Style
26 March 2023
Jewelry for transforming, jewelry for sharing
What if, instead of keeping our jewelry for ourselves, we shared it?
By Sandrine Merle.
Taking turns
Now that masculinity is being totally called into question, we no longer only steal clothes, scarves and sweaters from our partners, brothers or sisters: we also share our jewelry! One day it’s their turn to wear it, the next day it’s ours. This practice concerns two types of jewery above all: chains like those by Charlotte Chesnais, Adeline Cacheux and brooches. Sometimes they look almost more beautiful on a suit than on an evening gown… But it’s always best to do it amicably! And for those who don’t know how to share the family tiara, the twin designers of DSquared2 have come up with an idea, placing it on a cap. Sharing encourages creativity…
One jewel for two
For those who like to share, transformable jewelry that can be split into several elements is a godsend! Especially since the idea is omnipresent in high jewelry collections by Van Cleef & Arpels to Cartier through David Morris or De Beers. The example of Boucheron’s brooch made of two tourmaline clips is a case in point. Instead of appropriating the two or leaving one in the safe, you give it to your other half any way you want… The most fun part is to go out together sporting a “couple look”, that is to say, matching, as Koreans love to do. Check out @Young_emperors, @Joannahstyle, @jaimetoutcheztoi or even @CindyCrawford who loves to match stuff with her daughter Kaia. Transformable jewelry is thus turned into something sentimental that speaks of connection or complicity.
Change of status
I find this way of sharing jewelry rather amusing, even if none of it is yet designed with this in mind, except for some heart pendants in small jewelry. And yet, what an opportunity for jewelry to prove that it’s not only the epitome of all that’s individualistic and immoral, vain and selfish. Of course, much jewelry has always been shared, essentially through being handed down from mother to daughter and from father to son. But often that’s only come about with the death of the own… Nowadays, jewelry is happily shared while the owners are still alive.
One jewel for four or five
Thanks to transformable jewelry, this common practice is no longer limited to the family circle of brothers, sisters, or cousins. These days you can invite two, three, four friends to share, depending on the modularity of the jewelry. This is the case with the De Beers ensemble, which has two diamond rings and a third called a “jacket ring” that can be worn alone or to offset the others, depending on the occasion. One of the most extraordinary is Cartier’s Império necklace, made up of four elements and a matching clip that can also be hung on one of the necklaces. In total that gives you no fewer than 29 ways to wear it! In terms of sharing, it consists of a short necklace, a long one and two pendants (in diamond and emerald). As a symbol of belonging or a rallying point, the beautiful Imperio gives members of the same tribe a way to spot each other.
Note to designers and brands – why not create a real collection of jewels for sharing with our close circle?
Banner image : Boucheron, “Like a queen” collection
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