Awakened Hands, Awakened Minds

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Awakened Hands, Awakened Minds celebrates the remarkable period of 19th-century France, characterized by the explosion of French savoir-faire and inventiveness.

This collection by Louis Vuitton transports us to a transformative time when innovation and craftsmanship became the legacy of France. The collection pays homage to the flourishing savoir-faire, skilled craftsmen, and visionary inventors of the 19th century.

Luxury is synonymous with innovation in this collection, which showcases a daring and unique design vision. Francesca Amfitheatrof, the Artistic Director for Watches and Jewelry, describes the 19th century as a time of incredible change when Paris became the centre of the world.

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The design language of Awakened Hands, Awakened Minds reflects the intricacies, complications, and innovations of that era, transformed into exquisite jewels. With 220 unique masterpieces across 13 different themes, this is Amfitheatrof’s most extensive High Jewelry Collection for Louis Vuitton to date.

Awakened hands

Awakened Hands, Awakened Minds commences its journey with the decline of royal court rule, allowing French artisans and craftsmen to explore and experiment freely, leading to a revival of expertise and craftsmanship. This period of innovation and savoir-faire influenced a young Louis Vuitton, who developed his own distinctive trunkmaking style, introducing a flat and stackable trunk designed for travel.

“Craftsmanship becomes the currency of this country. It is the birth of France’s Art de Vivre – and the birth of what we know as luxury today,” says Amfitheatrof. Awakened Hands showcases intricate ornamentation and exquisite jewellery-making techniques, enhanced by the use of rare stones that embody Louis Vuitton’s unique vision.

Splendeur

Splendeur is inspired by the intricate woodwork of an exquisite imperial bed, featuring lace-like floral patterns. It is a tribute to a stunning collection of over 110 perfectly matched rubies centred around the iconic LV Monogram Flower.

The highlight of Splendeur is a high-collar necklace adorned with 52 rubies, one of the largest arrays of rubies ever seen on a single piece of jewellery. The gemstones are framed by a meticulously crafted mesh of carved gold flowers reminiscent of woodwork. This necklace is one of the most complex creations in the collection, requiring the expertise of 17 setters and 30 jewellers. Over 2,400 elements are individually mounted, totalling 3,217 hours of work.

Additionally, Splendeur showcases Louis Vuitton’s commitment to innovation by using traceable stones from Mozambique, made possible through blockchain technology. This makes it the first Maison to offer traceability of coloured stones.

Séduction

Séduction celebrates the expertise in textiles and passementerie, showcasing the luxurious brocade, jacquard, and tassel work that thrived during this era. The necklace, crafted from supple platinum and yellow gold, features a remarkable 12.92ct Zambian emerald with a unique hint of blue, making it one of the most significant stones in the collection.

The necklace’s design is further enhanced by the Maison’s key codes. It incorporates knot-like, V-shaped details and cord-style fringing reminiscent of the ropes used for the Maison’s historic trunks. Diamond patterns also allude to the Monogram Kite motif.

The Séduction necklace is the most intricate piece in the collection, having taken 4,276 hours to create and over 900 hours to develop. Additionally, echoing the elaborate V-style knots and rope-like fringing of Séduction, there is a stunning medallion-style pendant watch adorned with a vivid green 2.07ct emerald, a rarity in Louis Vuitton High Jewellery.

Phenomenal

The necklace called Phenomenal is inspired by the detailed patterns of woven fabric and is crafted using precious materials and textures.

It features a round collar design with a combination of platinum and yellow gold and is adorned with a mosaic of stones, including a stunning 5.07ct Zambian emerald.

The necklace showcases a visually striking V signature while maintaining a subtle and elegant appearance.

Elegance

Elegance, the final addition to Awakened Hands, showcases the dazzling brilliance of diamonds and pays homage to the art of Tremblant in jewellery-making.

With a playful touch, Elegance foreshadows the upcoming mechanization in Awakened Minds, featuring pieces crafted in a captivating interlocking pattern. The Maison’s iconic V-shaped motifs are combined with LV Monogram Star cut diamonds, with a star motif adorning a trembleuse necklace and tiara, marking a first for the Maison.

Awakened Minds

During the 1850s, Paris experienced significant changes and a surge of intelligence, ideas, and expansion. Louis Vuitton, the first artisan designer, created and registered a logo in 1854, symbolizing the transition from the Awakened Hands to the Awakened Minds chapter.

This period marked a fusion of craftsmanship and innovation, where mastery was associated with freedom and exploration. Louis Vuitton embraced industrialization and introduced new interpretations of mechanization and graphic designs, characterized by movement, precision, and balanced geometry, influencing the Maison’s key codes and signatures.

Perception

Perception embodies the dynamic and fast-paced nature of the era, with mechanization represented by repetitive geometric patterns.

These patterns are skillfully incorporated into a stunning high-collar necklace, adorned with a mesmerizing array of diamonds. The necklace’s design plays with different sizes and orientations, creating a visually captivating braided pattern that forms a V shape.

At the heart of the necklace are two exquisite sapphires, one from Ceylon and the other from Madagascar. Both boast a luxurious cashmere-like quality and a deep, velvety blue hue.

Frequence

The rapid pace of modernity and industrialization continues in Frequence, symbolizing the interconnectedness of the modern era.

The repetition seen in Perception evolves into the mesmerizing designs of Frequence, with the Maison’s iconic kite motif rippling through concentric patterns, creating a delicate flower theme in a stunning four-tiered diamond necklace.

Gravité

The necklace in the Gravité theme showcases a trio of sapphires in varying sizes: 6.48cts, 4.38cts, and 2.13cts. These sapphires have a deep royal blue colour and a Kashmir provenance.

These sapphires are paired with diamond cuts that form a V shape. Additionally, there is a minimalist choker set with a captivating 27.20ct star sapphire, known for its unique inclusions that create a stunning burst of star-like rays.

Optimisme

The Optimisme collection pays homage to Paris’s vibrant energy, which is captivating the world’s attention. According to Amfitheatrof, Paris is a hub of discovery, intelligence, vision, and optimism.

The collection features an exquisitely crafted choker with a physharmonica design that elegantly wraps around the neck. This intricate piece, made with delicate baguette diamonds set in interlocking platinum and yellow gold facades, showcases a complex construction and a captivating blend of dual tones. It took 3,307 hours to create this masterpiece.

Vision

Advancements in engineering and science during this period sparked a new era of travel, particularly with the development of locomotives and the mechanization of railways. This led to Paris becoming connected to the rest of France, creating a sense of freedom and exploration.

Louis Vuitton, known for their exceptional trunkmaking skills, captures the essence of this travel spirit in a stunning necklace. The design of the necklace incorporates the metal rivets found on Louis Vuitton trunks and is crafted with platinum, yellow gold, and yellow sapphires.

The detailed interlacing V-shaped structures and the inclusion of two octagonal-cut yellow sapphires weighing 13.47cts and 11.79cts add to the overall golden theme of the necklace. It took a total of 2,504 hours and the expertise of five jewellers to complete the necklace, with each section carefully mounted and set.

Victoire

The second-to-last set of jewellery in the collection draws inspiration from the Eiffel Tower, a landmark that forever changed the skyline of Paris and how it is perceived.

The necklace is a stunning representation of the inverted Eiffel Tower, with its arches enclosed in a bejewelled box. Goldenrods radiate light and hold upside-down diamond pyramids in a V shape.

The centrepiece of the necklace is a highly significant diamond, weighing 15.16 carats and cut in the shape of the LV Monogram Flower, making it the largest diamond ever set in Louis Vuitton’s High Jewelry Collections.

This diamond can also be detached and worn as a ring. Another standout piece is a grid-like necklace with an architectural design. It is fully articulated and features the Maison’s first LV Monogram Star cut yellow diamond, weighing 3.02 carats, which perfectly embodies Louis Vuitton’s spirit of adventure and innovation.

The Masterpiece: Coeur de Paris

The Eiffel Tower represents the incredible inventiveness and thinking that thrived in 19th-century France. It becomes a symbol of modernity and captures new perspectives. The Coeur de Paris necklace, inspired by the Eiffel Tower, features pink gold rods, baguette settings, and diamond-lit arrows leading to a captivating 56.23ct diamond.

This diamond is the most important and rarest gemstone in the collection. It has a unique intense pink hue and tones of orange and brown. The necklace also includes a 5.73ct LV Monogram Star cut diamond and 26 interlinked LV Monogram Star cut diamonds.

The centrepiece diamond can be detached and worn as a brooch. The Maison complements this masterpiece with a second diamond, a 12.67ct stone with a fancy deep, brownish pink and orange hue, set in a ring surrounded by diamonds.

The Awakened Hands, Awakened Minds collection represents Louis Vuitton’s journey through a period of flourishing French savoir-faire and craftsmanship, solidifying its position as a luxury brand.