Hermes has brought its latest high jewellery collection to Dubai, with an exhibition that is open to the public. Called Enchainements Libres, or Freedom in Chains, it is a visual journey exploring movement around the human form. Created by Hermes jewellery creative director Pierre Hardy and currently on show in a dedicated area within the brand's Dubai Mall boutique, the collection reworks a long-standing house motif, the chain, which harks back to the company's early days as a saddle maker. Appearing in various iterations across the maison's "metiers" or product categories, it is intertwined with the brand's identity and, as such, was ripe for revisiting by Hardy. Under his skilled hand, the chain is explored, deconstructed, exaggerated and reworked. Refashioned in noble materials such as rose, yellow and white gold, and slathered with white diamonds and grey pearls, it takes on an entirely new identity. Light and refined, its relationship to the human form shifts, too, across 29 dazzling original pieces. One piece, Adage Hermes, is a necklace made from the links of a chain, now exaggerated to grand scale. Made from rose and white gold, pave-set with 110.56 carats of brilliant-cut diamonds, the different sized links sit around the neck in new and arresting ways. The Fusion Hermes necklace, meanwhile, is crafted with links of differing sizes that cascade from the neck in a stunning melange of angles, shapes and negative spaces, all dusted with 100.44 carats of diamonds. The Hermes Voltige necklace hangs as a golden loop down the back, strung from 12 individual chains of yellow gold dotted with 1.41 carats of white diamonds, while its namesake bracelet explores notions of suppleness by transforming an industrial chain into something altogether more fluid. The Hermes Grand Jete necklace is an extraordinary blend of vertical and horizontal chains caught at juncture points. It elevates the humble chain into a work of art. Made with rose gold, orange sapphires of 34.56 carats, white diamonds (34.56 carats) and teardrops of black jade, pink opals and grey pearls, the piece is infused with a sense of lightness. In contrast, the Chaine d’Ancre ring offers a clever play on depth, as a solitary chain link of rose gold and white diamonds is held under a large rock crystal cabochon, as if the gems are being presented through a magnifying lens. This discreet play is typical of Hermes and the collection captures a sense of freedom that is refreshingly light and much-needed during these heavy times. <em>Enchainements Libres is on show at The Dubai Mall boutique until Saturday, November 7</em>
