Famous Jewelry Collections: THE BEADING GEM'S JOURNAL

Wednesday, July 6, 2011

THE BEADING GEM'S JOURNAL

The Making of Princess Charlene of Monaco's Ocean Inspired Jewelry

Posted: 06 Jul 2011 04:00 AM PDT

The two royal brides this year both have impeccable taste but neither wore necklaces to their weddings.

But the newly minted Princess Charlene of Monaco though has a spectacular ocean inspired necklace and tiara commissioned for the occasion.

Both the Van Cleef and Arpels diamond and sapphire Ocean Spray necklace and the Lorenz Baumer Diamond Spray tiara designs were clearly influenced by Princess Charlene's love of the sea. Not surprising as she is a former Olympic swimmer. Her preference for contemporary styles is also evident especially for the asymmetrical tiara.

The beautiful lines of both pieces featuring cresting of ocean waves are truly inspirational for both wire work artisans and bead workers alike. How can high end jewelry inspire us? Check out my Swarovski crystal and freshwater pearl necklace which I created after seeing Diana, Princess of Wales' Swan Lake necklace.

The following videos show how both pieces were created. The second video is in French with no subtitles. But no words are necessary to appreciate lovely jewelry!

The Making of Van Cleef and Arpels' Ocean Spray Diamond necklace
The necklace includes different shades of sapphires capturing different colored sea colors as well as pear cut diamonds to suggest water droplets. Over 1200 stones (70 carats worth) were used.

The Making of the Lorenz Baumer Diamond Spray Tiara
This video shows the fitting of the tiara. Notice the portrait of Princess Grace in the background. Princess Charlene actually wore it with the spray over the left ear for her wedding reception.