“…Envol, the French word for “taking flight,” becomes a lyrical starting point for Chaumet’s latest high jewellery collection, where the idea of ascent is expressed through wing-shaped creations that fuse exceptional craftsmanship with the profound, hypnotic beauty of deep blue gemstones.
…”
A glance through the maison’s archives reveals that since the early 19th century, Chaumet has returned time and again to the wing motif, crafting crowns and jewels in a Neo-Antique spirit before the theme reached its peak during the Belle Époque. This enduring fascination can be traced back to the founder, Marie-Étienne Nitot, and his son, François-Regnault Nitot, court jewellers to the imperial family, who shared a deep love for the world of birds, much like Empress Joséphine, who famously transformed her palace into a kind of avian sanctuary for birds; from the very inception, Chaumet’s story has been inseparable from nature.
In antiquity, birds symbolised both freedom and the sacred. That symbolism took on a new resonance in the imperial era, when Napoleon I chose the eagle as the emblem of his reign, turning wings into a sign of power and grandeur, inseparable from the idea of freedom itself. Among the maison’s most legendary creations is a diamond wing adorned with translucent blue enamel, selected by Empress Eugénie in 1906 as a wedding gift for Princess Victoria Eugenie of Battenberg on her marriage to King Alfonso XIII of Spain. In 1910, the brooch was acquired by Gertrude Vanderbilt Whitney—sculptor, patron, and founder of the Whitney Museum of American Art— who wore it as a tiara. It is this storied masterpiece that now serves as the emotional and aesthetic touchstone for Envol, reflecting Chaumet’s ongoing dialogue with its own icons.
In antiquity, birds symbolised both freedom and the sacred. That symbolism took on a new resonance in the imperial era, when Napoleon I chose the eagle as the emblem of his reign, turning wings into a sign of power and grandeur, inseparable from the idea of freedom itself. Among the maison’s most legendary creations is a diamond wing adorned with translucent blue enamel, selected by Empress Eugénie in 1906 as a wedding gift for Princess Victoria Eugenie of Battenberg on her marriage to King Alfonso XIII of Spain. In 1910, the brooch was acquired by Gertrude Vanderbilt Whitney—sculptor, patron, and founder of the Whitney Museum of American Art— who wore it as a tiara. It is this storied masterpiece that now serves as the emotional and aesthetic touchstone for Envol, reflecting Chaumet’s ongoing dialogue with its own icons.
In more recent years, the maison has revisited the poetry of birds in Les Ciels de Chaumet (2019) and Un Air de Chaumet (2024). Envol continues this narrative, this time in a palette of deep, resonant blue. The collection brings together nine wing-shaped jewels, each one a testament to both boundless imagination and meticulous savoir-faire. The wings are brought to life through Grand Feu enamel and richly hued sapphires, an art that has been at the heart of Chaumet for more than 250 years and is here —expressed with renewed intensity.
At the centre of the collection stands the aigrette tiara, a virtuoso piece that can be worn in four different ways and required more than 850 hours of work by 12 master artisans at the 12 Vendôme workshop. One side reveals blue wings in shimmering Grand Feu enamel, traced with pavé-set brilliant-cut diamonds, while the other offers a quieter elegance, focused on a pear-shaped Madagascar sapphire weighing 3.92 carats. The tiara can also be transformed into a mask, striking a balance between drama and mystery, and when taken apart, each wing can be worn individually as a brooch. It is presented in a bespoke case created in collaboration with Maison Vermeulen, the celebrated feather atelier, an appropriately poetic finishing touch.
The Envol collection is further elevated by a white-gold necklace set with diamonds and a 10.96-carat Madagascar sapphire, designed to transform from pendant to brooch, as well as a jewellery watch that can shift from a miniature clock to a necklace pendant. Throughout the collection, versatility is key, with rings that can be dismantled, earrings designed for effortless mix-and-match, and brooches that can be personalised with sapphires. In Envol, high jewellery is not just worn. It takes flight.
