During Marie Antoinette’s reign as queen of France in the late 18th century, pineapples were expensive and difficult to come by—Europe, after all, isn’t known for cultivating the fruit. That helps explain why the ananas (French for pineapple) was considered a symbol of wealth, status, and luxury. It also helps explain why the ill-fated queen chose to decorate her private apartment at the Palace of Versailles with wall coverings featuring the crowned fruit.
In July 2023, shortly after the queen’s private chambers reopened after an extensive five-year renovation, Laure-Isabelle Mellerio, president and artistic director of Mellerio—the fine jewelry house founded by her forebears in 1613—visited Versailles. She was charmed by the wall coverings, which prompted an idea: She would create a spectacular high jewelry necklace and matching earrings to pay homage to the queen’s exuberant and luxurious style.
The 18k yellow gold Jardin des Rêves necklace by Mellerio centers on a gem-encrusted pineapple pendant.
At a private dinner at Versailles on July 2, on the brink of Haute Couture Week in Paris, Mellerio presented the parure, named Jardin des Rêves. Laden with 172 carats of gemstones spanning 14 gem varieties—including aquamarine, rubellite, tanzanite, imperial topaz, sapphire, and tourmaline—the 18k gold necklace centers on a gem-encrusted pineapple pendant that can be removed and worn as an earring (a matching pineapple earring comes with the set).
The Jardin des Rêves set was inspired by the wall coverings in Marie Antoinette’s private apartment at Versailles, which are covered in images of pineapples.
The brand, among the first jewelers to establish itself in the Place Vendôme area of Paris, spent a year creating the necklace, which carries a price tag “around $1 million,” Christophe Mélard, Mellerio’s managing director, said.
Mellerio created a custom case to house the Jardin des Rêves parure.
Few jewelry houses have the legitimacy to do justice to such a project. Mellerio, however, had what you might call a trial run. Around 1780, one of the queen’s ladies-in-waiting purchased a cameo bracelet adorned with rubies and gold flowers from Jean-Baptiste Mellerio. Last year, the company showcased the jewel during a residency at Bergdorf Goodman in New York City.
The new pineapple necklace is Mellerio’s way of paying tribute both to Marie Antoinette and to its own history of working with colored stones. “And of course,” Mr. Mélard said, “it demonstrates our ability to create a very high jewelry piece.”
Top: Mellerio presented the Jardin des Rêves parure at a private dinner at Versailles on July 2, on the brink of Haute Couture Week in Paris.