Long before Hermès orange was a Pantone swatch, the house was rewriting the rules. The first Hermès silk scarf appeared in 1937, courtesy of Robert Dumas, son‑in‑law of Émile Hermès, the third‑generation proprietor who helped steer the maison from saddlery to a fully fledged luxury goods house. That inaugural carré set the tone: silk twill woven and printed in Lyon, a dance of colour separations and hand‑rolled hems that would become a byword for quiet luxury.
Dumas took the reins in 1951 and chalked up a string of discreet revolutions: that signature packaging, for one, and the Sac à Dépêches, which, decades later, would be rechristened the Kelly. He had an instinct for clarity – elegant ideas, perfectly executed, that slip from utility into iconography.
He also dreamt up the Chaîne d’Ancre. Inspired by a common anchor chain, this figure‑eight design has been an incredibly rich source of inspiration that has spawned a range of creations, including bracelets, rings, earrings, necklaces and even handbags. Today it’s as Hermès as a stirrup or an H buckle. Part of its magic is architectural: the pleasing push‑pull of mass and negative space, solidity perforated by light. It’s maritime by origin and modernist by temperament.
“I didn’t come up with the idea of turning the anchor chain into a piece of jewellery,” admits Pierre Hardy, Hermès’s creative director of jewellery, with a twinkle. “Robert Dumas did, but I would have liked to have thought of it first.”
What Hardy has done is to stretch the theme – elongating, magnifying, softening and reshaping the links – so a classic becomes mischievous. By subverting the familiar, he’s injected fresh energy into Chaîne d’Ancre and broadened its repertoire: hefty cuffs in yellow gold, feather‑light sautoirs in sterling silver, pavé‑lit pieces that shimmer without shouting.
“There are a lot of stories in the new collection,” he says. “We were reminded of robustness and fluidity – solid and liquid – a nod to the motif’s maritime origin. The chain is strong and supple, like water. Depending on the materials and the presence of diamonds, Chaîne d’Ancre appears in completely different forms.”
Best appreciated in person. Try the new collection on; you’ll get the message.
