Gold that flows like water. Rivers of precious stones, in natural parures that shine against the skin. Made with remarkable artistry, these pieces’ unique shapes echo the masterful play of textures and colours… In the new high jewellery collection Metaphoria, Piaget imagines nature as a bold, generous presence, mirrored and highlighted by 52 exceptional pieces, crafted from start to finish in the Maison’s ateliers.
In 1969, Yves Piaget unveiled his “21st Century Collection”, resplendent with wildly extravagant jewellery watches with ornamental stones set into their dials, as well as engraved gold sautoir and cuff watches. With this collection, he laid the groundwork for Piaget’s signature style. Festive, elegant, unique. “Experimentation, innovation and joy are part of the Maison’s DNA. From as early as the 1960s, Piaget dared to introduce coral, turquoise and lapis lazuli into watchmaking and into unique pieces of jewellery, observes Benjamin Comar, Piaget CEO. This desire to use unexpected materials in pieces created to high jewellery standards is still at the very core of our identity. “
In 2023, the “21st Century Collection” comes to life as “Metaphoria”, a dazzling metaphor for nature and its metamorphoses. With this collection of 41 pieces of jewellery and 11 watches, divided into two chapters, Azureia and Beautanica, Piaget expresses its vision of contemporary high jewellery by paying homage to its main source of inspiration: vibrant, radiant nature. This prolific creativity is paired with renowned savoir-faire – all the collection’s pieces are made in Piaget’s Geneva atelier, where there are over seven different jobs in the high jewellery atelier alone. The designs are further enhanced by the use of sublime gemstones, which endow Metaphoria with a unique spirit and sophisticated originality.
Metaphoria, a Manifesto
Far from limiting itself to a purely figurative interpretation of nature, rarely seen at Piaget, the Maison has selected the most emblematic elements of nature: the living energy of oceans, mountains and forests. “Our goal was to emphasise details that call to mind natural phenomena, such as the flow of a waterfall or the rays of the sun, while inspiring a particular emotion, explains Stéphanie Sivrière, creative director at Piaget. The materials we use, from insect elytra to precious wood, were selected to bring an unpredictable, living element to a piece of 21st century high jewellery. “
From contrasting materials to a play with form and light, from fluidity to asymmetry, Metaphoria is the epitome of the distinctive codes of Piaget’s style, in which imaginative design meets breathtaking savoir-faire and the unquenchable pursuit of perfection.
Strong Pieces, Unique Style
An icon of the Metaphoria collection, this Mineralis set is made up of jewellery that could have been seized straight from the rushing waters of a mountain river. Take for example this fabulous asymmetrical necklace, crafted from diamonds, sapphires, aquamarine and rock crystal. Piaget jewellers pair the transparency of rock crystal – random crops of brilliance that line the edges of rivers – with flowing, intensely blue sapphires, whose inverted settings give the piece an ultra-modern look. Shining at the centre of this unique piece sits a lagoon-blue 13.25-carat cushion-cut aquamarine. The piece is matched by earrings and rings, one of which is set with a 4.1-carat Sri Lanka sapphire.
Extraordinary elegance exudes from this perfectly falling Aqua Summa set, in which the Maison conveys its vision of frost and ice with the unusual pairing of aquamarine with Akoya pearls and diamonds. The collar necklace, fully articulated with an invisible clasp, shows off cerulean pear-shaped aquamarines, the largest of which weighs over 4 carats. The piece can be matched with earrings and an exquisite cocktail ring, whose white gold body is paved with a frost of shimmering diamonds and is set with a 12.48-carat cushion-cut aquamarine.
With the Alata set, Piaget turns leaves into gold, mother-of-pearl and diamonds on pieces that are both rich and unstructured, in the shape of a necklace, earrings and a watch. Here is a gold and titanium “earcuff” on which gold leaves, engraved with the Decor Palace motif, gold mother-of-pearl, flecks of white gold and diamonds come together to dress the outer edge of the ear with a truly spectacular piece. Piaget jewellers also created a statement ring. On this piece, the leaf’s centre is embellished with a pear-shaped 2.23 carat diamond. The set is completed by a magnificent cuff watch, whose body is embellished with a marquetry of mother-of-pearl and engraved gold, blended with marquise-cut diamonds. A piece that proves Piaget’s perfect mastery over even the smallest of details.
For this Terrae parure, which shows off a strong design, Piaget drew inspiration from the colours of the forest, pairing the brown of tiger-eye and rutilated quartz with the green of tourmaline. The striking torque, marked with vertical rows of square tourmaline beads, boasts at its centre a cushion-cut tourmaline weighing close to 16 carats. A ring, a bracelet and earrings complete this powerful set.
One of the Maison’s key specialities, goldsmithery lies at the heart of Essentia with its collection of rose-gold and diamond jewellery, defined by natural lines. An iconic piece in this parure, the curb necklace is made up of oversized links whose irregular shapes recall that of driftwood found on the beach. Earrings and a wristwatch complete the set.
Following the tradition of high jewellery secret watches, the Maison is now unveiling one of its greatest signature pieces, Adrivea, a ring that tells the time. Under a 10.88-carat aquamarine cabochon, its dial shimmers with diamonds, joined by waves of shining stones and blue sapphires that adorn the setting of this oversized piece.
Another unique piece is Foliatura, a jewellery watch set with a magnificent cushion-cut Colombian emerald weighing 6.59 carats. Its white gold body reveals incredible craftsmanship, blending stylised chrysoprase leaves and intertwining diamonds against a backdrop of Decor Palace engraved gold. Ingeniously placed on the lower part of the band, the watch dial allows the wearer to read the time discreetly.
Finally, Piaget has given its “Métiers d’Art” timepieces an unusual new twist. Like Alitura and its mosaic dial made up of ornamental stones, which resembles precious damask fabric, the Undulata watch brings together surprising materials. Created by Rose Saneuil, the iridescent green dial bears a marquetry of straw, wood, leather, parchment and elytra, and houses an hour chapter and an extra-thin tourbillon, calibre 670P, all entirely made by Piaget. With its two circles of baguette-cut and brilliant-cut diamonds, this masterpiece radiates precision.
Last but not least, Piaget watchmakers present an ultra-jewelled version of the famous cushion-shaped Black Tie watch, made famous by one of the most loyal Piaget Society customers, Andy Warhol. The piece combines a petrified wood dial with a bezel and markers made of baguette-cut emeralds. This unique piece is powered by the Manufacture’s extra-thin mechanical calibre 534P, the spark that ignites the fire.
About Piaget
Piaget epitomizes daring creativity – a quality that has continued to permeate through the Maison since its beginnings in 1874. From his first workshop in La Côte-aux-Fées, Georges-Edouard Piaget devoted himself to crafting high-precision movements in a feat that formed the very foundations of our pioneering name. In the late 1950s, Piaget unveiled the ultra-thin movements that would later become the Maison’s trademark and the cornerstone of the Altiplano collection. As a true innovator of the watch and jewellery world, Piaget strongly believed in creativity and artistic values. It is within the walls of our “ Ateliers de l’Extraordinaire ” where master artisans continue to harness rare skills that have been preserved and perfected from generation to generation, transforming gold, stones and precious gems into dazzling works of art. Through its pursuit of masterful craftsmanship, the Maison has created emblems of daring excellence channeled into its collections including Altiplano, Piaget Polo, Limelight Gala, Possession, Piaget Sunlight, Piaget Rose and Extremely Piaget.