t’s not every day a brand celebrates its 150th anniversary. For this milestone, Piaget has launched a collection which is both a tribute to its immense expertise and a reminder of the house’s flamboyant past, in particular the 1960s and ‘70s when Yves Piaget mingled with the glitterati, and Piaget’s bold, riotously colourful bejewelled watches were the talk of the town.

A few months before the launch of Essence of Extraleganza, we visited Piaget’s workshops in Plan-les-Ouates. The stones were still being set in some of the 96 pieces in the collection; a chance for us to observe the perfectly orchestrated gestures of the master artisans who transform gems and gold into precious adornments.

English actress Rosamund Pike wears the Gold Reflections High Jewellery Set. ©Piaget

At the centre of the Gold Reflections Necklace, an oval blue sapphire from Madagascar, weighing 13.05 carats, and a double row of marquise-cut sapphires, tourmalines and aquamarines are framed by a cascade of opals, turquoise, diamonds and gold with Decor Palace engraving. ©Piaget

But before reaching the jeweller’s bench, these marvels require the combined talents and complementary expertise of two very important individuals: gemmologist Guillaume Chautru and artistic director of jewellery and watches Stéphanie Sivrière.

How does a Piaget jewel begin life? With the stones or with a sketch? “A mixture of the two,” answers Stéphanie Sivrière. “I like to have a stock of stones, which we buy as and when opportunities arise. When the gemmologists and I visit trade fairs, we sometimes come across unusual stones which I put aside for the next collection.”

The genesis of Essence of Extraleganza goes back to 2022, when the last gouaches were completed. “We finish the drawings two or three years before launch,” says Stéphanie Sivrière. “In between times, we forget what we designed so seeing the finished jewels leave the workshops is like Christmas!”

Sleeping beauties

But was Essence of Extraleganza really born in 2022, or did it originate years before, when Guillaume Chautru set out in search of precious stones, scouring the globe to assemble a set of gems for a bespoke piece or the ideal collection? “There are three drawers in the gemmology department full of what we call our sleeping beauties,” he explains. “Stones we buy for a future collection. Unfortunately the drawers are a little empty right now, as the finest were taken for the 150th anniversary.”

A model wears a set from the Essence of Extraleganza collection. ©Piaget

Luckily, Piaget can count on Chautru to replenish this treasure. “We’re currently assembling a set of natural violet sapphires, a task made harder by the fact there are so few of them and most aren’t an attractive colour. Whenever we come across one that may be of interest, we have it brought to the manufacture and see whether it matches the rest of the set. It can take years to assemble all the stones for a set.”

Chinese actress Yao Tong wears the spectacular Glowing Weave High Jewellery set. ©Piaget

As we toured the workshops, we were treated to a crash course on spinels: a magnificent specimen adorns one of the 150th anniversary jewels. In fact Guillaume Chautru confesses to having a particular soft spot for this gem: “Spinel is composed of magnesium aluminium oxide and was long mistaken for ruby. Imagine how, hundreds of millions of years ago, this substance was subjected to pressure at a certain temperature and the result is this gorgeous transparent mineral. It’s a miracle of nature! These stones were discovered inside the ground, someone sold them, then someone cut them, and we bought them. We own a superb collection of spinels. The dealers we work with have exceptional roughs which are cut on request, so as not to flood the market and bring prices down. Our job is to sell dreams, the unattainable!”

A 21.23-carat spessartite garnet

Alongside the magnificent spinels, Essence of Extraleganza boasts several pieces set with sumptuous emeralds, for example a cuff watch swathed with forty-some Colombian emeralds and a necklace in white gold whose 30-plus carats of round emeralds took more than two years to assemble.

Glowing Weave Necklace with four different motifs: brilliant-cut diamonds, round-cut emeralds, baguette-cut emeralds and gold with Decor Palace engraving. It took more than two years to assemble this rare set of round emeralds for a total 30 carats. ©Piaget

Spessartite garnets also take a starring role. Long overlooked, this stone has now caught the eye of many fine jewellery houses. Piaget sourced an extremely rare, 21.23-carat, cushion-cut gem that became the centrestone for a necklace ablaze with trapezoid-cut carnelians, yellow sapphires and diamonds. “Spessartite garnet is the only orange stone to offer such vibrancy and purity without being treated. The finest specimens are sourced in Namibia and Nigeria,” adds Guillaume Chautru.

Cuff watch set with 26.11 carats of baguette-cut Colombian emeralds and diamonds. Unique piece. ©Brigitte Niedermair

Asked about the collection’s theme, Stéphanie Sivrière answers that it doesn’t really have one. “For me, it’s the 150th anniversary collection. The idea was to show off our different skills, in particular chain-making which has been rather forgotten, and to take inspiration from Piaget’s heritage and codes, not through reeditions but in a modern way. This collection is a tribute to Piaget’s expertise as watchmaker and jeweller. Several pieces are formed from twisted gold. There are also hard stones, chains and the métiers d’art. Over the past two years we’ve come back to our origins, reintroducing sautoir watches, cuffs, the Piaget Polo watch and showcasing the different techniques we employ in our workshops to sculpt and embellish gold. This collection is the continuity of that intention.”

Essence of Extraleganza High Jewellery Necklace. Unique piece in 18k pink gold set with a cushion-cut spessartite (21.23 cts), yellow sapphires, carnelians and diamonds. ©Piaget

Piaget celebrates its jubilee in an explosion of colour and a profusion of twisted gold and chains; of fine stones rubbing shoulders with precious stones, splendid cuff bracelets and necklaces to wear like a precious scarf. Unmistakably Piaget, Essence of Extraleganza conjures up the jet-set spirit of the 1960s and ‘70s – when the house’s unbridled creativity and extravagance was at its zenith. A glamorous “back to the future” for a 150th anniversary year.