What happens when you take Louis Vuitton’s classic checkerboard design – a motif birthed in 1888, known as the Damier – and reinterpret it as a 2024 line of fine jewelry? Well, in the hands of Francesca Amfitheatrof, the maison’s super cool artistic director for watches and jewelry, the result is Le Damier de Louis Vuitton.
Photo: Courtesy of Louis Vuitton
This 12-strong contemporary collection of rings, necklaces, bracelets, and earrings has reimagined the now iconic geometric pattern in precious metals and stones. “It is,” enthuses Amfitheatrof, “one that transcends generations and genders. Le Damier de Louis Vuitton embodies what modern jewelry should be.”
A culture-defining moment in jewelry history served as the designer’s starting point. When, in 1978, the single line diamond bracelet worn by tennis player Chris Evert flew off her wrist at the US Open, the match came to a standstill until the jewelry was found. This is how the “tennis bracelet” as we recognize it today was born. Amfitheatrof – lauded for her trailblazing shake-up of fine jewelry’s traditional codes – decided to push the boundaries of this time-honored piece. “I wanted to reimagine the movement of the classic tennis bracelet and create modern, continuous pieces that are fluid with the skin.”
Photo: Courtesy of Louis Vuitton
Photo: Courtesy of Louis Vuitton
Hence the Le Damier tennis bracelet. A lesson in everyday luxury, it features two sparkling rows of diamonds that come set in both yellow and white gold. That it is exquisitely crafted comes as no surprise. The fluidity to the piece however, a kind of liquid suppleness that is not usually associated with metal, is the real wow factor. The piece is created to mold perfectly around the shape of the wrist like a second skin. It’s the tennis bracelet, yes, but not as we’ve previously known it. “We have taken this dainty classic piece,” explains Amfitheatrof, “and turned it into an…
