By Maria Doulton in London
The new Aria jewellery collection from De Beers is a complete offering of jewels, all of which are based around one striking design. And alongside rings, pendants, earrings and bracelets, there are five new De Beers watches, all echoing the spiralling motif that brings light, life and energy to this collection.
De Beers has made watches in the past, but this is a new direction focussing on the very feminine Aria design. The five new models are, of course, diamond-set, with total carat counts ranging from just under one carat to 4.35 carats of sparkling stones, and all are made in white gold.
The swirling pattern that surrounds the dials is brought to life thanks to contrasts of highly polished white gold with brilliant-cut diamonds or arcs of gold alternately set with brilliant-cut or baguette-cut diamonds. The most simple model has a white mother-of-pearl dial with four diamond hour dots from which radiate nine arcs, three of which are set with brilliant-cut diamonds. Like all the watches in this collection, it is sold with two straps in crocodile leather and pretty satin. For a more liberal 2.06 carat dose of diamonds, the second model with a mother-of-pearl dial features brilliant and baguette-cut gems covering each of the nine gently curved arcs.
Turning up the glamour quotient several notches is the version set with just over 2 carats of diamonds around a shimmering aventurine dial, enhanced by four diamond hour markers. Aventurine is a dark blue form of quartz with golden mineral inclusions that look like a starry sky at night. The other watches are presented with matching black satin and leather straps, while this model is sold with a blue satin and white crocodile leather strap.
In a petite 29mm case like the other three watches, diamonds entirely cover the dial and case of the version with 2.54 carats of diamonds. But the star of the show is the larger 36mm size model, with 4.35 carats of brilliant and baguette-cut diamonds arcing outwards from the pavé diamond dial, throwing up a firework display of brilliance with every move of the wrist.
Many hours of work goes into creating each new De Beers Aria watch, from mirror-polishing the white gold to selecting the diamonds that radiate outwards in a perfectly proportioned spiral. Watch the creation process unfold in the video below.
And look out for our coverage of Couture Week in Paris this July, when De Beers will be unveiling a new addition to its Aria collection: a one-of-a-kind high jewellery watch.
