Garden Variety

There is something about the lush serenity of the domestic garden that has jewelry designers grabbing for their sketchbooks lately. Perhaps it’s a reaction to our rushed, permanently switched-on lives that makes the thought of hands-in-dirt cultivation so appealing.

Evergreen in their appeal, motifs of bees, butterflies and flowers perfectly capture this mood, and there is a veritable cornucopia of new takes on these icons. Gucci’s debut high-jewelry offering, Hortus Deliciarum, is abloom with twisting vines and floral gem clusters, while Sarah Zhuang’s Fantasy Garden collection has gold dragonflies landing on vibrant sapphire petals. Other garden-inspired jewels take a more literal approach. A brooch in Mikimoto’s Jardin Mystérieux line, inspired by aristocratic European homes and gardens, features a gate of gold and diamonds through which you can view colored-gem flower beds, hedges and a moody sky.

One of the quirkiest garden themes this year comes from Chaumet. Its Garden of Earthly Delights brooches portray a range of gardening tools, from spades spilling mounds of diamonds to watering cans with gemstone drops, and even gold rain boots.

Images: Stocksy