Bridging the gap between heritage and modernity, today's jewelry embraces a vintage feel, driven by nostalgia for past eras. Major fashion houses and independent designers are revisiting iconic 20th-century styles—Art Deco, Belle Epoque, 1970s—by adapting them to current tastes. The creations play on lightness, ergonomics and volumes to make people want to wear these classic patterns again in a contemporary reinterpretation.
We are witnessing a real return to grace of the vintage jewelryFar from being limited to simple nostalgia, this trend is accompanied by multiple inspirations. Clean designs and bold twists transform these jewels of the past into resolutely contemporary accessories. More than just a fashion phenomenon, revisited vintage jewelry embodies a jewelry art at the crossroads of heritage and innovation.
Reviving the bodice fronts of the early 19th century, the charms enrich the collection of necklaces and earrings of the Mellerio House in a contemporary style. They play with the contrasts of the purple hues of amethysts, the green of prasiolites, the yellow of citrines, the golden hues of rutile quartz, the azure blue of topazes, or even the aquamarine and pink of quartz and opals.
Mellerio, particularly known in the 19th century for its colorful sets of romantic high jewelry, also enriches its Pierreries collection with a version in shades of pink. Each stone chosen by Laure-Isabelle Mellerio, the artistic director, is intended as an ode to femininity, magnifying the complexion like a subtle makeup of the woman who wears it. This necklace declines the pastel softness of rose quartz, the powdery elegance of opals, the tender peachy pink of morganite, the delicacy of the lilac roses of kunzite and the varied reflections of lavender quartz. All of these gems are delicately highlighted by the contrast of the precious metal, subtly nuanced from yellow to pink through the brilliance of green gold, the whole forming a vegetal lace and recalling that Mellerio is also the great historical jeweler of naturalism.
In 2021, Rouvenat had acquired more than 3 signed gouache drawings Leon Rouvenat, founder of the jewelry house in 1851. Gathered in ten original notebooks whose black leather covers contain sheets sometimes painted in gold, sometimes sketched with pencil, these living archives continue to awaken the creative imagination. Among these notebooks, many pages offer the study of oval medallions with contours traced with extreme precision, while the center is left empty. No one can say what would have been mounted once the jewel was made… a cameo, a relic, the coaster of a photograph?
Inspired by these medallion designs, Rouvenat's Frame ring collection is like a frame that highlights and protects the portrait within. Because each central stone is unique, precious, and admirable, they are framed and celebrated here, allowing them to carry their own story through contemporary times.
The Charleston Collection of Soann pays homage to the Art Deco style of the 1920s by revisiting its iconic codes with a contemporary touch. It combines the timeless elegance of clean lines and geometric patterns with modern technicality, offering light and comfortable jewelry thanks to openwork, alternating geometric diamonds such as baguettes and round shapes, enhanced by a milgrain setting that accentuates their brilliance. Crafted in gold and precious stones, this refined collection is suitable for all occasions, embodying both the sophistication and free spirit of the Charleston era. A collection faithful to the vision of the house of Soann: to reinvent jewelry by combining tradition and modernity to create jewelry with a strong and timeless design.
For its part, inspired by an era marked by grace and romanticism, the Brazilian jewelry house Cris Porto imagined the Sissi set, which reinterprets the codes of royalty with a breath of modernity.
Comprised of a necklace and earrings, the Sissi set features luminous morganites—gems with delicate pink hues—set in frames adorned with dazzling diamonds. The necklace, the centerpiece of this set, crafted in white gold, is adorned with seven morganites totaling 27,11 carats, illuminated by white diamonds totaling 4 carats and pink diamonds. Its light lines seem to tell tales of times gone by. Matching the necklace, the earrings combine 8,40 carats of morganites with white and pink diamonds. With its soft, feminine tones, the Sissi set by Cris Porto celebrates romance in a contemporary style.
Founded by Laurent Baeza and Igor Nallet in Paris at the end of 2023, Astrom offers French jewelry that encourages resilience and self-fulfillment by exploring the quintessence of the universe. “The name of our House refers to astrometry, which evaluates the position, distance, and movement of stars on the Earth’s sphere,” explains Igor Nallet, co-founder and CEO.
Driven by a strong creative ambition, the refinement of the designs gives nods to the history of the great jewelery French while boldly breaking away from the traditional codes in force. This vision, steeped in history, myths and culture, flourishes in high-quality craftsmanship, entirely provided by workshops working for the Place Vendôme.
The original L'Universel piece, representing a scepter, played a decisive role in the genesis of Maison Astrom. The collection, launched in November 2024, chronicles the universe and human creativity, drawing inspiration from the jewels of power that, emblems of glory and victory, transfigured the monarch who wore them (thus symbolically becoming the intermediary between humanity and the heavens).
Revealed at the end of January 2025, the Dynasties high jewelry collection brings together form, material, composition, technique, and symbolism. Three unique pieces convey with modernity the grandeur of aristocratic jewelry: these jewels, which marked the apogee of the art of jewelry, possessed profound meanings. Worn by monarchs, crowns and scepters were the visible expression of their role as intermediaries with the celestial realms, while precious stones (Bleu de France, Orlov, Saint Edward sapphire, Black Prince ruby—actually a spinel—Cullinan I and Cullinan II diamonds) manifested their power.
Among these unique pieces, the Le Britannique necklace perpetuates the soul of the legendary State Crown originally created for Queen Victoria. Composed of 21 pieces (for the crown alone), this creative and artisanal tour de force, which brings together no fewer than 2 gems, evokes, through their colors and brilliance, the historic gems that have illuminated the successive reigns of British sovereigns.
Carine Loeillet
Legends:
(1) Mellerio. Pierreries Rose necklace in yellow gold set with kunzites, morganites, pink opals, lavender quartz, rose quartz, sunflower quartz.
(2) Mellerio. Charms Pierreries, inspired by the bodice fronts of the early 19th century, transposed into a contemporary look, playing with the contrasts of the purple hues of amethysts.
(3) Rouvenat. Frame Tanzanite ring in blue lacquer and, in its center, a 3,82 ct tanzanite. A creation inspired by the oval medallions found in the sketchbooks signed Léon Rouvenat in 1851.
(4) Soann. Charleston ring in yellow gold, baguette diamonds from 0,25 to 0,35 carat G-VS, round diamonds 0,25 carat G-VS and central diamond of one carat.
(5) Cris Porto. Sissi earrings, which reinterpret the codes of royalty, in white gold with 78 white diamonds, 90 pink diamonds and 2 morganites.
(6) Astrom. Double row Le Britannique necklace in yellow and white gold, diamonds (15 cts) including a pear-cut D VVS diamond of 2,19 cts, rubies, red spinel, sapphires, emeralds.
