Some of the world’s biggest jewellery houses are led by skilled female artistic and creative directors from prominent fine jewellery houses and divisions. Each of them has their signature signature style, and they have all impacted their Maisons in a different way. LUXUO has listed the female designers and directors behind the maisons and their signature styles.
Victoire de Castellane
Victoire de Castellane is the long-serving creative director of Dior’s fine jewellery division. Victoire de Castellane has shaped Dior’s jewellery category by incorporating the brand’s heritage and staying true to the house’s traditional codes since joining Dior as artistic director in 1998. 2022’s Dior Print high jewellery collection was perhaps Victoire de Castellane’s most renowned release. Referencing the couture process, Victoire de Castellane’s 137 piece high jewellery collection took on delicate prints, patterns and colours, which was a radical departure from the usual audacious high jewellery pieces.
Francesca Amfitheatrof
Louis Vuitton’s artistic director of jewellery and watches is an “alchemist” of fine jewellery. Amfitheatrof pays attention to every detail from the inspiration, raw materials and final jewel. She combines her revolutionary insight with the House’s visionary spirit. Francesca Amfitheatrof is a jewellery designer who lives in Paris. She brings her passion for fashion to her jewellery designs.
Claire Choisne
Claire Choisne has been Boucheron’s creative director since 2011. During her tenure, Choisne “set out to break all the rules” and her 2023 30-piece high jewellery More is More collection was a prime example of this. Claire Choisne’s strength is that she knows how to create pieces which are exaggerated and incorporate volume with contrasts of optical illusions.
Read More: Boucheron’s Creative Director Tells Us How She Immortalised the Maison’s Beloved Cat
Jacqueline Karachi
Karachi, the creative director at Cartier now, first worked in a design studio that was almost exclusively male. This is where she realized how important it was to have a female perspective on jewellery designed for women. Now leading a 14-person team of designers, Karachi’s penchant for gemology is front and centre, particularly in Cartier’s Le Voyage Recommencé collection. Jacqueline Karachi has an understanding of recognisable motifs that are sought out by customers including house signatures like the clasp-less Love bracelet and the overlapping bands of the Trinity ring.
Lucia Silvestri
From buying gemstones at Bulgari’s geological department to being the house’s first creative director, Lucia Silvestri’s deep understanding of precious gemstones has taken her around the world, seeking inspiration from India and Sri Lanka to New York. Where Silvestri thrives is on her own personal brand of feminity that is displayed in colours alongside the versatility and the wearability of Bulgari pieces that take them from “morning to evening”.
Lucrezia Buccellati Wildenstein
Fourth-generation Lucrezia Buccellati Wildenstein is the co-creative director and ambassador for Buccellati. Known for its goldsmithing techniques, Lucrezia successfully puts her own modern take on the house for the interest of her younger clients by updating some of the brand’s signature motifs. She sees the pieces as an extension of herself, and takes inspiration from her everyday life. “Jewellery is not about the stone—it is the workmanship around the stone that matters,” says Lucrezia Buccellati Wildenstein in an interview. Buccellati’s dedication to fine craftsmanship is a legacy that seems to be enduring.
Read More: Here’s How Buccellati Charts A 4-Generation Journey Of Handcrafted Jewellery
Valérie Samuel
Maison Fred’s vice president and artistic director Valérie Samuel has built a reputation by rebuilding on the brand’s archives to tell the story of the Maison. Fred is close to her heart as Fred Samuel, her grandfather founded the jewellery house over 80 years ago.
Stéphanie Sivrière
Piaget is a place where traditional goldsmithing meets modern artisanal skills. Joining the Swiss watchmaker in 2002, Piaget’s creative director of jewellery and watches Stéphanie Sivrière successfully brings a contemporary context to craftsmanship, modernising it. For the last 23 years, Sivrière has honed a signature design style at Piaget which emphasises minimalist dials and textured details, alongside her signature use of gadroons.
Anne-Eva Geffroy
According to Graff’s design director Anne-Eva, designing one-of-a-kind jewels first comes from allowing the “emotion of the jewels” to create a lasting impression on the minds of the creator and the customer. “Authenticity is reflected in the design that is unique to the jewel it showcases,” she says. Anne-Eva’s design and craftsmanship are infused with femininity, fluidity, and flexibility by drawing inspiration from nature, architecture, and movement.
Caroline Scheufele
Chopard’s artistic director Caroline Scheufele’s designs are often “outside the box” and ahead of its time. Chopard’s creative power and Caroline Scheufele’s inventiveness are what propel Chopard into the forefront of jewellery design. Inspired by Haute Couture’s artistic crafts, Caroline opened a dialogue with Haute Joaillerie by inventing a jewellery lace design that has become a hallmark of the Maison.
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