Chaumet’s ‘Envol’ - The Art of Wings

Wings have long been part of Chaumet’s visual language. The first tiara featuring them dates back to around 1810, but their peak popularity arrived at the end of the 19th century and into the early 1910s. The Maison’s archives show how wings were conceived both as decorative motifs and functional jewels: designed in pairs, often worn in the hair or as brooches, and sometimes separated through inheritance, their versatility was built into their very structure. Many were articulated, with feathers or brins slightly mobile, allowing them to catch the light and move with a subtle vibration—a way to bring jewels to life without weight.

It is this logic of movement and adaptability that informs Envol, Chaumet’s 2026 High Jewellery capsule.

The collection revisits the motif in a contemporary vocabulary. Grand feu enamel traces the gradient of sky at dusk, while pavé diamonds articulate feathered forms along linear and V-shaped motifs. Sapphires punctuate key points, and every jewel can shift, detach, or recombine, inviting multiple interpretations of a single design.

At the heart of the collection is an aigrette tiara. Its wings, rendered in deep blue enamel with pavé diamonds along the edges, can transform into a playful mask to frame the face or detach as individual brooches, creating four distinct ways to wear the piece.

A 3.92-carat pear-shaped Madagascar sapphire marks the central V-line, drawing the eye along the motif’s geometry. Twelve Vendôme artisans spent 850 hours shaping and assembling each element, ensuring that the enamel, diamonds, and articulated wings function both visually and mechanically. Even the presentation case, in collaboration with Maison Vermeulen, a renowned plumassier, mirrors the winged lines in miniature, extending the metaphor into the very act of display.

Other jewels in the capsule follow the same logic of transformation. A white gold necklace is anchored by a 10.96-carat cushion-cut Madagascar sapphire and a dégradé of enamel blues; it can be worn as a simple V-shaped line of diamonds or detached into a brooch, preserving the rhythm of feathers and wings. Smaller aigrettes and brooches continue the play of articulation, lightness, and choice—echoing historic practice, where clients could select enamel colours late in the process.

Envol is more than a tribute to the past. By translating historic wings into jewels that catch the light and adapt to the wearer, Chaumet demonstrates how heritage and innovation can coexist.