79th Cannes Film Festival: Inside the making of the prestigious Palme d’Or • FRANCE 24 English

Key Concepts

• Palme d'Or: The highest prize awarded at the Cannes Film Festival.
• Chopard: The Swiss luxury jewelry house responsible for crafting the trophy.
• Lost-Wax Casting: The industrial process used to create the base of the trophy.
• 18-Karat Yellow Gold: The specific material composition of the award.
• Caroline Scheufele: Co-president of Chopard and the designer of the current trophy iteration.

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The Craftsmanship of the Palme d'Or

The Palme d'Or is manufactured in Meyrin, a town on the outskirts of Geneva, Switzerland. The production process is highly labor-intensive, requiring 70 hours of dedicated work per trophy within the Chopard workshops.

Manufacturing Methodology:

1. Wax Injection: The process begins by injecting wax into a mold.
2. Heating: The mold is heated to 760°C to create a base for the solid mold.
3. Casting: Molten 18-karat yellow gold is poured into the mold.
4. Finishing: The gold structure is washed, treated, and then meticulously fine-tuned by hand.
5. Assembly: The trophy features 19 individual leaves, which are sculpted one by one and then assembled onto the stem.

Design Evolution and Symbolism

The current design of the Palme d'Or was conceptualized 29 years ago by Caroline Scheufele. A significant design modification introduced by Scheufele is the stem of the palm, which terminates in a small heart shape. According to Scheufele, this serves as a "nod to cinema, the love of cinema, and also something of a Chopard hallmark," as the heart motif is a recurring element in her jewelry designs.

Partnership and Logistics

The relationship between Chopard and the Cannes Film Festival has spanned nearly three decades. Scheufele describes this as a "love story" of mutual growth, noting that the festival and the jeweler have evolved alongside one another.

To ensure the continuity of the awards ceremony, Chopard employs a strict contingency plan: two palms are produced every year as a precautionary measure to account for any potential accidents or damage to the primary trophy.

Conclusion

The Palme d'Or represents a fusion of high-end jewelry craftsmanship and cinematic prestige. Through a rigorous 70-hour production cycle involving lost-wax casting and manual sculpting, Chopard maintains the integrity of the award. The trophy serves not only as a symbol of artistic achievement in film but also as a testament to the long-standing industrial partnership between the luxury sector and the global film industry.