High jewelry features a wealth of references to haute couture, one of its cult themes. Chopard and David presented some jewelry pieces at Giambattista Valli and Ralph and Russo runway shows. There are variations on trimmings and pompoms. Lace, a metaphor for femininity, is still an essential exercise of style, as its extreme delicacy and transparency have to be reproduced with the most unyielding of materials: gold and diamonds. Nothing shows off the skills of engravers, gem-setters and polishers more effectively.
