Southern Africa’s deserts, wildlife and light serve as the blueprint for Terres d’Instinct, the new High Jewellery chapter for Messika.
T his year marks 20 years since Valérie Messika founded her eponymous jewellery maison and to celebrate, she has unveiled a new High Jewellery collection unlike any before. Terres d’Instinct is a body of work born from a journey through Namibia, where Valérie was struck by vast ochre landscapes, fierce light and the commanding presence of wildlife. It’s this encounter with untamed nature that forms the heartbeat of the collection.
The designs draw from the contrasts of Southern Africa, namely Namibia, Botswana and South Africa, where desert sands, mineral-rich plains and wild creatures each leave their trace. The jewellery reflects these impressions in bold ways: textured gold surfaces, deep incisions, graphic stripes and shimmering pavé replicate the landscapes and their energy. In this first chapter, 16 sets have been created, each one exploring the dialogue between raw natural forces and refinement.
One of the centrepieces is the Kalahara necklace, which features two yellow diamonds, a massive 34.92-carat fancy intense yellow, radiant-cut stone and a 3.61-carat fancy yellow, radiant-cut stone. The design incorporates 3,298 smaller diamonds totalling 103.30 carats. Beyond its scale, the piece is also modular: it can be worn as a triple-row plastron, a double-row necklace, a choker or as a pendant necklace, offering four distinct silhouettes within one creation.
The Mirage piece reflects the movement of the Sossusvlei dunes, where brushed gold surfaces and pavé diamonds form volumes that appear to ripple and settle, just like the desert’s shifting contours. In Zebra Mnyama, onyx contrasts with baguette-cut diamonds in a sharp, architectural rhythm, anchored by two shield-cut diamonds of 1.52 and 1.50 carats. Fauve interprets the strength of the lion, its brushed gold carved with claw-like marks that cut across the surface, set against the light of 2,491 diamonds weighing 70.28 carats.
For Messika, the collection is also a step into new territory. While the brand is best known for its diamond expertise, Terres d’Instinct embraces coloured gemstones for the first time. Rubies, sapphires, emeralds, spinels and garnets join the narrative, bringing a palette that mirrors Africa’s vivid hues of sunset reds, oasis greens and turquoise exotic plumage. The Divine Enigma set has even been reimagined around a 30-carat Zambian emerald, a striking emblem of this new creative chapter.
Despite this expansion into colour, diamonds remain at the centre. Cuts ranging from cushion and baguette to heart, radiant and shield are paired with an array of setting techniques, including bezel, snow and halo. Across the collection, light becomes a narrative thread, with each piece designed to highlight the brilliance and adaptability of the stones while balancing sculptural form.
For more information, please call Messika boutiques at Villaggio Mall 4444 5755, Mall of Qatar 4444 0266 and Place Vendôme 4416 6665.
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