In the private shopping suites that sit above Louis Vuitton’s Dubai Mall store, visitors are transported to another world.
The French luxury brand has brought a selection of its high jewellery pieces to the UAE for the first time, including those from the Stellar Times collection, in which the wonders of the cosmos are captured in jewel form.
A magical constellation of black opals, diamonds, sapphires, rubies and emeralds is shaped into eye-catching necklaces, luminous earrings, medieval-style cuffs and oversized cocktail rings topped with colourful oval-cut pink sapphires, imperial topaz or spessartine garnets. The sun, meanwhile, is referenced in the Soleils bracelet, where rows of diamonds and yellow sapphires are topped with a single 13.53 carat emerald-cut yellow sapphire from Sri Lanka.
“I am fascinated by the immensity of the cosmos, by journeying through space, and by this feeling of wonder at all the beauty of the universe,” says Francesca Amfitheatrof, artistic director of watches and jewellery for Louis Vuitton.
Also on show at The Dubai Mall store until Monday, March 8 are pieces from the Riders of the Knights collection, which pays tribute to medieval heroines.
The collection's powerful aesthetic is encapsulated in the Cotte de Mailles necklace, where diamonds take the form of the four-pointed star from Louis Vuitton's delicate Monogram motif, but come together to form a chainmail-inspired collar necklace.
But the true highlights of the showcase are left until last. Set against a screen lit up with the hues of the galaxy are two remarkable gemstones. The first is the 1,758 carat Sewelo, the second largest rough diamond in the world. Sourced in Botswana, the diamond's name, the Setswana word for "rare find", speaks of its singularity. And presented alongside it is Sethunya, a 549 carat diamond also sourced from Botswana.
Both are currently on sale, although a price has not been revealed.
