Surrounded by countless legends, emerald has inspired Chopard’s Haute Joaillerie workshops to create a new jewellery watch, crafted in ethical 18-carat white gold and entirely set from dial to bracelet with emeralds and diamonds. Aptly named Esperanza, it is the first model in the new Red Carpet Collection.
Emerald has been greatly coveted since Antiquity and legend indeed has it that Cleopatra, Queen of Egypt, was extremely fond of this stone that evokes Nature’s fresh bloom each springtime. Chopard’s Haute Joaillerie artisans have chosen to highlight this unique gem in the aptly named Esperanza jewellery watch. Entirely crafted in ethical 18-carat white gold, it glows with the fire of more than 41 carats of Zambian emeralds spectacularly arranged in a mixture of pear-shaped and round cuts, complemented by glittering diamonds. It took the Maison’s artisans more than 515 hours of work to complete this jewellery masterpiece.
The Esperanza watch is part of the impressive Red Carpet Collection, the Haute Joaillerie collection that Caroline Scheufele designs each year as part of Chopard’s historic partnership with the Cannes Film Festival. It annually offers a number of jewellery creations exactly corresponding to the age of the Festival, meaning it will comprise no less than 74 creations this year. The Esperanza watch is the inaugural piece in this new collection, which will once again reveal the creative genius and daring of Chopard Haute Joaillerie.
Haute Joaillerie according to Chopard
Haute Joaillerie at Chopard is guided by the visionary eye of Caroline Scheufele, who has progressively developed Switzerland’s largest specialised workshops. Based in the Geneva headquarters of the Maison, they are currently home to more than 30 crafts dedicated to celebrating precious stones and boundless creative generosity.
Within this creative repertoire, gemset timepieces hold a powerful emotional place. Almost a century ago, the grandfather of the current Co-President and Artistic Director of Chopard was already famous for the jewellery watches in which he had come to specialise. This longevity gives an idea of the expertise cultivated by the artisans in the Haute Joaillerie workshops of the Maison, who are now unveiling this new model destined to adorn the wrist of a woman enamoured with the finer things in life.
