Tracing history with Hamdi Chatti, Vice-president of Louis Vuitton Watches and Jewellery

Lara Mansour   |   14-09-2016

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On the beautiful cliffs of the French Riviera in St Tropez, Louis Vuitton unveiled its high jewellery collection, Blossom, a story of metamorphosis with the four-petalled Monogram Flower constantly reinventing itself. The collection features a flamboyant bright 7.13 carat mandarin garnet, a 53.01 carat black opal with its kaleidoscope reflections, and a 29.75 carat tsavorite, whose rarely seen bright sage green originates from a mine recently discovered in Merelani, Tanzania. These unusual gemstones are hunted out to add drama and intrigue to its high jewellery designs, with the Louis Vuitton flower adapting beautifully to every new design.

‘Our high jewellery is not just there for show,’ says Hamdi Chatti, head of watches and jewellery at Louis Vuitton, and the man who engineered the opening of a high jewellery atelier and an elegant boutique on the Place Vendôme in Paris. They may only have started making fine jewels in 2009, however the brand now offers a full range of jewellery, with Mr Chatti, formerly at Cartier, Montblanc and Harry Winston, at the helm. We chat to him about stones, success and the sunny climes of St Tropez.

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Why is it that coloured and rare stones are concentrated on rather than diamonds?

This is to remain unique as it’s far easier to have diamonds. We wanted to select the most incredible stone out there in terms of size, colour and the way it has been cut. We like the idea that we travel to search for these stones, as that is at the core of the Louis Vuitton brand, finding something that no one has seen before. For us, it is all about the travel to be unique, and not like anybody else.

Can you tell us about how the beautiful stones are found?

We have a team that are all around the world, together with some very good connections. Sometimes they come from Africa or Asia, and sometimes South America or Pakistan, we go everywhere.

What was the inspiration behind reinterpreting the Monogram Flower for this collection?

It was one stone, a 43.05-carat aqua green beryl. The designers saw it as said it looked like a petal and then this was a starting point, before it became a petal on a diamond and chalcedony pendant. Usually the monogram is flat, however now for this collection the monogram blossomed to become three dimensional.

Why did you choose the French Riviera for this launch?

For the light, the colour of stone is about light. Only here can you find great sunlight, blue sky and water, all of which complement the high jewellery stones.

What is your personal favourite from the collection?

The main beryl, diamond and chalcedony pendant, at is was the genesis of the collection. I also like the mandarin garnet pieces because of the vivid and unusual hue of the stone, and in terms of design it would be the merelani stone bangle, which you could wear every day.

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The high jewellery collection is still a relatively new for the brand. How do you feel it has grown and what do you think Louis Vuitton offers to the fine jewellery sector?

It is an easy collection to wear, which isn’t always the case with high jewellery. The mix of bold design and elegance is not traditional at all. We also use new and original colours and stones which keep it modern. We are a house that makes trunks, fashion, bags, shoes and jewellery, all of which sit together in harmony, this is a specific skill, as I feel that you use a bag every day and it is the same with the jewellery.

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Being a young jeweller, does it give you the opportunity to do things differently?

Yes, absolutely. We are authentic as to what we stand for as a house, in terms of craft, codes and style. We prefer to avoid traditional stones, such as emerald, and instead use tsavorite or merelani.

Tell us about the identity of the high jewellery collection and who the Louis Vuitton woman is that is being designed for?

First of all, it is about emotion. All of our customers trust us, which is important, and if they have the right emotion with the right piece then they tend to purchase it. Most buy one piece rather than a full set, as you can’t love everything.

What do you find most interesting about Louis Vuitton’s high jewellery journey over the past collections?

I think that when the client wears the collection is the most interesting part by far. Most of the time they say I wear it often and even wear it to the office, especially rings and bangles. As much as we are there in terms of design, they are there in terms of wearing. It is surprising and the best part of it.

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Moving forward, what is your strategy and ambitions for fine jewellery?

To have more and more collections and more people loving them. We want our customers to be happy, and wear the pieces. We would like them to enjoy the jewellery and not keep it in the safe.

By Eliza Scarborough