Metamorphosis is a High Jewellery collection from De Beers, featuring bold designs inspired by nature’s perpetual evolution. The four sets within the collection represent the seasons, each seemingly more magnificent than the last. Spring, Summer, Autumn, and Winter are odes to the constant metamorphosis of nature through the cycle of the seasons. They also illustrate the process of rough diamonds formed billions of years ago being transformed into spectacular jewels through the expertise of De Beers’ craftsmanship.
“I am particularly proud of the daring designs of this chapter. We’ve experimented with bold volumes, graphic motifs, and hidden details,” Céline Assimon, CEO of De Beers Jewellers, said in a statement. “Our focus on transformability and versatility reflects the fact that De Beers is a young House. High Jewellery is the epitome of art and craftsmanship, but it should also be wearable and fun.”
A Prelude to Eternal Jewels
Back in January 2023, the only luxury house with a direct connection to the source of diamonds to superior quality, traceability, and positive impact revealed Chapter One of the collection: Prelude. The series harmoniously embodied all of the seasons with nine bold pieces from snow-set diamonds to intricately beaded gold. The Prelude Ear Cuff perfectly exemplified the metamorphosis concept of the collection, where four fluid diamond-set strands with a striking ear cuff are finished with a cone-shaped titanium chrysalis of varying colours, which can be removed and worn on an accompanying charm bracelet.
Chapter Two was then unveiled during Paris Couture Week in July, completing the collection with 37 one-of-a-kind designs, 20 of which were transformable pieces. The pieces were scintillating testaments to the creativity of the London-founded High Jewellery House.
Spring is a Time for New Beginnings (and New Gems)
To pay homage to the King Protea, the ancient national flower of southern Africa, overlapping petals set with white diamonds are a key characteristic of almost all of the 10 pieces. White and rose gold were utilised to evoke the delicate degradé hues seen on the tropical blossom. A standout is the transformable Spring Necklace made to drape the decolletage magnificently with a profusion of diamond-set petal motifs. These reach a crescendo in a detachable drop of a sumptuous pear-shaped Fancy Brown Orange diamond weighing 3.02 carats. The clasp at the back is set with a delicate cluster of diamond petals that cascade elegantly down the nape, rendering the wearer captivating from every angle.
The Spring Masterpiece Diamond Ring will enthral with one glance thanks to its rare 2.78 carat Fancy Intense Pinkish Purple diamond that radiates with beauty against its slender pavé-set diamond platinum band. An ornament fit for royalty, its rich violet hue fittingly symbolises its status as a royal colour and is suggestive of the tips of the King Protea petals. The astonishing cushion-cut diamond is part of the De Beers Natural Works of Art Collection, a selection of nature’s most magnificent treasures.
Showstopping Gemstones for Summer
In 1947, De Beers revolutionised the diamond world with their tagline ‘A Diamond Is Forever’, which still shines today and popularised diamond engagement rings as the authentic stamp of betrothal. Echoing this ethos are nine creations of the Summer set, which were inspired by the spiralling forms of ancient ammonite fossils formed over hundreds of millions of years, seemingly forever ago.
One such piece is the Summer Choker Necklace, fit for any form of royalty in any era, with chokers being a royal jewellery staple for centuries from Anne Boleyn to the late Princess of Wales. A Fancy Intense Yellow cushion-cut diamond weighing 9.06 carats floats at the centre of a sparkling necklace of diamond-set yellow and white gold. A band of princess-cut white diamonds contours the sunny gold choker, evoking the vertebrae of a prehistoric being.
The Masterpiece Diamond & Jacket Ring is a wearable work of art that demonstrates the Maison’s supreme craftsmanship. Four distinct looks are incorporated in a single versatile ring, which appears like fossils hidden in the sand from the side, with a rare 7.61 carat Fancy Vivid Yellow diamond from the De Beers Natural Works of Art collection as its literal crown jewel.
Fall in Love with Autumn Treasures
Autumn’s russet leaves are abstracted into billowing curves of Grand Feu enamel, an expert technique originating in Mycenae and Cyprus between 1600 and 1300 BC, which makes its debut for the first time in any De Beers collection. An artistic ombré of fiery red and orange tones was applied by hand to seven transformable designs, with pearl-shaped and oval-shaped diamonds taking centre stage.
For the Autumn Bangle, to emulate the movement of windswept leaves, traditional Grand Feu enamel was painted on soaring contours of rose gold, which closely hugs a second bangle crafted in white gold, and set with a 2.01 carat pear-shaped diamond, symbolic of the imminent arrival of Winter. The bangles can be worn together to create an avant-garde work of art, or worn alone for a total of three styling options.
Meanwhile, the Autumn Ear Cuffs feature a dramatic silhouette that recalls flurries of falling leaves and angelic wings, and demonstrates De Beers’ ability to meld traditional mastery with cutting-edge designs. A detachable rose-gold, diamond, and Grand Feu enamel ear cuff frame the contours of the ears, while a detachable jacket cascades elegantly from behind.
Deck Yourself Out in Winter
Seeing the first specks of snow twirling in the clouds is to be enchanted by brisk winter air. Appropriately, De Beers adds its magical touch to its Winter set of 11 unique designs inspired by angular fragments of ice on frozen lakes and rivers. Masterfully articulated graphic geometric motifs result in impactful pieces that move with the contours of the body, echoing the gentle swaying of ice on the water.
Its Winter Tiara is a masterclass in diamonds, with more than 40 carats that will turn you into a modern-day Anastasia. Four bands crafted in platinum and titanium symbolise the cycle of water throughout winter; its pièce de resistance is a platinum band shimmering with pear-shaped, cushion-cut, and emerald-cut diamonds, all of which can be removed and worn on individual necklaces. The nucleus of the tiara, an 8.49-carat pear-shaped diamond, was discovered in Botswana from the De Beers Natural Works of Art Collection.
Closing the chapter is the Winter Butterfly Ring, with three iterations of the respective seasons found in the other sets, each a symbol of De Beers’ boundless creativity. An exquisite creature crafted in white gold, the wings of the Winter Butterfly are adorned with diamonds, including snow-set round brilliants, pear- shaped, and marquise-cuts, as well as light bluish-green rough diamonds, recollecting shards of ice.
The Metamorphosis High Jewellery collection is available at the De Beers store in Suria KLCC.
