FORGET QUIET luxury when wearing jewellery for big events.

Instead, what you need is something spectacular that stands out from the crowd. The first place to think about decorating? The neck, of course.

For one-of-a-kind creations that are guaranteed to make heads turn (and perhaps a few choke on their aperitif), look no further than the top luxury brands. The maisons have released their latest High Jewellery collections – a showcase for their creativity, craftsmanship and keen eye for picking the most beautiful gems. Your part is just to pay a king’s ransom to make them yours.

Selecting from the many magnificent pieces this year was tough, but you can be sure all have that extraordinary “wow” factor.

In no order of merit, let’s start with Chanel’s Tweed Royal plastron necklace, which is the centrepiece from its new Tweed de Chanel collection. This statement piece pays tribute to the house’s beloved tweed in the most extravagant way possible. The Tweed Royal’s swathe of yellow gold weave is trimmed with a chain, then set with diamonds and rubies. The striking diamond-encrusted lion’s head at its centre can be detached to be worn as a brooch, while the magnificent 10.17-carat pear-cut diamond hanging just below can be removed to be worn as a ring.

Don’t let its shape or volume fool you, the Tweed Royal is supple even as it is high on majestic drama. The only way you can carry this piece off is to wear it with confidence. No wannabes please.

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Another amazing necklace we can’t take our eyes off – indeed, this one deserves close inspection – is Tiffany’s Shell necklace. This conversation piece comes from its Blue Book 2023 High Jewellery collection, which celebrates the fascination its late jewellery designer, Jean Schlumberger, had with the sea’s wondrous creatures.

Crafted in platinum and diamonds, the pendant of this necklace is a three-dimensional marvel that displays the sculptural nature of a shell in its full glory. Within, it holds a stunning black opal of over 19 carats. 

Meanwhile, hundreds of baguette and square diamonds are cleverly scattered on the sautoir to create a crusty look. This transformable creation can be worn as four unique designs, including a necklace and a brooch. Just as well, because we really can’t get enough of it.

Over at Gucci, the necklaces from its Allegoria collection are centred around the theme of the four seasons and feature plenty of juicy gems. Our pick is a beautiful piece in white gold that shows off a light and transparent form enhanced by spinel, Paraiba tourmalines, chrysoberyls and diamonds. This luminous piece is from the collection’s Summer chapter, but we think it’s perfect any time of the year.

Meanwhile, Dior draws on the beauty of gardens for its Les Jardins de la Couture collection. There is plenty of colour among the 170 pieces of jewellery, but one that stood out is a romantic necklace in white gold and diamonds. Elegant and very feminine, diamond “flowers” join to form a ribbon around the neck, holding a precious emerald-cut stone in the middle. Pure beauty.

If, on the other hand, you’re partial to succulent-looking jewels in strong colours, Louis Vuitton has just the necklace for you. From its Deep Time collection comes the Seeds necklace, which, as the name suggests, symbolises the treasures of birth. On a necklace of gold and diamond trellis hangs 13 dewy drops of rubellite and spessartite garnet cabochons, so luscious you wish you could eat them.

For Italian jeweller Bulgari, however, it is history, culture and beauty that are celebrated, as its Mediterranea collection retraces an imaginary trip across the Mediterranean Sea. Of the many intriguing pieces it has crafted, the Esedra stands out for its distinctly Roman flavour.

Inspired by the Eternal City’s architecture and paying homage to a legendary Bulgari piece from the 70s, the sautoir’s latticework is studded with amethysts, diamonds and turquoise. It culminates in a vivid, 68.8-carat central emerald set in a hexagonal turquoise medallion. Surely this, like the others, is a precious piece to be handed down the generations.