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
Parisian jewellery house Chaumet has long championed a rich spirit of collaboration, working with an eclectic portfolio of photographers on avant-garde and arresting campaigns throughout its history. Now, for the first time, they are united in a retrospective book, Chaumet: Photographers’ Gaze which delves into the archives, featuring editorials and campaigns shot by talents including Guy Bourdin, Peter Lindberg, Mario Testino, Mario Sorrenti, Richard Burbridge, and Paolo Roversi.
Here, one of the book's three authors, Carol Woolton, discusses how photography has been integral to the high jewellery house since its inception, and how enjoyable it is to view jewellery photographed in an array of cultural contexts.
A delve into ‘Chaumet: Photographers’ Gaze’
Wallpaper*: Chaumet's rich history encompasses both jewellery and cultural references. Can you tell us a bit about how this book builds on this in celebrating the maison's artistic collaborations?
Carol Woolton: This book illustrates more than jewellery as a design vehicle for gemstones or signifiers of glamour. Through the rich legacy of photographic imagery – which really began with Joseph Chaumet himself and progressed with technological advancement and shifting fashion tastes combined with inventive artistic collaborations – it’s possible to detect the story of dress over a particular period and the changing representation of women. The style of each era, definition of beauty and how jewellery was being perceived by society at certain moments are visible through the 200 or so photographs in the book.
W*: What did you enjoy most when going through the archives? Did any imagery you came across surprise you?
CW: I’d describe the Chaumet archive as addictive. I’d spot what I imagined to be the most spectacular drawing or gouache of a jewel in the collection that would be a dream to have seen realised, let alone worn, before turning over another page and finding myself equally enchanted. The array of styles and breadth of the archive is astonishing. The beauty of the aigrettes [headdresses] surprised me and quite how many of them were commissioned at the time – one drawing stays with me in particular, which is painted with an airy lightness of touch depicting a diamond design rising up from a slender white gold headband into a fresh spray of holly with berries popping from the page with a dashing dab of red and silvery dusting of dew. Invariably for me, it’s Chaumet’s flowers that bewitch.
W*: What have you found most interesting in the way a diverse group of photographers have differed when interpreting Chaumet's aesthetic?
Wallpaper* Newsletter
Receive our daily digest of inspiration, escapism and design stories from around the world direct to your inbox.
CW: I like the diverse aesthetics offered by a range of some of the greatest names in fashion photography, in some cases not best known for picturing jewellery, and how they’ve chosen to portray the jewels. Not only do these photographs show jewellery as an adornment for the body, but the diverse wealth of still-life styles also shows jewels as powerful objects, whilst others are seemingly in motion as the jewellery moves through a parade of backdrops, sometimes thought-provoking, often witty and always compelling. But invariably the jewel commands the image with its extraordinary desirability contributing a crucial element to the overall picture.
W*: What is some of your favourite imagery in the book?
CW: Every picture tells a story – as does a piece of jewellery, so my favourite images are the ones that leave a little to the viewer's imagination to decide what is happening in the picture. For instance, the 2006 image by Bettina Rheims of the mascara-stained face of a weeping girl with magazines lying beside her in bed wearing a tiara conjures up a complicated backstory in a single moment. I also love the mastery of Guy Bourdin’s magnificent black-clad cat burglar caught in the act attempting a daring get-away with the emerald and diamond jewelled bounty in hand. Others, like David Bailey’s 1970 glam rock silver-eyed model wearing a large geometric white gold jewel, are masterclasses in portraying the spirit of a decade.
Chaumet's new book, 'Chaumet: Photographers’ Gaze' is available at amazon.co.uk
Hannah Silver is the Art, Culture, Watches & Jewellery Editor of Wallpaper*. Since joining in 2019, she has overseen offbeat design trends and in-depth profiles, and written extensively across the worlds of culture and luxury. She enjoys meeting artists and designers, viewing exhibitions and conducting interviews on her frequent travels.
-
After the floods, Valencia’s design community unites
Valencia's design community launches ‘Auction for Action’ and 'Interioristas en Acción' (IED), initiatives to raise money for those effected by the floods in Spain
By Suzanne Wales Published
-
In Helsinki, Pauline Curnier Jardin has created the grotesque amusement park of her dreams
French artist Pauline Curnier Jardin celebrates otherness at Kiasma, Helsinki’s Museum of Contemporary Art
By Alison Hugill Published
-
A celestial New York exhibition showcases Roman and Williams’ mastery of lighting
Lauded design studio Roman and Williams is exhibiting 100 variations of its lighting ‘family tree’ inside a historic Tribeca space
By Dan Howarth Published
-
Rolex and Wallpaper* present the first authorised history of the Submariner watch
Rolex and Wallpaper* partner to publish ‘Oyster Perpetual Submariner – The Watch that Unlocked the Deep’, written by Nicholas Foulkes. The launch includes a silk-bound limited edition, available now
By Hannah Silver Published
-
Chaumet, Cartier and Chanel up their high jewellery watch game for 2024
In 2024's high jewellery watch designs, performance tech and centuries-old techniques combine to brilliant effect
By Caragh McKay Published
-
High jewellery with dazzling effects
Stand-out gems dazzle against a backdrop of red and black in our high jewellery shoot
By Hannah Silver Published
-
Paris 2024 and Chaumet unveil Olympic and Paralympic medals
The Paris 2024 Olympic and Paralympic medals designed by Chaumet are not just emblems of champions but are storytelling jewellery
By Minako Norimatsu Published
-
Chunky chains are given a subversive high jewellery spin
High jewellery houses rewrite the rules by way of 1980s tunes and a blast of emeralds, spinels and diamonds
By Caragh McKay Published
-
Year in review: top 10 watch and jewellery stories of 2023, as picked by Wallpaper’s Hannah Silver
Silver’s top 10 watch and jewellery stories of 2023 span cool horological collaborations, sculptural forms, and cutlery as bracelets
By Hannah Silver Published
-
Chaumet exhibition celebrates the golden age of jewellery design in Paris
A Chaumet exhibition, ‘Un Âge d’Or’, in Place Vendôme, puts jewellery designs from 1965 – 1985 in the spotlight
By Hannah Silver Published
-
Chaumet’s high jewellery nods to naturalistic traditions
Chaumet presents its new high jewellery collection in four chapters
By Hannah Silver Published