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 jewellery ? Well, in the hands of Francesca Amfitheatrof, the maison’s super cool artistic director for watches and jewellery, the result is Le Damier de 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 jewellery should be.” A culture defining moment in jewellery 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 jewellery was found.
This is how the “ tennis bracelet ” as we recognise it today was born. Amfitheatrof – lauded for her trailblazing shake up of fine jewellery’s traditional codes – decided to push the boundaries of this time-honoured piece. “I wanted to reimagine the movement of the classic tennis bracelet and create modern, continuous pieces that are fluid with the skin.
” 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 surp.