Swoon-worthy: Jewels and Louboutin!

From the pen of our High Priestess of Jewellery, Maria Doulton who's been attending the most dazzling events in the world of high jewellery:

“At the Van Cleef & Arpels launch party for their stunning Les Jardins high jewellery collection, Christian Louboutin was spotted amongst the great and the mighty of the world of jewellery collectors. Does this mean that we are going to see diamonds on the soles of his shoes or is he also a lover of the art of the jeweller?

And talking of footwear, whoever said that the web is not the place to sell fine jewellery may well want to insert their foot into their mouth as Browns, the much loved London couture boutique, sold its highest value item to date. It was a piece of jewellery and what’s more, it was sold online. Much like fashion’s hot must-haves, Browns is constantly updating its fine jewellery website as items are whisked off the page faster than you can say ‘demantoid garnet’. Are we going to see a Net-a-Porter type online frenzy in the world of jewellery?

Another observation from a few days in Paris visiting the top jewellers at the Biennale des Antiquaires is the rise of stealth wealth. Top of the list of anti-bling style is the old-fashioned rose cut diamond. This traditional diamond cut has less facets and bigger planes, giving a softer glow than the clever modern, multi-faceted cuts that throw about more light. Often lower value diamonds were employed for this cut but today top grade rocks are being used to great effect as we appreciate their age-worn allure over the brighter bling of the perfect brilliant cut. Very Keira Knightley in The Duchess and one way to make your jewels look like Granny left them to you, rather than fresh out of the workshop.

Go one step further and consider wearing emerald, diamond and even tanzanite beads. This has to be the most indulgent yet discreet way to wear your carats. This is how our ancestors strung them around their necks before they had figured out how to cut facets into stones.”