In 1976 Chopard designer Ronald Kurowski sought to reproduce – with jewelry – the magic of sunbeams playing across a waterfall that he viewed while on vacation. His groundbreaking idea was to leave round brilliant diamonds free to dance and spin between two clear sapphire crystals, allowing them to express the full force of their natural beauty as the wearer moved in their natural way. Today, over forty years later, Chopard’s “Happy Diamonds” are still an important part of the brand’s jewelry and watch collections, and to say that their customers are thrilled about that fact would be an incredible understatement.

Inside the Happy Diamonds Design
But how do Happy Diamonds stay so happy? What makes these circles of brilliance move about their sapphire ice rinks as if they were trying out for the 2018 Winter Olympic Games?

The concept, while seemingly complex, is actually quite simple. Each diamond is carefully selected by master jewelers at Chopard and set in a gold bezel which has a beveled base. The bezel is then placed flush between the two sapphire crystals, enabling the diamonds to move in any direction, spinning as the wearer moves and creating a flurry of activity that is both eye-catching and smile-inducing.

Happy Diamonds’ 40th Anniversary
In 2016, to commemorate the 40th anniversary of Happy Diamonds, Chopard took their journey to the next level. While playing with the design codes of previous periods yet never renouncing their legendary identity, the brand took Kurowski’s concept to the next level: Chopard presented new moving elements featuring an unprecedented innovation in the history of Happy Diamonds: a prong setting. This allowed the diamonds to be larger than before while also varying in stone sizes, thus accentuating their whirling dance and the design’s spirit of profusion. The new collection named “Happy Dreams” became an instant collector’s item among the brand’s fans.

The Happy Diamonds Legacy
Chopard has proven itself over the years not only to be a company that is willing to embrace technology, innovation, and change, but also to be a brand that does so while never letting ago of the history that made them as well-known as they are today. From their retail boutiques to their red carpet ambassadors, Chopard has set themselves apart in the jewelry world by using ethically sourced materials in their jewelry and watches; a concept that has proven to be extraordinarily important to both Generation X and Millennials, alike.

If diamonds are supposed to be forever, then “Happy Diamonds” must take the wearer through that eternity with a wide grin on their face and an extra beat in their heart. If diamonds can dance in this day and age, imagine what the designers at Chopard will come up with 40 years from now. The brand hit the nail on the head when they released the following statement:

Happy Diamonds: essential gems that have a rare ability to transcend successive eras and to perpetually reinvent themselves as time goes by.