There is something enticing about things that are barely there. The inquisitive mind begins to fill in the gaps between what is seen and what can only be imagined. After the rise of lace camisoles, jelly shoes and skeleton watches, it seems the fascination with see-through has found its way to jewellery.
The allure of transparent jewellery lies in its ability to create the illusion of a piece floating or melding into the skin. There are several ways to do this, and at the high jewellery collections this year the techniques that were used ran the gamut. The tradition of openwork, for instance, taken to beautiful heights at Italian brands like Buccellati and Pomellato; or the experimental and avant-garde, as Boucheron did by suspending diamonds in clear resin.
Boucheron’s Carte Blanche Human Being high jewellery collection this year perfectly encapsulates the gleam of see-through design through the Rain necklace. To create this effect, hollow water droplet-shaped clusters were carved from rock crystal, the insides of which were filled with bio-based resin, and over 4,800 diamonds were suspended by hand and placed in this mix. The effect it creates mimics the white flecks found in ice cubes, and when worn, it sprawls spectacularly across the chest like a frozen sculpture mid-melt.
Rock crystal, a clear quartz, has been used for years in clear jewellery designs. This year, Chanel introduced it for the first time in its Signes & Symboles collection in the Symbole Camélia Rose brooch. White gold stars and flowers, illuminated with diamonds, are set inside a translucent, sculpted rock crystal camellia. The inside of the brooch is enamelled in pink, so that the colour and motifs catch and reflect light with every movement.
The best and most exquisite diamonds are often defined by being colourless and flawless. It seems a simple enough fact, until a jeweller like Van Cleef & Arpels turns that into a see-through design feature. Its Ruban Mystérieux watch takes a technical yet delicate route: it twirls around the wrist like a ribbon, inspired by the world of haute couture. Yet it is covered in snow-set diamonds, and framed by rows of Mystery-Set emeralds and sapphires. Amongst those gemstones, the watch features an internally flawless 3.72-carat oval diamond that sits atop the dial—so pure and clear that the time can be read by peering through it.
Creating opportunities for light to pass through a jewel is a long tradition, and if you look at the back of finely crafted pieces you will often see open worked settings. This subtle kind of ‘transparency’ can enhance the colour and shine of gemstones. There are jewellers that take openworking to extremes. Buccellati’s Serenissima collection paid homage to Venetian needle lace, and its gold openworked designs are crafted so meticulously that it appears almost to be embroidered rather than sculpted. The Milanese brand uses its signature tulle technique to hand-saw honeycomb structures, turning solid plaques of metal into airy and open nets of precious gold. These designs draw the eye, while the seductiveness of bare skin peaking through the gaps almost becomes a part of the design itself.
From sculptural statement pieces to subtler interpretations, scroll on to discover the pieces on Vogue’s radar.
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By Pariah Pebble small pendant in 14-carat yellow gold with green amethyst and diamonds, $2,118
Available from By Pariah.
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Persée Floating ring in white gold with diamonds, €1,710
Available from Persée.
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Ashaha Dehya Green cuff in plexiglass and 9-carat yellow gold with diamonds, €4,000
Available from Ashaha.
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Buccellati Tulle mini pendant in white gold with diamonds, $9,600
Available from Buccellati.
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Vhernier Aladino ear clips in rose gold with mother-of-pearl and rock crystal, €13,900
Available from Vhernier.
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Stephen Webster Fly By Night cocktail ring in yellow gold with quartz, mother-of-pearl and diamonds, £10,000
Available from Stephen Webster.
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Tiffany & Co. Elsa Peretti Cabochon ring in yellow gold with rock crystal, $9,600
Available from Tiffany & Co.
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Bottega Veneta Drop earrings in gold-finish sterling silver with rock crystal quartz, $2,420
Available from Bottega Veneta.
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Pomellato Nudo Classic earrings in rose and white gold with malachite, tsavorite and prasiolite, $6,950
Available from Pomellato.
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Isabel Marant necklace in silver-plated brass with rock crystal, US$475
Available from Isabel Marant.
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Alaïa Le Coeur Bombe earrings in brass with resin, $1,455
Available from Mytheresa.
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Chopard Happy Diamonds Icons necklace in yellow gold with a diamond, $3,900
Available from Chopard.
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Buccellati Opera Eternelle ring in yellow and white gold with diamonds, $30,500
Available from Buccellati.
