A humid spring night in Melbourne was the backdrop for a celebration. Rosé, champagne, fresh seafood, a string duo and the star attractions—Monet’s blooming garden in Giverny and Klimt’s golden mosaic-like paintings— reimagined as timeless jewellery.

A toast to the Masters.

Born in Vienna in 1951, the sometime intellectual and artistic heartland of Europe, Freywille has built on the fine traditions of European art and craftsmanship which it has since taken around the world. It is little wonder then that Melburnians have embraced the brand that brings art appreciation and refinement to jewellery—finding perhaps, a kindred spirit.

With painstaking research and sensitive design, Freywille honours the great paintings of the likes of Monet and Klimt by conveying their same emotions and nuances in lustrous gold and enamel. It is not mere appropriation of great works but rather a starting point from which to pay hommage to great artists. At the event, A Night of the Masters at Melbourne’s Emporium—the Masters—Monet and Klimt were front and centre, from the floral motifs rendered in Impressionistic brush strokes to the rich Byzantine golds of Klimt.

In partnership with Freywille, L’Officiel opened the night with executive editor Matthew Paroz outlining the history of the Viennese jeweller, described the techniques perfected some 30 years ago, where the process of creating the fire enamel jewellery takes up to 100 manual steps and is noted for its intense glow and brilliant colour.

All the pieces are handcrafted in Vienna using the closely guarded methods that the studio itself developed.  A collection can take up to two years from an initial sketch to its release in boutiques around the world.