Inside Louis Vuitton’s Exclusive Extravaganza to Debut Its New High Jewelry Collection

Recently the path to purchase an object of desire has become just as important as the object itself. At the unveiling of Louis Vuitton’s Mythica high jewelry collection, the Parisian house took VIP guests on an epic voyage to Marrakech. The brand arrived teaming with trunks, tableware, plenty of custom decor (including LV’s floral motif executed in floating pedals in an accent pool in the spa, for example), and, of course, jaw-dropping gems in extraordinary settings. Top clients were entertained at the Royal Mansour and La Mamounia—two famously luxe hotels in the city considered to be the best of the best.

Upon arrival, guests were greeted at the entrance of the two hotels where seven-feet-tall stacks of Louis Vuitton trunks decorated flanked the entrances and served as lobby centerpieces. Even pillows with LV Star Monograms were created to match the existing furniture in the hotels and, for example, in La Mamounia’s spa even decorated an accent pool in the waiting room in a floating arrangement of white florals in the same motif. No detail was spared with Louis Vuitton tableware decorating every dining experience from lunches to dinners.

The culminating event took place roughly a 45-minute drive into the Agafay desert to the new five-star hilltop hotel Kasbah D’If. Guests arrived to the sprawling location welcomed by greeters in traditional garb on horseback and a female group of traditional singers. Local male Gnawa performers surrounding a pool within an outdoor atrium then entertained guests as they twirled their tarboushes (hats with long colorful tassels) and clapped qrabqebs (metal hand instruments) and beat traditional tabals (drums). But that was just the beginning . . . an alfresco runway show overlooking the sunset introduced the jewels on models. After, guests climbed a set of stairs to the rooftop where a sprawling dinner tables were set up beneath a full moon and fire pits flickered in decorative accent pools. As dinner was served complete with LV tableware, napkins, and even custom Star Monogram iron-worked folding campaign chairs with tassels fires alighted in long horizontal pits framing the tables and atop the tips of the fortress-like building to signal another display of jewels on the models. Just before desert, a procession of men bearing torches alerted guests to yet another spectacle: The event culminated in an extraordinary cascade of white fireworks that would put even the largest July 4th celebration to shame. As the race to capture the attention of top high jewelry clients heats up, Louis Vuitton is making it clear it aims to smoke any competition.

To say that guests were transported, would be an understatement. “We feel grateful to have been here tonight, here to celebrate our mythical collection, our mythical desert, Agafay desert here around us, and this kasbah, which has really something special, something magic, and you feel it in the air,” Pietro Beccari, CEO and chairman of Louis Vuitton said during a speech at the dinner. “And talking about myths, we celebrate a second form of travel, because Mythica is all about imagination. It’s all about the travel and the journey of the mind, of our fantasies, the traditions, the legends, the mysteries, the magic, the passionate saga in an explosive mix of storytelling and also savoir faire.” He also called attention to the thousands of hours artisans spent creating the collection (detailed for the pieces below) and the billions of years it took to form the stones in the collection. “Their journey is not over,” he noted. “Their journey will continue in the form of a unique and special jewelry piece that will be part of your family’s generation after generation, and their beauty will be eternal, and this beauty will continue to live on and celebrate the savoir faire, the myths and the spirit of travel of Louis Vuitton.”

Living up to the fanfare created to introduce them, the new Mythica creations did in fact illicit gasps of awe. From the groundbreaking fluorescent diamonds that light up under UV rays in the Spell collection to the jaw-dropping size of the colorful gems on the Sirius necklace to the extraordinary craftsmanship of the intricate and time-consuming gradient snow setting of diamonds on the leaf-like forms of the Fortune necklace, it was hard not to feel hypnotized by Louis Vuitton’s high jewelry odyssey.

Louis Vuitton Sirius Necklace

Six tourmalines, three aquamarines, and four tanzanites totaling a 249.31 carats, this heavyweight necklace was easily a highlight in the collection’s many showstoppers. It appears more like a crown for the neck, than anything else but these gems—with their royal-like sizing—weren’t the only part of the story. The shells that cradle each stone are also set with fully pavé stones of green emeralds, blue sapphires, and tourmalines in LV Monogram star patterns on the reverse side. In total, 1,494 hours of work went into its creation. The Sirius subcollection also includes two aquamarine and tourmaline bracelets set in a mesh design with sapphires, emerald, and tourmaline pavé stones, as well as three rings and four pairs of earrings.

Louis Vuitton Mesmerism Necklace

From afar, the incredible 17.18-carat Colombian emerald with its incredibly rich hue infused with hints of blue appears to be the instant focal point of the Mesmerism necklace but step closer and you will notice the incredible intricacy of a voluminous mesh crafted from minute interconnected diamond-set LV Monogram Flower forms. It culminates in a loop with a 3.03-carat LV Monogram Flower-cut diamond from which the emerald is hung.

The piece feels at once modern and timeless. It is accompanied by 17 pieces combining emeralds and diamonds including six rings, three bracelets, two earrings, and a brooch.

Louis Vuitton Fortune Necklace II

The Fortune subcollection is the largest within Mythica and the headlining necklaces within are the most arresting of the entire array of new jewels. This choker embraces 25 large gold pearls in a range of pink to green underlying hues totaling a 511.28 carats. Set in a line, they are encircled by two 18-karat yellow-gold leaves set with orangey yellow and white diamonds. It took 1,830 hours to craft.

Louis Vuitton Fortune Necklace I

The most talked-about necklace at the reveal, this Fortune necklace wowed with its sculputral form which encircles the neck and collar bone. The 18-karat gold leaves are set with 4,700 diamonds in a gradient of hues from Fancy Vivid orangey yellow to white in a snow setting. The leaf-like forms swirl around the neck while seductively showing off hints of skin. At its center is a 5.12-carat D IF Louis Vuitton Star-cut diamond. It is nothing short of spectacular. Unsurprisingly it required extra work culminating in 2,860 hours of craftsmanship.

The Fortune collection includes 21 pieces and is, according to Louis Vuitton, a hint of what’s to come in the next chapter. For now at least, this is the piece to own in the Mythica collection.

Louis Vuitton Fortitude Necklace

An 821.14-carat cushion step-cut blue zircon commands attention on the Fortitude necklace, with no visible connector it appears to magically rest beneath the 18-karat white-gold collar set partially in a snow setting of white diamonds and on the other side, set in an arrangement mimicking the house’s Damier pattern. A single slight curl of diamond set rope curls around the necklace for a subtle hint of interest.

Another triple strand necklace in 18-karat white gold set with 50 carats of white diamonds and nine cushion step-cut zircons ranging from 25.01 to 6.03 carats, also highlights this subcollection.

Louis Vuitton Spell Necklace

For those that prefer a little extra technical magic, the Spell collection includes diamonds with a fluorescent, blue-tinged glow that ignite under UV lighting—a high jewelry first according to Louis Vuitton. But even without the party trick, the Spell necklace entrances with diamonds arranged in a Damier pattern accented with alternating round discs featuring 65.97 round-cut cat’s eye moonstones or flourescent diamonds arranged in the Louis Vuitton Monogram Flower motif. Each disc is backed in black ceramic for impact. Offset on the right is 44.13 carats of imperial orange-pink topazes surrounding a diamond LV Monogram Star diamond.

This subcollection includes nine pieces with five rings, two pairs of earrings, and one bracelet rounding out the set.

Louis Vuitton Enigma Necklace

Certainly a bold piece both in size and silhouette, the Enigma necklace is a confident arrangement of a baby blue cabochon cat’s eye topaz of 27.12-carats, a white cabochon cat’s eye topaz of 29.69 carats, and a massive 52.55-carat aquamarine all dangling in file from a 3.56-cara LV Monogram Star-cut diamond. Each stone is encircled by diamond frames in a varying rope-like patterns. The collar comes in two rows of diamonds in the house Damier pattern with crossing sections of diamonds to tie them together. Adding to its impact, it can be transformed to be worn 10 different ways and required 1,532 hours of work.

It is accompanied by a ring and two pairs of earrings to complete a suite.

Louis Vuitton Whisper Necklace

The tiny swirling 18-karat white-gold diamond-set whips that coil around the Whisper necklace culminate in a rare 11.56-carat royal blue pear-shaped step-cut sapphired dangling from a 4.11-carat D FL Louis Vuitton Monogram Star-cut diamond. The incredible intricacy of molding and setting the intricate form of the necklace took 1,850 hours of craftsmanship. It is accompanied by a suite of other cloud-like creations including four necklaces, six earrings (including a spectacular ear cuff), and two bracelets.

Louis Vuitton Conquest Necklace

Set with lines of tiny 18-karat white-gold and yellow-gold arrows outlined in onyx and framing a row of 20 vivid-red rubies totaling 21.86-carats interspersed with baguette and round-cut diamonds, the Conquest is a fierce display of power. A larger ruby acts as the centerpiece beneath a 1.07-carat LV Monogram Star-cut diamond. It required 1,200 hours of work.

Part of a suite of 11 jewels, Conquest also features pieces with yellow diamonds, like a 4.05-carat yellow diamond custom-cut into an LV Monogram Star-cut diamond, for example.

Louis Vuitton Totem Necklace

Set in 18-karat yellow and white gold and diamonds, the Totem necklace is arguably a piece that could be worn day-to-night. The collar necklace is ornate enough for the evening but subtle enough for the right moment during the day. It is punctuate by two gold cuffs on either side and otherwise pulls in the cloud motif in gold seen in the Whisper pieces, as well as the requisite house V symbold executed in white gold and diamonds.

Interestingly, this subcollection also features an ornate pen as well as eight other pieces, including two amphora pendants, decorated in the same motifs.

This article originally appeared in Robb Report US.