In the rarefied world of high jewelry, where heritage is often a sacred text recited with quiet reverence, Piaget has chosen to shout from the rooftops. The Maison’s latest high jewelry collection, Shapes of Extraleganza, is not a gentle nod to the past; it is a full-throated roar of creative rebellion, a vibrant and conceptually audacious exploration of an era defined by its revolutionary spirit. This is the second chapter in Piaget’s ambitious three-part Extraleganza saga, and it eschews gentle nostalgia in favor of raw, unadulterated energy. It channels the seismic cultural shifts of the 1960s and 1970s, not as museum pieces to be admired from a distance, but as a living, breathing force, reinterpreted through the sophisticated lens of 21st-century design. This collection of 51 masterful jewelry pieces and watches is a testament to Piaget’s unique history as a cultural catalyst, a bridge between artistry and adornment.
Echoes of the Avant-Garde: The Piaget Society Reborn
To truly understand the soul of Shapes of Extraleganza, one must travel back to a time of unbridled creativity and social transformation. The 1960s and ’70s were not just a period of aesthetic change; they were an explosion of new ideas that challenged every convention. It was during this incandescent era that the “Piaget Society” flourished. This was not a marketing slogan but a glittering reality, a constellation of artists, thinkers, celebrities, and tastemakers who orbited around the charismatic fourth-generation leader, Yves Piaget.
Yves was more than a watchmaker and jeweler; he was a connoisseur of life, a man whose personal friendships were as influential as his business acumen. He didn’t commission artists; he befriended them. He hosted legendary parties in Geneva and on the Côte d’Azur, where the guest lists were a who’s who of the avant-garde. It was in these freewheeling, champagne-fueled environments that genuine creative synergies were born. Piaget’s historic collaborations with titans of 20th-century art—the surrealist genius Salvador Dalí, the pop art icon Andy Warhol, and the sculptor of accumulation, Arman—were the organic result of these relationships. These were not calculated brand partnerships but meetings of creative minds, shaping the Maison’s aesthetic into its most daring and experimental form.
Shapes of Extraleganza is the spiritual successor to this golden age. It resurrects that fearless spirit, leaning heavily into the disruptive visual languages of the period. One can see the hypnotic, rhythmic patterns of Op Art, the bold, graphic sensibilities of Pop Art, and the playful, anti-conformist ethos of Postmodern design. The collection’s sharp geometries, asymmetrical forms, and exaggerated volumes are a direct homage to visionaries like Ettore Sottsass and the rebellious Milan-based Memphis Group. Yet, it extends beyond fine art, weaving a rich tapestry that includes references to fashion history, like Yves Saint Laurent’s iconic Mondrian dress, and landmarks of industrial design, such as the sculptural contours of Arne Jacobsen’s Egg chair. This collection doesn’t just sit in a jewelry box; it resides at the dynamic intersection of art, design, and high fashion.
Deconstructing the Collection: A Symphony in Precious Suites
The collection is masterfully organized into distinct suites, each exploring a different facet of this artistic revolution. Every piece tells a story, a miniature manifesto of color, form, and texture.
Kaleidoscope Lights: Mosaics of Modernity
This suite is a dazzling tribute to the principles of Op Art, designed to create an illusion of movement and vibration. The hero piece, a magnificent necklace, is a masterclass in marquetry. It features intricate, rhythmic mosaics of painstakingly inlaid ornamental stones. Slices of malachite, turquoise, and mother-of-pearl are arranged in vibrant, striped tessellations that pulse with a life of their own. The precision required to cut and set these stones, ensuring a seamless and hypnotic flow of pattern and color, is a testament to the unparalleled skill of Piaget’s artisans. The effect is not merely decorative; it is kinetic and entrancing, drawing the eye into a visual dance that feels both perfectly structured and wonderfully alive.
Flowing Curves: The Topography of Precious Metal
Where Kaleidoscope Lights explores rigid geometry, the Flowing Curves suite delves into the sensuous world of organic form. Here, the star is the magnificent black opal, a gemstone prized for its phenomenal play-of-color, a spectral fire that shifts with every movement. These mesmerizing opals are cradled in settings of hand-hammered white gold. This ancient technique gives the metal a soft, dimpled texture that beautifully catches and diffuses light, evoking the undulating surface of a tranquil sea or the rugged topography of a lunar landscape. The designs are fluid and asymmetrical, wrapping around the body with an almost liquid grace. Each piece feels like a fragment of the natural world, sculpted by elemental forces and imbued with a sense of profound and timeless movement.
Wave Illusion: A Cascade of Fiery Color
This suite is an unapologetic celebration of color, channeling the vibrant, saturated palette of Pop Art. The Wave Illusion pieces are set with an astonishing array of vivid spinels in electrifying shades of fuchsia, magenta, crimson, and scarlet. Spinel, a gemstone of exceptional brilliance and fire, is the perfect medium for this explosion of energy. The gems are set in dynamic, wave-like patterns that cascade with light and intensity. The designs are bold, dramatic, and utterly joyous, capturing the exuberant, life-affirming spirit of the era that inspired them. They are not jewels for the faint of heart; they are statements of confidence and passion.
Curved Artistry: The Secret Timekeeper Reborn
Piaget’s history is rich with clever innovations, and the Curved Artistry suite revives one of its most charming: the secret ring watch. First introduced in the 1940s, this design concealed a tiny watch dial beneath a decorative cover, a discreet yet glamorous way to tell time. For Shapes of Extraleganza, this concept is reimagined with breathtaking modernity. A magnificent, translucent aquamarine cabochon, polished to a perfect dome, serves as the cover. The stone, resembling a pool of crystalline water, slides aside to reveal the miniature dial beneath. It is a piece that blends whimsy with high craftsmanship, a nod to vintage elegance updated for a contemporary audience that values both ingenuity and beauty.
The Integrated Universe: Where Watchmaking and Jewelry Collide
Unlike many heritage Maisons that maintain a strict separation between their horological and high jewelry divisions, Piaget has always celebrated their seamless integration. This holistic approach is nowhere more evident than in the Joyful Twirls suite. Two standout cuff watches demonstrate this philosophy in spectacular fashion. The bracelets themselves are marvels of engineering—wide, flexible bands of intricately woven gold that drape over the wrist with the supple fluidity of silk. They are constructed from hundreds of tiny, articulated links, a metallic fabric that moves with the wearer.
Yet, this aesthetic and tactile triumph conceals a technical feat. Powering these watches is one of Piaget’s legendary ultra-thin self-winding movements. The ability to house a sophisticated mechanical engine within such a slender, flexible, and artfully designed case is a hallmark of Piaget’s watchmaking genius. It is the perfect embodiment of the Maison’s ethos: world-class technical prowess wrapped in a cloak of breathtaking aesthetic beauty.
The Kinetic Centerpiece: “Endless Motion”
The crowning achievement of the collection is not a wearable piece, but a mesmerizing kinetic table clock named “Endless Motion.” Created in a special collaboration with the acclaimed French sculptor Alex Palenski, this object transcends traditional categories. It is simultaneously a piece of jewelry, a work of sculpture, and a feat of mechanical engineering. Referencing the delicate, balanced mobiles of the great Alexander Calder, the clock features a series of slender, counterbalanced arms crafted from gold and set with precious stones. These arms perform a slow, continuous, and graceful dance, powered by an intricate hidden mechanism. “Endless Motion” treats time not as a static measurement, but as a perpetual, flowing performance. It underscores Piaget’s profound ambition to elevate both timepieces and jewelry beyond mere ornament, transforming them into a dynamic art form.
A Bold Trajectory: Redefining the Future of High Jewelry
In an industry where many high jewelry collections look inward, meticulously reinterpreting established house codes and archival designs, Shapes of Extraleganza feels refreshingly and exhilaratingly outward-facing. Piaget is not just opening its own history books; it is engaging in a vibrant dialogue with the broader world of art and culture. This collection powerfully positions the Maison as a cultural interlocutor, skillfully drawing a direct, unbroken line between the artistic revolutions of the 20th century and today’s voracious appetite for bold, interdisciplinary, and emotionally resonant design. It is a declaration that the audacious spirit of Yves Piaget and the creative ferment of the Piaget Society are not relics of the past, but the very engine driving the brand into a brilliant and daring future.
