142 SEPTEMBER 2019 | TOWNANDCOUNTRYMAG.COM
gilded and sculpted to imitate rich and heavy brocaded textile. Not
far from him is a vitrine holding a masterwork of Filippo Negroli,
a 16th-century Milanese master craftsmen who seems to have been
something like the JAR of the Italian armor world: innovative, often
imitated, revered. The plaques next to the Italian parade armor featurevocabulary familiar to a jewelry writer: embossing, repoussé, chasing,
hammered steel, gilt. There is also, alongside the description of the
decorative elements of each piece of armor, particular attention paid
to how it was worked to allow for freedom of movement, for that,
ultimately, was its true power. I can imagine Amfitheatrof, a designer
whose work has always been driven by narrative, and also by a sense
of modern ease, standing in this gallery in front of a German war-
rior, sketching a Louis Vuitton diamond necklace.
Vuitton, founded in 1854, introduced jewelry in 2004 and has
been creating High Jewelry pieces—one-of-a-kind designs featuring
exceptional craftsmanship and rare and extraordinary stones—since- This year’s High Jewelry collection—one has been presented
ever year—is called Riders of the Knights and is inspired, according
to Vuitton, by “lands of legends and audacity.” It explores “the power
of vision that drove several medieval heroines to transcend their sta-
tus as women in order to forge their own destiny.”
Riders of the Knights marks the first High Jewelry collection under
the leadership of Amfitheatrof, who was formerly design director at
Tiffany & Co. She says she approached the challenge with vision. She
means actual visions, the Joan of Arc kind. “Yes, she was on my mood
board,” the designer says. “I need a strong intuition and narrative to be
inspired, and vision—particularly the visions of medieval women—was
a great subject. I thought a lot about how women in medieval times
were not considered at all. But while men fought among themselves,
there were women who had a vision and just went for it, whether
people followed them or not. There is an intuition that has made
women conquer against all odds. These pieces celebrate heroines.”
She adds, “The world needs vision now. It needs strength. I’m
THE NECKLACE: A SHORT STORY
THE SKETCH
Inspiration from medieval
heroines and their visions, and
the intricate work on
medieval arms and armor,
became ideas on a page.THE STONE
The necklace’s 1,600 diamonds
and 135 square sapphires are
built around the center stone,
an unheated 19.31-carat
Madagascar sapphire.THE BUILD
It took 10 people 1,500
hours to develop and
achieve the delicate
articulation and tailored fit
Amfitheatrof was after.THE FINISH
The necklace, the centerpiece of the
10-piece Le Royaume collection, is
part of the new High Jewelry collection
Riders of the Knights. It was unveiled
at an event in Prague this summer.ABOVE LEFT: LOUIS VUITTON RIDERS OF THE KNIGHTS SAPPHIRE AND DIAMOND RING
(PRICE ON REQUEST), LOUISVUITTON.COM