Turning petals into precious metals, and other things luxury brands such as Boucheron and Chaumet are doing to meet changing demands?

At first glance, Boucheron’s delicate Pivoine Avis Varner flower rings might not be as eye-catching as the other high jewellery pieces from its 160th anniversary collection. But if you take a closer look, you will find that the pieces are the epitome of haute joaillerie – audacious, bold and poetic.

The series of nine unique flower rings, each frozen in time, depict the eternal beauty of ephemeral flowers. The volume of the flowers are a result of 3D scanning technology, and each ring features natural flower petals in its design.

“It’s the most technically complicated project that we’ve ever done,” says Claire Choisne, who has been Boucheron’s director of creations since 2011. “We didn’t know whether it would work until it actually happened.” The flower rings, featuring titanium pistils and encrusted with precious coloured stones such as sapphires, spinels, garnets or pavé-set with diamonds, cost about HK$3 million each.

High jewellery has been evolving to cater to discerning clients’ changing lifestyles and their growing appetite for individualism. High jewellers such as Boucheron, Cartier, Chaumet and Bulgari are incorporating unconventional motifs into their products, turning to high technology and introducing new ways of wearing jewellery.

Italian jeweller Bulgari has gone out of its way to incorporate unconventional motifs. Its latest collection, titled Wild Pop, took inspiration from the vibrant ’80s contemporary art scene pioneered by the king of pop art, Andy Warhol.

“I wanted to do something about this fantastic dialogue between Bulgari and Warhol,” says the brand’s creative director, Lucia Silvestri.

The result is an impressive collection featuring unconventional motifs such as microphones and sound synthesisers.

The Happy Leaves necklace is perhaps the most jaw-dropping piece in Bulgari’s high jewellery collection.