Hortensia

Hydrangea florets gathered into pompoms, garlands and posies, the flower repeated in gold petals, pink opal and pavé.

Introduced: 2013 — First shown as high jewellery in autumn 2013; watches and everyday jewellery followed.
Designer: Claire Dévé-Rakoff
Idea: The quatrefoil and the flower
School: Place Vendôme
Materials: rose gold, white gold, yellow gold, diamond, opal, sapphire, ruby, coral, tourmaline, mother-of-pearl

The story

Chaumet chose the hydrangea in autumn 2013 for a high-jewellery collection made under Claire Dévé-Rakoff, creative director since 2012, as a nod to Empress Joséphine's botanical gardens at Malmaison. The first 24 pieces used pink opal, sapphires, rubies and angel-skin coral; a watch family with sculpted enamel dials and lighter gold garlands followed.

Lineage

Answers · 2013
Joséphine, Chaumet (2010)
Three years after the Joséphine rings, Chaumet turned from the empress's diadems to her gardens at Malmaison and gathered hydrangea florets into posies.