Ana de Armas is the Face of Louis Vuitton High Jewelry 2024 Collection

Fashion house Louis Vuitton introduces “Awakened Hands, Awakened Minds,” a High Jewelry collection that fuses luxurious craftsmanship with the innovative spirit of 19th century France, celebrated through 220 exclusive pieces divided into 13 distinct themes. As embodied by House Ambassador Ana de Armas, this collection showcases the rich savoir-faire and pioneering vision that have defined the brand from its inception.

In her second High Jewelry campaign for Louis Vuitton, Ana de Armas is captured through the lens of renowned photographer Sølve Sundsbø. This campaign introduces a collection that is as visually compelling as it is historically inspired. In a series of minimalistic yet impactful portrait-style images, de Armas showcases the exquisite pieces with a grace and intensity that match the collection’s bold aesthetic.

The “Awakened Hands, Awakened Minds” collection is a journey through time, celebrating the explosion of French savoir-faire during a period of great change. It begins with the end of royal court rule, a time that gave artisans unprecedented freedom to explore and experiment. This creative liberty led to a renaissance in craftsmanship across various fields, including woodworking, textiles, and notably, jewelry making. Louis Vuitton, a young apprentice who arrived in Paris in 1837, was among those influenced by this vibrant atmosphere. His innovative designs for flat, stackable trunks, which were ideally suited for travel, encapsulated the ambition and ingenuity of the time.

Francesca Amfitheatrof, the artistic director behind this stunning collection of jewels, skillfully intertwines the historical narrative of 19th century France with Louis Vuitton’s legacy. Amfitheatrof explains that craftsmanship during this period became the foundation of what luxury means today, marking the birth of France’s Art de Vivre. Every piece in the collection showcases the grandeur of the era, blending intricate ornamentation with bold, forward-thinking design.

One standout piece, Splendeur, draws inspiration from the ornate mastery of imperial beds featuring floral patterns crafted in intricate low-relief woodwork. This theme is wonderfully translated into a high collar, transformable necklace set with 52 rubies, making it one of the collection’s most complex creations. It required the workmanship of 17 setters and 30 jewelers, with more than 2,400 elements individually mounted over 3,217 hours of meticulous labor.

The Séduction necklace, another highlight, celebrates the sumptuous brocade, jacquard, and tassel work that flourished during the 19th century. Set with a 12.92ct Zambian emerald that boasts an impressive size and a unique hint of blue, it is among the collection’s most significant stones. The design features knot-like, V-shape detailing and cord-style fringing that recalls the ropes used to hoist the Maison’s historic trunks, while diamond patterns hint at the Monogram Kite motif. This necklace represents the epitome of complexity in terms of hours to complete, totaling 4,276 hours, with more than 900 hours of development to perfect the design.

Phenomenal is another piece that radiates the rich, harmonious beauty of woven textiles, translated into the medium of precious metals and stones. Energized by a bi-color platinum and yellow gold theme, a voluminous, round collar emerald necklace is set in a mosaic of stones, presenting an impressive work of suppleness and graphic power.

Elegance reflects the jewelry-making art of tremblant, where pieces are designed to shimmer with the wearer’s movements, embodying a sense of play and dynamism. This theme uses a graphic interlocking pattern fashioned into diamonds, hinting at the mechanization set to come in the “Awakened Minds” segment of the collection. The incorporation of the Maison’s signature V shapes and LV Monogram Star cut diamonds adds a distinctive touch to this dazzling array.

As the collection transitions to “Awakened Minds,” it mirrors the shift towards industrialization and mechanization that characterized the latter part of the 19th century. The pieces in this segment reflect the new styles and techniques that emerged with the advent of industrialization, infusing traditional designs with modern, stylized interpretations. The Perception piece, for example, showcases repetitive, geometric patterns crafted in a mesmerizing mix of diamonds, centered around prized sapphires from Ceylon and Madagascar.

The Coeur de Paris necklace was inspired by the unveiling of the Eiffel Tower in 1889. This architectural marvel redefined the Parisian skyline and became a symbol of modernity and innovation. The necklace features an inverted Eiffel Tower design set in a bejeweled, boxed-in enclosure, pulsing with light through golden rods and multifaceted upside-down diamond pyramids. At its heart is a 56.23ct diamond, the collection’s most important and rarest masterstone, featuring a unique color of intense pink with unusual tones of orange.

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