The top high jewellery maisons can’t shake their fascination with nature – from Gucci’s four seasons and Graff’s Classic Butterfly to Chanel’s iconic camellias, we’re still spellbound by natural wonder

Dec 30 , 2023

Where the wild things are: high jewellery creations inspired by elements of the natural world – from Gucci’s four seasons and Graff’s Classic Butterfly to Chanel’s iconic lions and camellias, and Cindy Chao The Art Jewel 2023 Black Label Masterpiece, Amour Butterfly (pictured). Photo: Handout

Cindy Chao has long been inspired by butterflies, while Ronald Abram designs draw on the forms of trees, leaves, animals, birds and dewdrops – as well as of the precious stones themselves

Famous for its camellia and lion motifs, Chanel is also inspired by the sun and the stars, while Gucci’s Allegoria creations express the essence of each season through high jewellery

Life has long imitated art, but in the realm of high jewellery, the reverse is equally true. For decades, the world’s most beautiful natural wonders have inspired high jewellery designs, from vibrant floral blooms to striking exotic animals.

But the jewels themselves can lend inspiration to designs as well. “We find inspiration for our high jewellery in the stones themselves,” explains Jonathan Abram, brand director at Ronald Abram. He describes the jeweller as a “stone-led design house” that allows the gems to dictate the shape and form of the designs they populate.

Cindy Chao The Art Jewel 2023 Black Label Masterpiece, Amour Butterfly

Abram describes a meticulous selection process and the exclusive use of natural stones, which “embody the purest expression of nature”, he says. “These stones are, in essence, precious gifts bestowed upon us by the natural world.”

Ronald Abram designs also draw inspiration from the natural world, “incorporating elements such as trees, leaves, animals, birds and other natural forms into many of our pieces”, says the brand director. The maison’s most recent creation, a pair of high jewellery droplet earrings, showcases radiant cabochon-cut emeralds, their shape mirroring the delicate form of a dewdrop.

Cindy Chao, founder of high jewellery maison Cindy Chao The Art Jewel, describes nature as her “ultimate muse” – one that at essence is ever-evolving, as “no two leaves, no two landscapes look the same”.

The designer dedicates two weeks each year to immersing herself in natural surroundings, no matter her schedule – “away from the city, crowds, phones and any other devices”, she adds. “The intricate details found in natural forms, such as leaves or flowers, can be challenging to replicate with precision, especially when using metal and gemstones that have their own textures and characteristics,” Chao notes. To overcome these challenges, she adopts something of an unconventional approach and begins her creative process with wax sculpting rather than the more typical framework of sketching.

Chao is best known for her annual intricate high jewellery butterflies, the motif holding strong significance for the designer. As a new artist, Chao was faced with the choice of either following her passion or conforming to profitable market trends. “As I sat alone sculpting the wax mould of that first butterfly, I thought to myself, ‘This might be my last piece,’” she recalls. “Fortunately, that butterfly broke free from the cocoon. Each annual butterfly now symbolises my inner world – an accumulation of steadfast moments on my creative journey; an embodiment of each metamorphosis and transcendence I’ve gone through,” she adds.