The principality of Monaco has long been the site of such glamorous international events as the Formula 1 Monaco Grand Prix, the Monaco Yacht Show and the Bal de la Rose charity evening. Now, a new jewelry event is set to join the calendar.
The inaugural edition of the Grand Prix de la Haute Joaillerie (GPHJ) is scheduled there on Oct. 25, an event that Jean-Philippe Braud, its co-founder and director, called “a big celebration of high jewelry.” The event has been created by Mr. Braud, the owner of an international events company in Paris, and the Monégasque hospitality group Monte-Carlo Société des Bains de Mer.
While the event’s name is similar to that of the Grand Prix d’Horlogerie de Genève, the annual watchmaking event that awards winners from among sets of nominees, the GHPJ will announce only the winners among the one-of-a-kind entries made and submitted for award consideration. And those winners will be chosen by a jury of experts, headed this year by Fabienne Reybaud, a prominent jewelry author and historian in Paris.
The idea, Mr. Braud said, is “not about competition, nominees and winners,” but about celebrating high jewelry, especially since “the spirit and creations of each maison is so different,” he said. Among the entrants are Tiffany & Company, Bulgari, Louis Vuitton and Dior, all owned by LVMH Moët Hennessy Louis Vuitton; Buccellati, a Richemont brand; Boucheron, owned by Kering; and independent jewelry houses including Chopard, Chanel, Messika and Anna Hu.
Among the eight juried award categories are: best design, heritage, savoir-faire, gemstone and the best jewelry piece of the year. Also, the public will be invited to vote, on the event’s website, for a kind of people’s choice award.
The gala, to be underwritten by sponsors and the sale of tables, is to be held at the Salle des Étoiles, a space that has also been used for events such as the Monaco Red Cross Ball. About 500 attendees are expected, mainly high jewelry collectors and luxury brand representatives, Mr. Braud said.
Caroline Scheufele, Chopard’s co-president and artistic director, welcomed the event, saying that other than a few individual magazine nods, “the jewelry industry never really had anything meaningful. And Monaco, the location is great.”
She also noted that the GPHJ could become an educational platform. “The event is good for young designers and houses to show the savoir-faire and artisans behind jewelry,” she said. “A lot of people have no clue about how jewelry is made.”
Anna Hu, who moved to Monaco from New York a few years ago, said she felt “a sense of responsibility and pride to represent the family tradition of jewelers” at the inaugural event.
Mr. Braud said that, in addition to staging the GPHJ as an annual event, he plans to create two other collectors’ evenings in the Middle East and Asia. “In addition to Monaco, these are the two other big markets for high jewelry,” he said.
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