Gucci Forays into High-End Jewelry

RAPAPORT… Luxury fashion house Gucci has made a move into high jewelry
with the inauguration of its first boutique and a collection by creative
director Alessandro Michele.



The store, which is dedicated exclusively to jewelry,
opened on July 2 in Paris’s historic Place Vendôme, and will display the new Hortus
Deliciarum collection.



The line features more than 200 pieces, mainly one of a
kind. Each item was made in Italy and is centered around one of three themes:
eternal love, the animal kingdom and solitaires. Examples include a 30.30-carat
opal, which has been hand-carved into a coiled serpent ring, flecked with
diamonds.



While Gucci already sold fine jewelry, this is the first
time it has branched into higher-value pieces. The new pieces are priced
between EUR 50,000 and EUR 800,000 ($56,129 to $898,065), a spokesperson for
the brand confirmed.


The brand’s move into high jewelry comes a day after its
parent company, Kering, opened another store in the French capital’s Place
Vendôme. Kering’s Chinese fine-jewelry brand, Qeelin, unveiled its new boutique
in the historic square on July 1.



Image: The new Gucci store in Paris. (Gucci)