Central Saint Martins student Scott Armstrong has made a head start into world of high jewellery, designing a new headpiece for Chaumet. Since the French jewellery house was established in 1780, over 20,00 tiara designs have been crafted. Armstrong’s is the centrepiece in ‘Imperial Splendours: The Art of Jewellery since the 18th Century’, an exhibition that opened this week in Beijing, and displays the house’s storied creations from the 18th century to today.
‘As a 21-year-old designer, to be asked to create work within the context of such a noble history is incredible,’ says Armstrong of the collaboration. He was one of 60 jewellery design students at the London art school who applied to take part in the competition set by Chaumet to ‘design a tiara for the 21st century’.
Armstrong’s ‘Vertiges’ design, a light structure of criss-crossing straight and curved lines was inspired by the geometric grids particular to French formal garden design. ‘The name refers to aerial shots of those designs,’ Armstrong says. ‘It also suggests the lightheadedness you experience with vertigo.’
The young jewellery designer has translated the naturalism of the house using clusters of green and yellow tourmalines and garnets, to represent moss poking through cracks in paving slabs. ‘They soften the otherwise strong structure of the piece,’ he explains. ‘The formal garden structures take a macro viewpoint of the landscape, while the moss is the micro view of it. I like this subversion of scale.’
Armstrong also subverts the romantic floral motifs that also play a key role in Chaumet’s canon, such as bouquets of hydrangeas and golden sheaves of wheat. For the French fine jewellery house, the ‘Vertiges’ headpiece is a proud symbol of tradition and modernity colliding to create something new.
A version of this article originally appeared in the Precious Index, our new watches and jewellery supplement (see W*218)
Armstrong talks through his design process
INFORMATION
‘Imperial Splendours: The Art of Jewellery since the 18th Century’ is on view until 2 July. For more information, visit the Chaumet website
ADDRESS
The Palace Museum
Tower Gallery of the Meridian Gate
4 Jingshan Front Street
Dongcheng Qu
Beijing
-
Six brilliant bars for your 2025 celebrations, hot off the Wallpaper* travel deskWallpaper’s most-read bar reviews of the year can't be wrong: here’s inspiration for your festive and new year plans, from a swanky Las Vegas lounge to a minimalist London drinking den
-
Misfires and Monstrosities: three vehicular design disasters that show taste is in retreatFrom a multi-million dollar piece merchandise to a wretched Rolls-Royce, these are the low points of the year in transportation design
-
Thirty years after Dog Man Star, Brett Anderson looks back on Suede's album coversBrett Anderson talks cover art, photography and iconic imagery
-
Chaumet’s new book celebrates its most memorable collaborations with photographers'Chaumet: Photographers’ Gaze' unites jewellery editorials and campaigns captured by major photographers. Co-author Carol Woolton tells us of the ‘addictive' Chaumet archive
-
Art takes London: Tiffany & Co, Damien Hirst and artists take over Selfridges' windowsFour British contemporary artists celebrate Tiffany & Co's pioneering history with a series of storied window displays
-
Late summer jewels: what to wear at Golden HourLate summer signals a jewellery style-shift. These independent designers have got it covered
-
Chaumet, Cartier and Chanel up their high jewellery watch game for 2024In 2024's high jewellery watch designs, performance tech and centuries-old techniques combine to brilliant effect
-
All smiles: How a grillz jewellery making class in London became an international hitWhat started as a passion project quickly exploded in popularity. We get the story behind the grillz-making workshop at Cockpit London
-
Emerging jewellery designers to get to knowThese independent, new and emerging jewellery designers and brands from New York to Paris are firmly on our radar
-
High jewellery with dazzling effectsStand-out gems dazzle against a backdrop of red and black in our high jewellery shoot
-
Paris 2024 and Chaumet unveil Olympic and Paralympic medalsThe Paris 2024 Olympic and Paralympic medals designed by Chaumet are not just emblems of champions but are storytelling jewellery
