Best of the Best - Jewellery

Lounging in a Maldivian resort, wine-tasting in Bordeaux, putting a sports car through its paces at Sonoma Raceway, curating the best watches from Geneva, perusing the top menswear accoutrements in Milan, testing cutting-edge yachts in Monaco. The life of a Robb Report editor may sound glamorous, but-actually, we can't argue there. Even so, separating the wheat from the chaff is no small task in the luxury realm, since even the chaff can be mighty impressive. In our 36th annual Best of the Best issue, we again offer our assessment of the past year's most exemplary products, places and experiences. And yes, edition number 37 is already underway.

- Amos Chin, Jill Newman and Paige Reddinger

Tiffany & Co.

Star Urchin Necklace

Over 760 carats of 340 hand-carved chalcedony spikes seemingly sprout from the neck on Tiffany & Co.’s extraordinary Star Urchin necklace from its 2023 Blue Book collection Out of the Blue, which debuted last summer. Set in 18k white gold, the cone-shaped stones are meant to mimic the pointy spines that protect the marine creatures from predators. Entrapped in their snare are twisted strands of 718 round brilliant diamonds totalling over 18 carats that wrap around five sizable oval tanzanite stones adding up to 59 carats. The necklace took two years to complete and is a tribute to the American jeweller’s venerated in-house designer, Jean Schlumberger, whose sea-urchin brooch from over a century ago inspired the design. Tiffany & Co. has since used the motif in various other ways but never to such dramatic and voluminous effect.

The piece is a reminder that the incredible craftsmanship honed in Schlumberger’s era is alive and well today. It might even be

heightened in Tiffany & Co.’s modern atelier, now led by Nathalie Verdeille, an immense design talent poached

from Cartier three years ago. Case in point: some of the spikes delicately move, just as they would

under the sea—a feature not realised in Schlumberger’s originals.

Louis Vuitton

Seeds Necklace

Flora and fauna themes are perennial references in high jewellery, so it’s refreshing to see Louis Vuitton explore a more granular motif. Francesca Amfitheatrof, artistic director of watches and jewellery at the French house, has gone deeper, looking at the origin of the flowers and plant life that have, for so long, served as inspiration.