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Minerals by Jaquet Droz

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July 2014


Rocks, crystals and minerals remind us that nature is the utlimate artist.
Born in the depths of our planet or in the farthest reaches of the universe, they inspired Jaquet Droz to capture their natural brilliance by using them to adorn its watch dials.

Cut from rough materials in their raw state, they reveal their fascinating beauty when they have been worked and make each watche from the brand become naturally unique.
Their play of light, color and depth transcends the material and is ushered into the realm of beauty.

A stone for everyone; aventurine, bronzite, imperial jasper, lapis lazuli, meteorite, mother-of-pearl, onyx, ruby heart, spectrolite.
History tells us that you do not choose the stone but that it chooses you. Jaquet Droz thus offers a mystical twist on time itself, to the delight of collectors.

AVENTURINE
Aventurine glass is the result of a fortunate mistake.
At the beginning of the seventeenth century, a master glassblower in Murano dropped metallic powder into molten glass. Once it had cooled, the glass had a scintillating and mysterious sparkle.

Lady 8 Aventurine by Jaquet Droz
Lady 8 Aventurine by Jaquet Droz

From this fortuitous mistake (all’avventura in the Venetian dialect) this ornamental iridescent glass was born.
It paints the picture of a night sky sparkling with stars. From its intense blue emanates a depth that has been captured by the Lady 8 by Jaquet Droz.
In constant motion, its stars shine with a soft and comforting light.

BRONZITE
Displaying an array of brown, ocher and gold tones, bronzite is a stone with multiple nuances of color. Its scintillating landscape of earthy hues is revealed by polishing the stone.

Grande Seconde Bronzite by Jaquet Droz
Grande Seconde Bronzite by Jaquet Droz

It is the depth of these reddish and beige particles that bring it to life. Warm and subtle, it draws its force from the ground from which it came. A very ordinary looking stone in its raw state, human genius elevates it to a superior state.

This is how the Grande Seconde Bronzite by Jaquet Droz casts its light, thanks to the expert human hand that is capable of revealing the best of the mineral.

IMPERIAL JASPER
To create imperial jasper, nature paints with water colors in soft unctuous, sometimes even delicious tones. Tender yellows, pinks, greens, oranges and even blues, tumble together, captivating the attention.

Grande Seconde Imperial Jasper by Jaquet Droz
Grande Seconde Imperial Jasper by Jaquet Droz

They interlace in inexhaustible multicolored complexity. Found only in a canyon deep in the heart of Mexico, this stone is one of the finest jaspers.
It is characterized by the patterns that run through it, veins of minerals that flow across the watch dial of the Grande Seconde Imperial Jasper by Jaquet Droz.

LAPIS LAZULI
Lapis lazuli was the most precious stone in Antiquity. Early civilizations from the Egyptians, to the Incas and the Sumerians were fascinated by the tonic vibration of its intense color.

Grande Date Lapis Lazuli by Jaquet Droz
Grande Date Lapis Lazuli by Jaquet Droz

This stone is a blend of dense blue particles with traces of white and gold. When these particles are evenly dispersed, lapis lazuli comes alive.
This made it the most precious pigment of the Renaissance: ultramarine blue. Its unique color gives the Grande Date Lapis Lazuli by Jaquet Droz its emotion and its delicacy.

METEORITE
Originally steroids’ or comets’ debris, originated in outer space and surviving its impact with the Earth’s surface, meteorites date from the oldest times in the solar system and are by far the oldest material available on our planet.

Grande Seconde Meteorite by Jaquet Droz
Grande Seconde Meteorite by Jaquet Droz

They were also a great source of inspiration for Jaquet Droz’s Grande Seconde Meteorite watch, adding a mysterious and singular touch to its dial.

MOTHER-OF-PEARL
Possessing all the qualities of a mineral and yet a living material, mother-of-pearl is the inner face of certain precious shells.
The matrix in which pearls are born, it is like a skin that gives them their luster and their iridescence. The fruit of a lengthy gestation, mother-of-pearl is warm to the touch.

The Eclipse Mother-of-Pearl by Jaquet Droz
The Eclipse Mother-of-Pearl by Jaquet Droz

The color of the shimmering sheen that runs across its surface is called “orient”. The orient of the Éclipse Mother-of-Pearl by Jaquet Droz is closest to white, but glimmers of pink, blue and green can be seen.
With a vibrant moiré effect, mother-of-pearl makes the light dance.

ONYX
Black is the most powerful color, and also the most distinguished. The iconic black stone, onyx, is the color of the depths of the Earth. And yet, it shines. Its impeccably smooth and uniform surface reflects light instead of absorbing it.

Grande Heure Onyx by Jaquet Droz
Grande Heure Onyx by Jaquet Droz

Jet-black with a mysterious brilliance, onyx belongs to the agate family, but it is of a very particular type. It has depth and life, as well as all the elegance of evening attire. Somberly seductive, the Grande Heure Minute Onyx by Jaquet Droz possesses warmth and style.

RUBY HEART
In Sanskrit, rubies are called “ratnaraj,” which means king of stones. Ruby crystal is its matrix. A crystal naturally tinted by chrome, its warm palette is unlimited.

Petite Heure Minute Ruby Heart by Jaquet Droz
Petite Heure Minute Ruby Heart by Jaquet Droz

From pale pink to the hottest red, or mauve blended with purple, ruby crystal the gemstone’s power and intensity. It also possesses the beauty of scintillating lace, a motif that makes it unique.

The power of the color and its density give the Petite Heure Minute Ruby Heart by Jaquet Droz its intriguing sparkle, while its warmth makes it an object of temptation.

SPECTROLITE
A rainbow captured in stone. Spectrolite, also known as labradorite, was discovered in Canada’s Far North. Could this be where it stole its iridescent fluctuations from the Aurora Borealis?

Grande Seconde Spectrolite by Jaquet Droz
Grande Seconde Spectrolite by Jaquet Droz

Somber in its raw state, spectrolite takes on the colors of a thousand flames when polished. Turquoise blue, emerald green, dark brown marbled with amber, the tones fluctuate whenever a changing light glances over its surface.
The random arrangement of the colors and their dance makes the Grande Seconde Spectrolite by Jaquet Droz a spectacle in motion that is constantly renewed.

Source: Jaquet Droz