Over the past 10 years, most designers and jewelers have opted for responsible gold. Some defend mined gold, extracted by local communities which have adopted respectful practices, and bearing labels such as Fairmined, Fairtrade, SMO (Single Mine Origin) for larger-scaled mines, etc. Others advocate recycled gold, metal that’s already been used in jewelry, electronics, ingots, etc. A third approach is to mix the two.

Who’s using what? Recycled or/and mined gold ? In this issue we offer a non-exhaustive overview of pieces heralding these new jewelry values.

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Almost two centuries on, four industry insiders (including Marie Berthelon CEO and Sandrine de Laage, Artistic Director) are reviving Léon Rouvenat, who made his mark on jewelry during the Second Empire (cf “The mysterious disappearance of Rouvenat”). Based on two fundamental motifs drawn from the archives (the rosette and the tassel finished to a point), the positive values initiated by Léon Rouvenat are modernized. The twenty-first-century Rouvenat now uses only already extracted gold and precious stones. The emphasis is on digital technology and customization thanks to an exclusive, user-friendly configurator: in the e-shop, customers create their own jewelry by choosing their stone, chain, gold finish, etc. And at each step, you can preview the result. Rouvenat also integrates the blockchain to secure each piece of jewelry. See you from 15 November at “416” (rue Saint Honoré) – a venue with a large glass roof, reminiscent of Leon Rouvenat’s original jewelry factory.

“Les Métiers d’Art” unites the twenty-two art houses and factories bought by Chanel since 1995. Two of them have pooled their expertise: Barrie, famous for its cashmere, and Goossens, known for its antique-style golden couture jewelry. The Goossens medal, stamped with the 12 signs of the zodiac, lies at the center of this ” exchange of signatures”. In the first part of the collection it remains unchanged: only the signs of the zodiac are replaced by Barrie’s signature signs of the thistle, bandana, rose and lion. In the second part, the medal is transformed into a cashmere motif, situated at chest-level on a sleeveless sweater or a pointed scarf. The same pattern is repeated across entire sweaters, waistcoats and miniskirts. A daring move – one that deserves a medal?

The app wasn’t always flooded with ads to the point of nauseating its users, as explained in the fascinating recent Arte documentary Instagram: the vanity fair. In April 2012, when Mark Zuckerberg bought Instagram for $1 billion, it had 25 million users and no ads. It still wasn’t turning a profit – in fact it was losing money! Eighteen months later, the day the app passed the 150-million user mark, Mark Zuckerberg imposed advertising to make his purchase profitable. At first, there was only one advertiser and one ad per day! The first to go for it, in November 2013, was Michael Kors promoting a lady’s watch. The brand’s account then gained nearly 34,000 followers in 18 hours. The rest is history…

For the 50th anniversary of the legendary R5, of which 5 million were sold between 1972 and 1984, Renault is publishing a unique model in collaboration with interior designer Pierre Gonalons. The Frenchman is fascinated by the world of high jewelry, which inspires much of his work:  “Take for example the Bouquet chair formed by an assembly of metal branches reminiscent of a jewel from the 1940s, or the 70s-style sofas with brushed golden brass details”, he explains. For its part, the hi-tech electric R5 Diamant comes in a shade of pink mixed with gold pigments and covered with a frosted varnish, resulting in a finish that’s almost like enamel. The headlights and lights are faceted like precious stones. The wheels are adorned with a golden “jewel” in the center, representing the sun, while the steering wheel and storage compartments are made of recycled marble. This unique model will be auctioned off at the end of the year.

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