On the occasion of the Dubai World Expo, Christofle is once again putting all its unique goldsmith's know-how to work by creating an exceptional piece
A TREE WITH STRONG SYMBOLIC VALUE
On the occasion of the Dubai World Expo, Christofle is once again putting all its unique silversmithing expertise to good use by creating an exceptional piece featuring all the skills that have made the brand famous since its creation in 1830: the Tree of Life.
It symbolises Christofle's attachment to its history and roots, as well as its international influence.
AN EXCEPTIONAL KNOW-HOW
The tree has its roots in France, the birthplace of the brand, and then develops into a globe. This globe is a real technical feat; the workers in the Haute Orfèvrerie workshops used the flattening technique to give this round shape to the metal. They have precisely flattened a piece of metal around a spherical horn measuring 1m in diameter. Each piece is then manually attached to the globe.
At its centre, the Burj Khalifa Tower emerges like the desert flower from which its design was inspired. It has been shaped and chiselled by hand.
THE FLIGHT OF THE BUTTERFLIES
Gold and silver butterflies, lacquered, engraved, openwork or set with stones, adorn the branches, polished and chiselled by hand. Once again, all the know-how of our craftsmen makes this feat possible, playing with the techniques of saving, manual lacquering or setting. An ode to poetry.
A MASTERPIECE OF HIGH GOLDSMITHING
In the end, a tree 2 m high and 1 m in diameter weighs almost 100 kg, including 1 kg of solid silver and 21 g of gold.
It is composed of 37 structural elements and decorated with 142 butterflies.
The tree of life, which will have required 750 hours of work in the Christofle Haute Orfèvrerie workshops, will be exhibited in Dubai from 1 October 2021 to 31 March 2022.