To mark the election of Franco-Russian novelist Andreï Makine to the French Academy, Chopard was entrusted to create a ceremonial sword with symbolic significance.
Getting elected to the Académie française is no easy feat and leaving it is not something that happens often nor done voluntarily.
The French Academy is the pre-eminent organisation when it comes to perfecting and enriching the French language. Such is the honour and exclusivity attached to it that its members are referred to as les immortels; the immortals.
To mark the election of Franco-Russian novelist Andreï Makine to the Academy, Chopard was enlisted and entrusted to create a ceremonial sword with important symbolic significance.
To complete it, the Swiss-watch and jewellery maker received plenty of input from Makine himself, who provided hand-drawn sketches and inscriptions.
The end result is a sword inspired by the author's favourite season - winter - set with 500 tiny emeralds, 11 white diamonds and a motif evoking the frog princess, a famous figure in Russian folklore.
Scroll through the pictures below for a closer look:
Leaving nothing to chance, Chopard is a big proponent of ethical jewellery, with an ethical gold supply chain.