Forty years ago an icon was born. It all started with a nature walk. Nobody would have thought that the experience would give birth to a collection that would transcend time. In 1976, Ronald Kurowski, a designer at Chopard, was fascinated by the sunbeams playing across a waterfall glimpsed during a walk in the Black Forest. He wanted to reproduce the magic of these thousands of water droplets reflecting the daylight and sparkling with all the colours of the rainbow.
He thought of leaving diamonds free to whirl between two sapphire crystals allowing them to express the full force of their radiant beauty. The idea – to feel happy. “These diamonds are happiest when they are free” exclaimed Karin Scheufele when she saw the first completed Happy Diamonds watch, thereby effectively naming the collection. One thing’s for sure, Chopard goes to extreme lengths to ensure that you feel nothing short of special.
Clearly visible through the absolute transparency of two sapphire crystals, Happy Diamonds creates the impression that the gems are actually in direct contact with your skin. The concept first found expression in watches and then jewellery. Caroline Scheufele, Artistic Director and Co- President, was fascinated by the circus which gave free rein to her imagination in drawing a precious clown with a tummy full of moving diamonds and colourful stones. The success of this jewellery creation, initially produced as a one-off model for her own personal collection, led to the launch of the Happy Diamonds jewellery line marking the start of jewellery at Chopard in 1985. The clown was followed by the elephant, the ladybird, the teddy bear, and of course the much-cherished heart.
Over the years, Happy Diamonds have been interpreted through iconic collections: Happy Sport, the first watch to combine steel and diamonds (1993), Happy Fish (2002), Happy Spirit (2003) along with Very Chopard (2010) are just some of the emblematic lines graced by the maison. The Happy Hearts collection presented in 2015 continued the perpetually renewed dance of Happy Diamonds.
This year, as the concept celebrates 40 years, Chopard presents new moving elements featuring an unprecedented innovation in the history of Happy Diamonds: prong setting, in a supremely romantic new collection named Happy Dreams. The gems are larger than before and feature a variety of sizes
Made for the professional empress within you, Happy Diamonds is a unique concept in the jewellery and watchmaking field. Chopard has brought out fascinating expressions of this concept through the years and it still provides inspiration in unimaginable ways.