The Kelly line, a story of a bag and a princess
The
Hermes jewelry often has a history linked to other creations of the
luxury brand. Such is the case with the Kelly line, which takes not only the name of the iconic bag collection, but also the principle of its touret clasp.
Both the bag and the jewelry are actually named after the actress and princess of Monaco Grace Kelly. Because if the handbag was created by Robert Dumas, son-in-law of Emile Maurice-Hermès, in the 1930s, it was she who immortalized it. In 1956, a photo of Grace Kelly and Prince Rainier made the tour of the world. The princess was seen wearing the bag on her belly to conceal a pregnancy that was not yet official. In Hermès stores, customers began to ask for a "Kelly bag", so it was officially named.
The success of the
Kelly bag, moreover revisited by Jean-Paul Gaultier in 2004, never faded. The jewelry line that was inspired by it uses its codes.
When the clasp of a bag becomes a jewel
The Kelly bag clasp thus adorns
timeless bracelets, Kelly Double tour and the Kelly Dog cuff. The first is a single- or two-tone double tour bracelet in calfskin with its gold-plated clasp, the second is a 3.5 cm wide cuff with a gold-plated or palladium clasp. They come in a variety of shades, including the famous Hermès orange, the brand's official color since the 1960s.
For the
rings,
necklaces and
earrings, Hermès substitutes gold and silver for the leather of the bracelets, while retaining the clasp design. The
Kelly ring comes in 925/1000 silver, 750/1000 rose gold, rose gold and black spinel versions.
The line of rings, necklaces, earrings and braceletsKelly Clochette, jewelry all in finesse set or not with diamonds, takes up the Hermès lobster clasp, for its part, to the point of making a key a jewelry item in its own right.
The O'Kelly line sublimates the Kelly bag lock
The jewelry designers Hermès have taken the originality even further, creating the
O'Kelly line, this time transforming a padlock into earrings, pendants and bracelets. The padlock is indeed that of the Kelly bag, here refined and associated with a stylized leather padlock that follows it like a shadow.
Hermès then plays with the materials, leather and pink or yellow gold, and marks the jewelry with its imprint down to the smallest details: the
earrings are adorned with a saddle stud on the back. The line certainly echoes the Hermès codes, both on the iconic elements and on the colors or materials, demonstrating once again how easily the House knows how to move from saddlery and leather goods to jewelry.
For these O'Kelly jewelry pieces, new prices range from €270 for a
small pendant to €440 for the earrings and €515 for the large pendant.
