Some of the world’s biggest jewellery houses are led by skilled female artistic and creative directors from prominent fine jewellery houses and divisions. They each have their own signature signature styles and each impacted their respective maisons in their own way. With an understanding of women designing for what women want, we list the female directors and designers behind the houses and the signature styles behind their success.
Lucia Silvestri
From buying gemstones at Bulgari’s geological department to being the house’s first creative director, Lucia Silvestri’s deep understanding of precious gemstones has taken her around the world, seeking inspiration from India and Sri Lanka to New York. Where Silvestri thrives is on her own personal brand of feminity that is displayed in colours alongside the versatility and the wearability of Bulgari pieces that take them from “morning to evening”.
Claire Choisne
Claire Choisne has been Boucheron’s creative director since 2011. During her tenure, Choisne “set out to break all the rules” and her 2023 30-piece high jewellery More is More collection was a prime example of this. What Claire Choisne does well is she understands how to create pieces that are exaggerated in scale and incorporate volume while contrasted with optical illusions.
Lucrezia Buccellati Wildenstein
Fourth-generation Lucrezia Buccellati Wildenstein is the co-creative director and ambassador for Buccellati. Known for its goldsmithing techniques, Lucrezia successfully puts her own modern take on the house for the interest of her younger clients by updating some of the brand’s signature motifs. For her, the pieces are an extension of her personality where she takes inspiration from everyday life. “Jewellery is not about the stone—it is the workmanship around the stone that matters,” says Lucrezia Buccellati Wildenstein in a past interview. The legacy of Buccellati is its devotion to exquisite craftsmanship seems to be staying strong every generation.
Valérie Samuel
Fred‘s vice president and artistic director Valérie Samuel has built a reputation by rebuilding on the brand’s archives to tell the story of the Maison. Fred is close to home as her grandfather, Fred Samuel founded the jewellery maison over 80 years ago. Samuel studied human resources in France and achieved a degree at the Gemological Institute in Los Angeles before coming on boards and re-establishing the jewellery and watches division at Lalique. At Fred, Samuel aims to “accelerate the development of the markets and the development of collections” alongside bringing more awareness to the brand.
Jacqueline Karachi
When now creative director of Cartier first joined the illustrious house, she entered a nearly all-male design studio where she realised the importance of having a female perspective when designing the jewellery aimed at women. Now leading a 14-person team of designers, Karachi’s penchant for gemology is front and centre, particularly in Cartier’s Le Voyage Recommencé collection. Jacqueline Karachi has an understanding of recognisable motifs that are sought out by customers including house signatures like the clasp-less Love bracelet and the overlapping bands of the Trinity ring.
Stéphanie Sivrière
At Piaget, traditional goldsmithing meets contemporary artisanal skills. Joining the Swiss watchmaker in 2002, Piaget’s creative director of jewellery and watches Stéphanie Sivrière successfully brings a contemporary context to craftsmanship, modernising it. For the last 23 years, Sivrière has honed a signature design style at Piaget which emphasises minimalist dials and textured details, alongside her signature use of gadroons.
Francesca Amfitheatrof
Louis Vuitton‘s artistic director of jewellery and watches is an “alchemist” of fine jewellery. With an eye for detail, Amfitheatrof takes a close look from inspiration and raw materials to the finished jewel. She combines her revolutionary insight with the House’s visionary spirit. Working in the heart of Paris, Francesca Amfitheatrof brings a new perspective to the ancient art of jewellery design, translating her love of fashion into the jewellery collections she creates for Louis Vuitton.
Victoire de Castellane
Victoire de Castellane is the long-serving creative director of Dior‘s fine jewellery division. Victoire de Castellane has shaped Dior’s jewellery category by incorporating the brand’s heritage and staying true to the house’s traditional codes since joining Dior as artistic director in 1998. 2022’s Dior Print high jewellery collection was perhaps Victoire de Castellane’s most renowned release. Taking reference from the couture process, the 137-piece high jewellery collection saw the jewellery taken on delicate prints and patterns, a stark departure from the audacious pieces one would typically associate with high jewellery.
Caroline Scheufele
Chopard‘s artistic director Caroline Scheufele’s designs are often “outside the box” and ahead of its time. Her inventiveness is backed by a creative strength that pushes Chopard to the forefront of jewellery craftsmanship. Inspired by Haute Couture’s artistic crafts, Caroline opened a dialogue with Haute Joaillerie by inventing a jewellery lace design that has become a hallmark of the Maison.
Anne-Eva Geffroy
According to Graff’s design director Anne-Eva, designing one-of-a-kind jewels first comes from allowing the “emotion of the jewels” to create a lasting impression on the minds of the creator and the customer. “Authenticity is reflected in the design that is unique to the jewel it showcases,” she says. By drawing inspiration from architecture, nature and movement, Anne-Eva incorporates femininity, fluidity and flexibility into her design and handiwork.
This article first appeared on Luxuo.