The fourth high-jewellery collection designed by Francesca Amfitheatrof for Louis Vuitton, the Spirit collection is the most important collection for the luxury brand since the launch of the ‘High Jewellery’. Presented around five themes — Liberty, Destiny, Fantasy, Grace and Radiance — the range comprises 125 pieces.
Graphic codes and fantasy inspired the Spirit collection. Louis Vuitton says these pieces allow “the LV woman [to reaffirm] her power in a series of transformative creatures destined for the future.”
Set in new scenery created with the Campana Brothers, the Spirit collection’s unexpected revelations move seamlessly, striking a perfect balance between craft and design. It combines its unique designs with extraordinary gems. It took three years to source and bring together a magnificent tsavorite weighing over 65 carats with a selection of perfectly matched sapphires from Sri Lanka, emeralds from Colombia, rubies from Mozambique, and diamonds of flawless purity.
LIBERTY
The freedom to explore, discover new worlds, and express one’s innermost nature: with this constellation of 22 pieces, Louis Vuitton’s creative boldness breaks free of High Jewellery’s conventional design codes. The incredibly regal star piece is an armour-like necklace with a hidden secret message. Louis Vuitton created a fresh interpretation of its Damier pattern in a mosaic composition of square and triangle custom-cut diamonds, then superimposed the hinge motifs from its iconic trunks. This fully articulated matrix of rippling geometries is brought to vivid life by an outstanding selection of emeralds from Colombia – the largest of which weighs 8.90 carats – and a 2.60-carat D VVS1 diamond in the Maison’s signature Monogram Flower cut.
The crowning jewel in this necklace is an extremely rare sapphire from Sri Lanka weighing 18.08 carats and of an unparalleled royal blue. Complementing the Liberty necklace is a ring fashioned from triangle-cut diamonds around a 10.41-carat sapphire. Two additional sets of jewellery in diamond, emerald and sapphire – designed with a more minimalist aesthetic – complete the Liberty theme.
DESTINY
This strikingly architectural jewellery set magnifies the power of Louis Vuitton’s legacy, revealing the fullness of its spirit through a repeating pattern of triangular shapes and the ever-present letter V. Destiny’s ultra-graphic necklace construction plays on solids and voids, teaming diamond-encrusted triangles with Monogram Flower-cut diamonds. At the same time, the whole piece is brought to life by several fiery rubies from Mozambique. Preeminent among these is a ruby weighing over 10 carats and displaying an emerald cut, which is extremely rare for this stone. Its characteristic red is totally pure, both bright and intense at once. As it is detachable, this ruby can also be worn on the specially designed accompanying solitaire ring, which comes with a detachable diamond
hanging from the necklace.
Alongside this outstanding central piece, Louis Vuitton has crafted other jewels in the realm of Destiny – an additional three-row diamond and ruby necklace, a variety of earrings, rings and bracelets, as well as a brooch. The constellation also includes a matching set
of jewellery in monochrome diamonds, where triangular shapes give rise to pieces of consummate elegance, such as a solitaire ring set with a 10.88-carat emerald-cut D FL diamond.
FANTASY
In perpetual movement, the wanderlust prized by Louis Vuitton is manifest here in a virtuoso interlacing of yellow gold chevron motifs with diamond-paved triangles and Vs in white gold. This two-tone contrast of textures plays out on a two-row necklace whose hypnotic design seems to course across the skin in a dazzling, unstoppable stream. The flawless geometry of its chevrons amplifies the Vuitton V and acts as a callback to the arrowheads that Louis Vuitton showcases in its High Jewellery collections.
Spotlighting a 2.56-carat Monogram Flower-cut diamond, this necklace can be worn in three different ways. It is paired with a spellbinding ring, whose body of gold chevrons rises to a crowning 8.73-carat round D FL diamond that seems to be gazing at the woman wearing it… The same design principle is carried over to the sautoir necklace, earrings, rings, and cuff bracelets that complete the Fantasy family.
GRACE
Two phoenix wings unfold around the neck metaphorically for the Louis Vuitton woman’s capacity for renewal, soaring off to discover new lands and reach new heights. This perfect balance between strength and grace gives rise to a stunning winged necklace. An ode to the virtuosity of the Maison’s High Jewellery ateliers, the design is formed of a double V – one V made of custom-cut baguette diamonds, the other a twisted metal torque of round diamonds that curves around the top of the neck, thanks to the consummate artistry of an articulated setting in white gold.
The curvilinear Grace necklace culminates in a breathtaking 65.26-carat tsavorite from East Africa. Forming a detachable pendant to the chain, this perfectly crystallised gemstone radiates such a pure shade of green that it seems almost unreal.
As companions to this masterpiece, which took jewellers more than 2,000 hours to craft, Louis Vuitton also created two other jewellery sets, monochromatic diamond compositions whose graceful outlines makeup chokers, rings, earrings and bracelets.
RADIANCE
This opulent necklace is intended to act as protection for a woman as she makes her way through life, like a second skin of gold and platinum that simultaneously speaks of the untamed, mysterious nature dormant inside each of us and the fire and ardour that erupts from within. Every scale that makes up this piece is individually mounted so that its masterfully concave checkerboard pattern sits perfectly on the skin.
A pyramid construction brings out the radiant gleam of each mirror-polished yellow gold section, while their collective brilliance is heightened with diamond tips. In the centre of the necklace is a 10.99-carat mandarin garnet whose bright orange fire sets it ablaze.
Radiance’s raw power also infuses the matching cuff, pendant and sets of earrings. Two rings complete this striking family of jewellery, each adorned with a mandarin garnet (weighing 14.73 carats and 18.72 carats, respectively).
For more information on the Spirit collection, visit Louis Vuitton’s website here.