PARIS, France, 2nd July 2019 – Place Vendôme, the iconic epicenter of high jewelry, welcomed Gucci boutique dedicated to fine and high jewelry designed by Alessandro Michele. Renowned for his passion for jewelry and poetic vision, Michele has personally sourced unique stones and designed the first-ever High Jewelry collection for Gucci, Hortus Deliciarum, which will be sold alongside Gucci’s collection of fine jewelry at 16 Place Vendôme in Paris.
Hortus Deliciarum echoes the eclectic quixotism of Michele’s vision, drawing on motifs that are dear to him and have subsequently comprised Gucci’s distinctive canon of house iconography. The collection comprises of more than 200 pieces, mainly one of a kind, and its motifs revolve around a trio of themes and seen through the prism of a mythical garden. Yet each gemstone is uniquely set in what Michele describes as “discordant symmetry”, ever-so-slightly mismatched to channel the spirituality of imperfection. The first pays homage to classical emblems of eternal love; the second is an ode to the majesty of the animal kingdom, evoking mythic bestiary and ancient fauna; the third is centered on singular solitaires redefined with maximalist allure.
A contrast to the rest of Gucci’s boutiques around the world, which are known for their distinct saturated hues, the design of 16 Place Vendôme is elegantly muted. Cabinets crafted from ebonized wood are lined in verdeacqua satin and antique mirrors, echoed by brass details and a monochromatic mosaic floor in nero maquina and white thassos marble. It is designed to dramatically illuminate the colourful vibrancy of the jewelry itself. In Hortus Deliciarum, colored gemstones evoke a mythical garden in full bloom, a spectrum of honey-hued imperial topaz, blushed-rosé topaz, velvety green tourmaline, and mandarin garnets, white diamonds, pink and blue sapphires, pearlescent opals, and yellow beryls.
