when I get to think about roberto burle-marx, personal memories come first. the ones from my so-called brazilian childhood (to tell the truth i migrate to france when i was not even 4, but there is still some kind of tropical-modernism attraction, think prada before prada, and a marked taste for concrete that remain alive in me, sort of cultural dna, i guess). so burle-marx means for me copacabana and flamingo in rio (my favorite sides-walks in the world), the palacio gustavo campanema in rio (with fellow architects costa, niemeyer and le corbusier, how chic), the palacio de itamaraty in brasilia (the most beautiful james-bond-evil-headquarter-look-alike i get to visit) and my favorite, a barocco village square in the antique town of tiradentes that no one knows about (and i love it more for that).

avenida atlantica, copacabana, rio de janeiro

palacio gustavo campanema, rio de janeiro

palacio de itamaraty, brasilia
 

all of these works, of course, are widely spread on the walls of the burle-marx exhibition which is running until the end of july at la cité de l’architecture in paris. but to my surprise, i discovered that roberto burle-marx used to design jewels as well. for the good reason that his own brother haroldo burle-marx was himself jewelry designer and was as famous in jewelry as roberto was known for gardens.

brooch in yellow gold and aquamarine, circa 1950, haroldo burle-marx

ring in yellow gold and naturally-carved amethyst, circa 1960, haroldo burle-marx
 

the filiation is obvious. but whether this is roberto, haroldo, groucho or simply the spirit of h.stern, i don’t really care because these works are nothing but pure brazilian taste. another point that makes me believe that the influence of brazilian history in modern design has too often been underrated.

_______please allow a minute of brazilian pride.

photo inès dieleman
graphic design & art direction eem
stylist carl ganivet

a very special project we carried on, aimed to redefine the concept of high jewellery display, diverting the traditional bust shape into a blank canvas for graphic patterns enhancing the jewellery design or colliding with it, resetting and adorning the rarest precious stones.

certainly the most exciting and challenging project I have worked on so far. making these seven necklaces available in paris for the shoot, making them travel from new york or london for the day, isn’t the least prowess of the process.

_______editorial published in please! magazine #7

king cobra pendant in white gold, white and rough diamonds for a total weight of 24,28 carats,
de beers

necklace in platinum, emeralds for a total weight of 90,06 carats and diamonds for a total weight of 95,46 carats,
harry winston

necklace in white and yellow gold, briolette cut multicoloured sapphires for a total weight of 172,93 carats and diamonds for a total weight of 22,27 carats,
buccellati 

top nature necklace in yellow gold, green tourmalines for a total weight of 179 carats and diamonds,
h.stern

random necklace in blackened gold, emeralds, rubies, blue, pink, yelllow and black sapphires, mandarin garnets, amethysts and diamonds for a total weight of 78,92 carats,
solange azagury-partridge

comet necklace in white gold, platinum and diamonds for a total weight of 73 carats,
chanel joaillerie

necklace in platinum, spinels for a total weight of 170,02 carats, fine pearls for a total weight of 32,8 carats and diamonds for a total weight of 28 carats,
cartier 

bague power ring en or jaune et cristal de roche, 2006, diane von fürstenberg by h.stern

bague wearable stone en or rose et agate grise, 2009, jil sander by raf simons

la topaze impériale demeure un trésor d’initiés. presque inconnue de la place vendôme, elle fait pourtant partie du club des pierres précieuses historiques au côté des émeraudes, rubis, saphirs et autres diamants.

seuls les gisements du minas gerais près d’ouro preto -le sanctuaire baroque du brésil- produisent sa tonalité mordorée, éclatée de pigment fushia, noblesse minéralogique d’un pierre dans laquelle deux couleurs distinctes coexistent. un caramel suave et un rose intense qui vont en dégradé de l’un à l’autre en jouant avec la lumière. une dichromie que l’on accentue en la taillant en forme poire ou en marquise afin que le rose se concentre sur les pointes et que le doré s’épanouisse sur le corps de la pierre.

une pierre un peu magique et vibrante qui est à la joaillerie ce qu’un coucher de soleil est à la plage d’ipanema. une vraie carte postale. c’est donc à rio de janeiro qu’il faut aller si l’on veut y plonger son regard ; chez le joaillier h.stern, presque exclusivement, qui s’en réserve les plus beaux spécimens.