.png)
For centuries, jewelers have looked to nature for inspiration. Sparkling petals; a kaleidoscope of color; textured metals that look like lifelike leaves, all forever memorializing the beauty of the botanical. The most luxurious gemstone imitations of flora and fauna have featured prominently on red carpets for decades as well. Think Elizabeth Taylor’s Van Cleef and Arpels daisy set at the Oscars, Tilda Swinton’s Chanel High Jewelry diamond plume at the Cannes Film Festival, and Michelle Yeoh’s Cindy Chao pink diamond foliage earrings from the 2024 Oscars.
This year’s Met Gala will likely be a look into the who’s who of the best jewelry pieces inspired by nature. The dress code itself—“Garden of Time”—inspires a deep dive into the jewelry houses who refer to nature in their creations time and time again. Here are a few ideas to acquire and inspire as we eagerly await the live stream of May 6.
Dior
Christian Dior was a lover of flowers and gardens, which can be seen throughout all of Dior’s métiers: home, fragrance, fashion, and of course, jewelry. Victoire de Castellane, Christian Dior’s artistic director of jewelry harnesses nature in many of the collections, from fine to high jewelry alike.
Chanel
Camelias were Coco Chanel’s favorite flower. The French luxury house brings the blooms to life in their jewelry and watch collections.
Buccellati
Italian jeweler Buccellati infuses nature in its silver collections of jewelry and homeware alike. Its skilled metalsmiths create lifelike leaves and petals alike.
Van Cleef & Arpels
Van Cleef & Arpels is known for its celebration of spring each year. In New York they take over Fifth Avenue with floral activations and artist collaborations to share the joy. Flowers, sweet garden bugs, and a flurry of color are in all levels of their creations.
Tiffany & Co.
Tiffany & Co.’s heritage collection created by Jean Schlumberger infuses a fascination with the natural world in jewelry. Golden pea pods with pearls and brambly leaves of diamonds are two of our favorite pieces. There’s also no forgetting Elsa Peretti’s flower brooch with red silk flower leaves.
Sophie Bille Brahe
The queen of pearls has been adding posies of flowers into her creations for a while now. We’re loving the addition of diamond blooms to her selection as well.
Anabela Chan
British Jeweler, Anabela Chan pairs lab-grown gemstones with often unusual metals to create lightweight and impactful floral creations often of impressive size, too.
Silvia Furmanovich
The ancient techniques and artifacts used in Brazilian jeweler Silvia Furmanovich’s work make her jewelry unusual and irresistible.
Brent Neale
Always one for the fantastical and colorful, Brent Neale’s initial floral collections were inspired by Dutch Masters’ paintings. Neale has extended her horticultural offering over the past decade by infusing whimsical creations with top-of-the-line stones and ingenious settings.
Irene Neuwirth
CFDA-winning Irene Neuwirth harnesses the natural world in her colorful designs. The independent Californian fine jeweler infuses her free spirit and love of the outdoors into her jewelry. Neuwirth’s flowers are an excellent example of her use of different cuts of stones and unusual combinations to create pieces that are never short on sparkle.
Harwell Godfrey
Harwell Godfrey’s grounding inspiration behind all of her work are the ancient textiles and patterns of the African Diaspora. Godfrey’s floral and botanical pieces bring together stones and intricate engravings of yellow gold for creations that look like pattern work.
Bulgari
King of color, Bulgari’s botanical creations have punchy gemstones (and where they don’t, plentiful diamonds). The famous Serpenti pieces might well show up in the Garden of Time, too, just ask Eve.
Cindy Chao
Cindy Chao’s jewelry creations are so intricate that there aren’t a plethora of them in existence—especially for purchase in the online marketplace. Chao shows them each year in Paris at during Haute Couture week and they are often described as pieces of art.