As early as 3000 B.C., ancient Egyptians used rudimentary whips to guide livestock. Over the centuries, the tool became an increasingly elegant accessory, its slender proportions and decorative handle not only practical but also a reflection of wealth and status. Riding crops and carriage whips were already fixtures of European aristocracy by 1837, when a young Thierry Hermès opened a harness workshop in Paris’s Ninth Arrondissement and began outfitting the coach-driven city. The horse became his enduring muse, as did its accouterments, ranging from bits and buckles to stirrups and reins. His obsession with equestrian goods was passed down to his grandson Emile Hermès, who amassed an impressive collection of saddles, spurs and other riding paraphernalia.
In 2010, Pierre Hardy, Hermès’s jewelry designer since 2001, reimagined one of Emile’s equestrian whips for the house’s inaugural Haute Bijouterie line. Among its 14 pieces was the suggestive Fouet necklace: a coiled riding whip fashioned out of platinum and set with 3,669 diamonds. Now, Hardy nods to that creation with his ninth such collection for the brand, titled Into the Horsescape and featuring the new Fouet Double Tour necklace. It’s made of rose gold and 3,100 diamonds, the chevrons crafted individually and welded by hand to form a chain. Calibrated cut baguettes with visible metal bead settings take the form of handles and knots, resulting in the optical illusion of a taut yet supple braided leather.
