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SCMP Style Reporter

Messika’s latest haute joaillerie collection marks a compelling evolution for a maison that built its reputation on the brilliance of diamonds. With Terres de Contrastes, founder and creative director Valérie Messika looks beyond the stone itself, embracing the rich palette of Botswana – a country where extraordinary diamonds emerge from landscapes defined by striking natural contrasts.

Terres de Contrastes builds on last year’s Terres d’Instinct collection, with colour woven into the house’s contemporary design language. Vivid gemstones converse with diamonds in a collection inspired by Botswana’s three defining landscapes: the lush Okavango Delta, the fiery Kalahari Desert and the dreamlike Makgadikgadi salt pans.

The collection’s undisputed show-stopper is Le Okavango Blue, centred around one of the most exceptional diamonds ever unearthed in Botswana. Discovered at the Orapa mine in 2018 as a 41.11-carat rough, the stone was polished into an extraordinary 20.46-carat fancy deep blue diamond – the largest of its kind ever found in the country. More than 500 smaller diamonds cascade around the neck in fluid lines that mirror the delta’s winding waterways, allowing the mesmerising blue diamond to command every glance. It is a jewel that speaks of geological rarity as well as artistic restraint.

The Okavango’s abundant ecosystem also inspires Delta Sacré, where over 600 meticulously selected diamonds recreate the intricate network of rivers and islands before culminating in a striking 12.81-carat pear-shaped emerald that appears to float within the composition.

Wildlife, too, finds expression through a distinctly modern lens. Féroce captures the silent menace of the crocodile with sculptural gold, pavé diamonds and a hypnotic 16.98-carat Australian black opal whose flashes of electric blue and emerald green evoke water in perpetual motion. In Règne, the powerful silhouette of the Kalahari’s big cats is abstracted into sleek gold architecture punctuated by custom-cut onyx and anchored by a warm Fancy Deep Brownish Yellow diamond that echoes the desert’s sun-baked terrain.

The collection reaches its most seductive note with Python Rubellite, a contemporary reimagining of the classic rivière necklace. Five serpentine rows of marquise-cut diamonds drape across the collarbone before revealing a vivid 13.54-carat rubellite, its saturated crimson-pink hue recalling the fleeting colours of sunset across the Makgadikgadi salt pans.
With Terres de Contrastes, Messika continues to push the boundaries of contemporary haute joaillerie. It is a collection where exceptional gemstones, innovative craftsmanship and the untamed beauty of Botswana converge, proving that the maison’s most dazzling creations are no longer defined by diamonds alone, but by the captivating dialogue between colour, light and nature itself.


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Style Edit: Messika evokes Botswana’s raw beauty with Terres de Contrastes high jewellery collection

Python Rubellite necklace from Messika’s high jewellery collection, Terres de Contrastes. Photo: Handout

Le Okavango Blue diamond from Botswana. Photo: Handout

Le Okavango Blue diamond is the largest of its kind ever found in Botswana. Photo: Handout

Le Okavango Blue was discovered in the Orapa mine. Photo: Handout

Le Okavango Blue was later polished into a 20.46-carat fancy deep blue diamond. Photo: Handout

The Féroce necklace from Messika’s high jewellery collection, Terres de Contrastes. Photo: Handout

Why brooches are taking over the red carpet – as seen on Leonardo DiCaprio, Tilda Swinton and Michael B. Jordan

Tilda Swinton in Chanel, wearing a diamond brooch at the 2026 EE Bafta Film Awards. Photo: Handout

Pedro Pascal wears a silk and feather Chanel brooch at the 98th Academy Awards ceremony. Photo: Chanel/Getty Images

Chanel fall/winter 2026. Photo: Handout

The Back Vault Tiffany & Co. Platinum 7.20cttw Diamond Double Clip Brooch. Photo: Handout

The Back Vault Art Deco Platinum 2.50-carat Diamond Bow Bar Pin Brooch. Photo: Handout

Men’s chokers: the jewellery trend Timothée Chalamet and Connor Storrie are reviving

Connor Storrie wore a Tiffany & Co. choker to the Vanity Fair Oscar Party in March. Photo: Reuters

Tiffany Titan by Pharrell Williams collection. Photo: Handout

Timothée Chalamet in a Vivienne Westwood choker at a photocall for Bones and All in 2022. Photo: AFP

Bulgari Tubogas necklace in 18k yellow gold. Photo: Handout

Pharrell Williams tries out a necklace from his own Tiffany Titan collection. Photo: Handout

Messika Move Link necklace. Photo: Handout

Hong Kong’s jewellery auctions hold strong as the 2026 season builds

Cartier’s Tutti Frutti necklace sold at Sotheby’s. Hong Kong’s auction houses posted record results in the second half of 2025. Photo: Handout

Pear-shaped emerald pendants at Bonham’s. Photo: Handout

The Royal Blue necklace sold at Christie’s. Photo: Handout

Red Butterflies earrings sold at Christie’s. Photo: Handout

Ronald Abram sapphire and diamond ring at Sotheby’s. Photo: Handout

How jewellery pieces can become screen stars – like Dior in The Devil Wears Prada 2

On the set of The Devil Wears Prada 2: Andy Sachs (Anne Hathaway) wears jewellery by Jemma Wynne and Marlo Laz, while Miranda Priestly (Meryl Streep) sports pieces by Briony Raymond. Photo: Handout

Mia Goth wears the Tiffany & Co. scarab necklace in her role as Elizabeth in Frankenstein. Photo: Netflix

Tiffany & Co. pearls and diamonds played a major role in Baz Luhrmann’s The Great Gatsby (2013), alongside stars Tobey Maguire, Leonardo DiCaprio, Carey Mulligan and Joel Edgerton. Photo: Warner Bros.

Gal Gadot wearing the incomparable 128-carat Tiffany Diamond in Death on the Nile. Photo: Handout

Kathryn Vanderveen on the back lot at Warner Bros. Studios. Photo: Handout

 Schlumberger pieces from Tiffany on Jackie O in Love Story. Photo: Handout

Arsema Thomas as the young Lady Danbury wears an Autores South Sea pearl strand in Queen Charlotte: A Bridgerton Story. Photo: Handout

The luxury market is poised for a comeback by 2030 – here’s what US and China clients want

Shoppers queue outside a Dior boutique on Canton Road in Tsim Sha Tsui, Hong Kong, in 2024. The luxury market has cooled down recently, but is predicted to make a comeback by 2030. Photo: Jelly Tse  

Models walk in Pharrell Williams’ Louis Vuitton menswear spring/summer 2027 show in Paris in June – a spectacle of legacy branding at a time when luxury clients are increasingly seeking emotional connection over logo recognition. Photo: Reuters

US luxury clients are increasingly moving away from legacy brands such as Tiffany & Co. in favour of smaller, independent labels. Photo: AFP

The Aman Private Jet – available for private charter – is a marker of the kind of experiential luxury today’s high-spending clients increasingly prioritise over owning luxury goods. Photo: Handout

Shoppers tote Hermès and Louis Vuitton bags on Canton Road in Tsim Sha Tsui, Hong Kong, in June – with a new report highlighting the Chinese luxury consumer’s enduring loyalty to visible, legacy brands. Photo: Jelly Tse

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Founder and creative director Valérie Messika showcases the region’s defining landscapes with vivid green, blue, yellow and crimson centrepiece gems


Founder and creative director Valérie Messika showcases the region’s defining landscapes with vivid green, blue, yellow and crimson centrepiece gems.


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Style Edit: Messika evokes Botswana’s raw beauty with Terres de Contrastes high jewellery collection

.css-1c6uqr6{color:inherit;font-weight:inherit;font-size:inherit;font-family:inherit;line-height:inherit;overflow-wrap:break-word;}Founder and creative director Valérie Messika showcases the region’s defining landscapes with vivid green, blue, yellow and crimson centrepiece gems

Founder and creative director Valérie Messika showcases the region’s defining landscapes with vivid green, blue, yellow and crimson centrepiece gems