Chopard unveils accessible Ice Cube high jewellery at New York Fashion Week

Chopard unveils accessible Ice Cube high jewellery at New York Fashion Week Roula Khalaf, Editor of the FT, selects her favourite stories in this weekly newsletter. Chopard is breaking with tradition next week, unveiling for the first time a more accessible high jewellery collection alongside its flagship Cannes line — a move that highlights the resilience of high jewellery even as the wider luxury market falters. The Swiss jeweller will be debuting its latest Ice Cube pieces during New York’s Fashion Week, priced slightly lower than Chopard’s Red Carpet collection, which comes out every May. The US is a big market for Chopard, with the festivities around the twice yearly Fashion Week an opportune time to launch — a moment when celebrities, actors, musicians, clients and the world’s media congregate. “It’s a platform to talk with all these mediatised events,” says Caroline Scheufele, Chopard’s co-president and artistic director. For nearly 30 years, Chopard has unveiled an annual high jewellery collection at the Cannes Film Festival. The brand — and its corresponding Red Carpet high jewellery collection, as it is known — is today synonymous with the glamorous film event, with Chopard as the main sponsor. It also crafts the winning Palme d’Or trophy in ethically-sourced gold. With prices around SFr100,000 ($125,000) next week’s Ice Cube high jewellery launch features a total of eight pieces, crafted in gold and diamonds, and themed around stacking and self-styling. Featuring a graphic and architectural look, Ice Cube takes it cue from an urban cityscape at night — which chimes with New York. “The city’s geometrical buildings complement the collection, it really blends with the surroundings,” says Scheufele. The new Ice Cube launch underscores the growing interest and resiliency of high jewellery, especially amid the backdrop of a global luxury downturn. Part of the sector’s buoyancy is a result of the inflation seen in ready-to-wear and accessories, where price hikes have put off luxury consumers. This has made jewellery more attractive, especially given the intrinsic value from precious materials such as gemstones and gold, the latter of which has seen record prices. Achim Berg is the founder of the independent corporate think-tank FashionSights, and a former McKinsey senior partner who covered the luxury sector. “The equation has changed,” he says. “A lot of the other luxury goods have become overpriced in recent years, and jewellery looks relatively cheaper. It’s seen as a relatively more solid investment.” Pieces from the latest Ice Cube collection Ring featuring a 3-carat Asscher-cut diamond Bracelet composed of six rows fully diamond-set, in white gold Scheufele has likewise observed clients forgoing fashion purchases for jewellery, which they today describe as “more long lasting” and non-seasonal. “Sometimes what you can get for $5,000 can basically buy you a nice piece of jewellery that you can wear over and over, whereas a bag comes in another model, another colour,” says Scheufele. Chopard’s decision to launch a second high jewellery line also speaks to a larger trend of brands seeking more ways to connect with top clients — and notably create moments outside the high jewellery season, which typically kicks off in May and culminates in July at haute couture in Paris. Last year, for example, Van Cleef & Arpels did not show in the summer and instead unveiled its latest high jewellery collection, Treasure Island, in November in Miami. This summer, it showed the collection to clients at a private event in Capri. Van Cleef & Arpels also cites investment and large stones as driving demand for high jewellery, but there are also clients who seek to add to their existing collections, while others are simply looking for a fun design or creation, says Jean Bienaymé, Van Cleef & Arpels’ international marketing and communications director. He adds that clients seek something memorable, with “a sense of consistency, excellence and permanence in the values of the maison.” Buccellati, meanwhile, did not create a new high jewellery collection this year, but instead launched a capsule collection of three evening bags, as the brand increasingly hosts private events. Meanwhile smaller independent jewellers like the Mayfair designer Jessica McCormack debuted a high jewellery collection in Paris this summer, and is hosting an event at its recently opened townhouse in New York during fashion week. The eight pieces in Chopard’s new Ice Cube high jewellery line will include three bracelets, a ring, a pair of earrings, two pins and a necklace. The latter is the headline jewel, featuring nine rows of gold, and which can be transformed for various multi-wear options. The modular piece mixes rose and white gold, with two different cube heights and weights, and alternates between mirror finishes and pave diamonds. Scheufele says she chose to interpret Ice Cube for high jewellery as the collection is both recognisable and modern. “It has such clean lines,” she says of the design, “and that absolutely attracts the younger generation”. She adds that today’s high jewellery clients are in their 30s and 40s and are self-made, unlike the past cohort who were mainly introduced to high jewellery through heirlooms. Their wealth has increasingly been made in tech and AI, but also from environmental and healthcare businesses, with many entrepreneurs notably hailing from Asia. FashionSights’ Berg is not surprised Chopard is doubling down on high jewellery, and believes the brand is well positioned to take advantage of the growing demand. “Currently, high jewellery gets a lot of the attention and is en vogue — it works. However, I’m sceptical that a lot of brands can jump on that train, but the incumbents like Chopard are much better positioned to take advantage of it . . . [for Chopard], it’s relatively risk free and fits with what they do anyway.” The test, he adds, is when luxury bounces back, which he does not expect before the second half of 2026 — plus when all the recent management changes settle. “Once luxury comes back more broadly, this could impact high jewellery sales,” says Berg. “In the end, with those customers it’s more about attention. How many things can you get interested in and want to indulge yourself with? 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