Christie’s Paris jewelry department boasts some truly sublime vintage or antique pieces. But what if you’re a young person in 2023? How to make these jewels your own, expressing your unique dress sense and radically different lifestyle? Here’s the sixth in the series of suggestions from TFJP.

By Sandrine Merle.

 

 

As you can see in the picture, it’s not all about accumulating jewelry. Neither is it a question of extravagant display. Note the two flower brooches in diamonds – both very discreet – including one from the 70-80s by none other than Italy’s storied Bvlgari. And then the two rings. The first – a solitaire with a square wire setting – was created by the French jeweler Jean Vendome. The second is more typical of the Art Deco years and is made up of a 13.34-carat cabochon emerald, i.e. polished in the shape of a dome. Surrounded by baguette-cut diamonds, it looks more like a large green berlingot.

 

Pimping your diamond flower brooch

The floral diamond brooch has a somewhat traditional feel, perhaps even bordering on boring… But by matching two of them and then positioning them upside down, we lose that rather predictable symbolism. Where’s the stem? And where are the leaves? That changes everything – now the plant has become an abstraction. Choose an unusual setting, such as draping them on a hat. But not any old hat – go for something unusual like the piece by Antony Peto: retro but not overly so, a hybrid of a cloche and a cap. With its bright yellow color, it looks like a new take on a jockey’s cap, with the polka dot shirt and sweater by Studio La Fétiche completing the picture.

 

Ready for a ring party?

In the 1970s, the Jean Vendome solitaire was usually worn on the ring finger as it was an engagement ring. But why not go for a ring party by placing them on other fingers too? Put this solitaire on the pinkie (instead of the traditional signet ring) to lose the ultra-formal look. For the emerald, stick to the ring finger but wear it on the forefinger instead of the usual position. Then continue this little game by adding a tiny ring on the end of the middle finger for example. A unique and contemporary way to enhance your nail art.

 

Hat: Antony Peto / Pull and shirt: Studio La Fétiche

 

Photograph: Laura Bonnefous
Model: Suzanne Meyer (Tribe Management)
Stylist: Stéphanie Brissay
Assisted by Matthias Debras
Hair: Nina Olivet
Make up: Laura Merle
Assistant: Loup Catusse
Retouching: Granon Digital

 

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