won a César Award for Most Promising Actor in 2017; through to Florence Pugh and Jessie Buckley, both nominated for Oscars a few months after winning the Trophée Chopard in 2019 and 2021, this distinction has often heralded a great international career.
As Caroline Scheufele explains: “Chopard loves cinema, and the Trophée is a long-term commitment by our Maison to guaranteeing the success of new talent. Thanks to this prize, we draw the attention of the entire film industry and the public alike to an actress and an actor destined to perform in the films of tomorrow. The selection of the winners is an eagerly awaited moment every year, and I always feel a great deal of emotion during the award ceremony when I witness the pride on the faces of these actors at seeing their talent recognised. Some winners do us the honour of returning a few years later to present the prize to a new generation, such as Marion Cotillard, Léa Seydoux and Diane Kruger, who have themselves become godmothers of the Trophée, thus completing a virtuous circle.”
The trophy – a silver-coated gold film reel on a glass base – was designed by Caroline Scheufele herself. Like the Palme d’Or and indeed all the trophies awarded during the closing ceremony of the Cannes Festival, it is crafted by Chopard’s jewellery artisans.
The actors are selected by a distinguished committee composed of Caroline Scheufele, along with former godfathers, godmothers and laureates of previous editions who are always happy to pass on the spotlight from which they have themselves benefited.
An integral part of the official Cannes Festival calendar, the Trophée Chopard is presented in the course of an exceptional evening during which a prestigious godfather or godmother presents the prize to the winners. Stars such as Charlize Theron, Cate Blanchett, Julianne Moore, Zhang Ziyi, Julia Roberts, Robert De Niro and Sean Penn have all agreed to symbolically accompany the laureates on their path to success by gratifying them with their experience and kindness.
List of laureates and godmothers/godfathers of the Trophée Chopard since 2001:
- 2001 Audrey Tautou and Eduardo Noriega receive their award from Emmanuelle Béart.
- 2002 Ludivine Sagnier tied with Paz Vega and Hayden Christensen receive their award from Gong Li.
- 2003 Diane Kruger and Gael García Bernal receive their award from Isabelle Adjani.
- 2004 Marion Cotillard and Rodrigo Santoro receive their award from Laura Morante.
- 2005 Kelly Reilly and Jonathan Rhys-Meyer receive their award from Sharon Stone.
- 2006 Jasmine Trinca and Kevin Zegers receive their award from Sir Elton John and Elizabeth Hurley.
- 2007 Archie Panjabi and Nick Cannon receive their award from Jude Law.
- 2008 Tang Wie and Omar Metwally receive their award from Spike Lee and Gwyneth Paltrow.
- 2009 Léa Seydoux and David Kross receive their award from Hilary Swank and Marion Cotillard.
- 2010 Liya Kebede and Edward Hogg receive their award from Helen Mirren.
- 2011 Astrid Bergès-Frisbey and Niels Schneider receive their award from Robert De Niro.
- 2012 Shailene Woodley and Ezra Miller receive their award from Sean Penn.
- 2013 Blanca Suàrez and Jeremy Irvine receive their award from Colin Firth.
- 2014 Adèle Exarchopoulos and Logan Lerman receive their award from Cate Blanchett.
- 2015 Lola Kirke and Jack O’Connell receive their award from Julianne Moore.
- 2016 Bel Powley and John Boyega receive their award from Juliette Binoche.
- 2017 Anya Taylor-Joy and George MacKay receive their award from Charlize Theron.
- 2018 Elizabeth Debicki and Joe Alwyn receive their award from Diane Kruger.
- 2019 Florence Pugh and François Civil receive their award from Zhang Ziyi.
- 2021 Jessie Buckley and Kingsley Ben-Adir receive their award from Jessica Chastain.
- 2022 Sheila Atim and Jack Lowden receive their award from Julia Roberts.
‘Chopard Loves Cinema’
Chopard Official Partner to the 76th Cannes Film Festival
Official partner to the Cannes Festival since 1998, Chopard will once again be right there alongside numerous film actors, directors and professionals for this 76th edition of the world’s greatest cinema event. Artisan of the Palme d’Or and the trophies awarded during the closing ceremony, the Maison will also honour the promising careers of a young actor and actress thanks to the Trophée Chopard. This year, Caroline Scheufele has chosen ‘Art’ as the theme of the Red Carpet Collection and of Chopard’s traditional glamorous grande soirée. Architecture, sculpture, painting, music, literature, dance and cinema: all the noblest forms of human genius will be highlighted in the Maison’s activities. Crafted in the same workshops as the Palme d’Or, the 76 Haute Joaillerie masterpieces in the Red Carpet Collection will light up the traditional staircase ritual by adorning with its watches and jewellery many of the actresses and actors present to promote their films; while the Chopard Rooftop at the Martinez Hotel will be the unmissable scene of all the buzz during this Cannes fortnight.
Chopard loves cinema, as is vividly illustrated by its latest campaign starring its Global Ambassador Julia Roberts, inspired by a backstage look at a film shoot. The Maison’s commitment to the 7th Art is also reflected in its historic partnership with the Cannes Festival, which began in 1998.
As part of this collaboration, Chopard has the honour of crafting all the trophies awarded by the Festival jury at the end of the competition within its workshops. Thanks to its dedication to sustainable luxury and the unique expertise of its Artisans, the Palme d’Or is crafted in Fairmined-certified ethical gold, in compliance with best-practice artisanal gold mining.
The workshop’s virtuoso jewellery skills are also put to good use in the Red Carpet Collection, which annually comprises the exact number of creations corresponding to each given edition of the Festival. This year, 76 works of Art reflecting Haute Joaillerie crafts will thus be unveiled in the splendid setting of the Palais des Festivals, duly chosen by the actresses and actors invited to promote their films in competition by making an appearance on the red carpet.
‘Art’ will be given pride of place. As the theme chosen by Caroline Scheufele for the Red Carpet Collection, it will not only dominate the decoration of the Chopard Rooftop at the Martinez Hôtel – where the Maison takes up residence during the fortnight – but also the traditional grande soirée held on May 23rd and which promises guests numerous surprises in the kind of dreamy setting that Caroline Scheufele is accustomed to creating.
On the occasion of the Trophée Chopard on May 19th, two promising and talented artists will be awarded their distinctions by a prestigious godmother appointed by Caroline Scheufele. Inaugurated in 2001 at the initiative of the Maison’s Co-President and Artistic Director, the Trophée Chopard is part of the official Cannes Festival calendar. In 2022, Sheila Atim and Jack Lowden were the proud winners of this distinction presented by that year’s godmother, Julia Roberts
“Lights! Camera! Action!”: cinema promises further strong emotions for the duo formed by Chopard and the Cannes Festival.
