{"id":44652,"date":"2026-07-01T22:33:13","date_gmt":"2026-07-01T22:33:13","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/france\/44652\/"},"modified":"2026-07-01T22:33:13","modified_gmt":"2026-07-01T22:33:13","slug":"torque-jewellery-refined-from-cartier-to-hong-kongs-chantel-shafie","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/france\/44652\/","title":{"rendered":"Torque jewellery refined, from Cartier to Hong Kong\u2019s Chantel Shafie"},"content":{"rendered":"

Torque-style jewellery<\/a> \u2013 defined by its circular or oval silhouette, usually left open at the front, ending in ornamental spheres or gems perhaps \u2013 has a long history.<\/p>\n

Some of the most recognisable torque motifs in high jewellery include Cartier\u2019s Juste un Clou (meaning \u201cjust a nail\u201d), envisioned as a nail bent into pieces of jewellery; Graff\u2019s Laurence Graff Signature diamond bangles; and Tiffany & Co.\u2019s T by Tiffany collection, with pieces finished with a \u201cT\u201d at each end.<\/p>\n

\"TT by Tiffany collection from Tiffany & Co. Photo: Handout<\/p>\n

While the style has been around for a long time, there\u2019s a renewed focus on the form, says Chantel Shafie, founder of Hong Kong-based Chantel Shafie Jewellery. In April, the fine jewellery brand launched the Ravello Collection, which features earrings, necklaces, a ring, a bangle and \u2013 at the heart of it all \u2013 a torque collar that can be worn open or closed, with a spectacular five-carat emerald-cut diamond that can be detached and worn on a ring or bangle. \u201c[The torque] is being reinterpreted in a more sculptural and refined way,\u201d Shafie explains. \u201cClients are responding to pieces that feel complete in themselves rather than layered or overly decorative.\u201d<\/p>\n

Torque styles can feel more refined and contemporary, and that comes down to proportion and line, she notes. \u201cA torque has a continuous curve and an open form that creates a natural sense of balance. It\u2019s designed as a stand-alone piece \u2013 clean and minimal \u2013 rather than something to layer.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"ValentinaValentina Fine Jewellery emerald torque. Photo: Handout<\/p>\n

In the Ravello collection, a graduated pav\u00e9 \u2013 where the pav\u00e9-set stones subtly shift in size and density \u2013 creates a sense of movement, drawing the eye along the curve. The pav\u00e9 is more concentrated at the ends, tapering into a fine line to trace the piece\u2019s length. The removable central diamond in the torque collar requires a very precise hand-forged mechanism developed in Shafie\u2019s Hong Kong atelier to be both secure and easy to wear, she says. \u201cVersatility has always been important in my designs, and being able to wear a five-carat stone in different ways makes it far more usable.\u201d<\/p>\n

It has a deliberate opening, which creates both ease of wear and a certain quiet confidence in the designAnastasia Gardner, Valentina Fine Jewellery<\/p>\n

For Anastasia Gardner, founder of Hong Kong-based Valentina Fine Jewellery, torque bracelets are \u201cabout tension and restraint\u201d, she says. \u201cIt\u2019s not a closed circle; it has a deliberate opening, which creates both ease of wear and a certain quiet confidence in the design.\u201d It\u2019s never overly engineered or bulky, she adds. \u201cThe line is clean, the gold has weight, and the ends, whether set with diamonds or [other] gemstones, feel considered rather than decorative. It\u2019s a balance between structure and softness, which is what makes it so wearable.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"ValentinaValentina Fine Jewellery pink sapphire torque. Photo: Handout<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Torque-style jewellery \u2013 defined by its circular or oval silhouette, usually left open at the front, ending in…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":44654,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[12775],"tags":[11638,30139,30133,16259,3528,30131,30132,4955,30137,30138,12767,30134,30136,30135],"class_list":["post-44652","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-tiffany-co","tag-cartier","tag-chantel-shafie","tag-chantel-shafie-jewellery","tag-graff","tag-hong-kong","tag-juste-un-clou","tag-laurence-graff-signature","tag-lvmh","tag-ravello-collection","tag-t-by-tiffany","tag-tiffany-co","tag-toi-et-moi","tag-torque-style-jewellery","tag-valentina-fine-jewellery"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/france\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/44652","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/france\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/france\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/france\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/france\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=44652"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/france\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/44652\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/france\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/44654"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/france\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=44652"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/france\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=44652"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/france\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=44652"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}