From above: FRED Force 10 bangle crafted in white gold adorned with diamonds; FRED Force 10 Iconic necklace crafted in white gold embellished with diamonds.
Fred Samuel, who established the jewelry brand Fred in Paris in 1936, had an impressive circle of close friends, including acclaimed film stars, socialites, and artists like Grace Kelly, Marlene Dietrich, Barbara Hutton, and Pablo Picasso. Today, the Maison continues to forge brilliant connections with modern celebrities: actors Dew Jirawat and Yang Mi are among the brand’s friends, Wonyoung from K-pop group IVE was appointed as Fred’s Korea ambassador in September 2022, and recently, Jin from BTS and Chinese actress Guan Xiaotong were announced as the Maison’s global brand ambassadors.
Fresh from completing his military service, all eyes were on BTS’s Jin as he made his official debut for Fred, carrying the torch at the Paris Olympics, dressed almost entirely in pieces from the signature Force 10 collection, thus reviving interest in the jeweler’s iconic design.
The strongest element of the Maison, the Force 10, was born in 1966. Samuel saw his son Henri make a simple bracelet for his wife from a braid of sailing cables and a snap hook, inspiring Samuel to recreate that idea using twisted steel wires and a gold clasp, reminiscent of strong ropes and horseshoe bow shackles found on sailing vessels. He named the bracelet after the Beaufort wind force scale, which rates wind strength from 0 to 12, with force 10 representing a storm.
Samuel likely did not anticipate the revolutionary effect his unisex sports jewelry would achieve. Drawing from his passion for the sun, sea, sailing, and the warm climate of Buenos Aires and the French Riviera, Force 10 transformed rustic inspiration into a precious symbol of boldness and hope, all while maintaining a laid-back vibe. Over the years, the Force 10 collection has expanded to include bracelets, earrings, necklaces, rings, and even eyewear, featuring buckle designs in various sizes, made from diverse metals, encrusted with an astonishing array of gemstones, and paired with woven cable cords available in a full spectrum of colors.
FRED Force 10 multirow necklace in yellow gold adorned with diamonds.
Recently, Force 10 has branched out into more specific collections. Fred introduced the Force 10 Winch line in 2021, featuring rings, earrings, necklaces, and bracelets designed for men, showcasing the beauty of braided cables reminiscent of rope wrapped around a winch on a sailboat. The following year, a high-jewelry rendition of Force 10 was unveiled in the Monsieur Fred Inner Light collection as the Force 10 Winning Spirit bangle, which flaunted an oversized buckle crafted from a single aquamarine, elevated above diamonds.
Launched in 2023, the Roland Garros capsule edition of Force 10 boasts vivid orange woven cables and incorporates a mandarin garnet on the buckle, celebrating the clay tennis courts of the French Open. Additionally, the Happy Blue Shades edition introduced last summer reinterpreted the four primary collections of the Maison—Force 10, Chance Infinie, Pain de Sucre, Pretty Woman—with blue gemstones varying in intensity, ranging from aquamarines to blue topaz to sapphires. Now, the latest versions of Force 10 include mid-jewelry double-strand necklaces in yellow or white gold, set with brilliant-cut white diamonds, alongside large bracelets and single earrings that share the same design—a dazzling suite worthy of the Maison famed as the Sunshine Jeweller.