Chanel High Jewellery: The Muse,
the Stories and the Gems

Coco Chanel wanted to ‘cover women with constellations’ in the 1930s. Today, the brand continues to draw inspiration from her bold designs

 

 

SOUS LE SIGNE DU LION

Coco Chanel was devastated when her great love, English tycoon Arthur “Boy” Capel, died just before Christmas in 1919. Grief-stricken, she headed to Venice, where she eventually found the strength to “breathe again.” The proud and courageous lion, a traditional symbol of Venice, was to be another influence for Chanel as she drew strength from its ubiquitous image. Indeed the lion has turned up in the buttons of many of Chanel’s couture, and figures prominently in the high jewellery collection launched in 2013. They also appear in Chanel’s 31 rue Cambon apartment. This diamond-encrusted Lion Astral watch is both a timepiece and a luxurious bracelet. It’s also a reminder of Chanel’s progressive approach to jewellery; she was already creating transformable and multifunctional pieces back in the 1930s.

 

 

 

 

COMÈTE

Apart from stars, feathers and ribbons, comets were another major theme in Coco Chanel’s 1932 collection. “I wanted to cover women with constellations—comets and stars of all sizes,” she said. Her childhood may have had a lot to do with this fascination with stars. Chanel was 12 when her mother died and her father decided to send her and her two sisters to live in a convent in central France. Every morning she went to mass via a long corridor that was paved with polished pebbles arranged in geometric patterns with five-pointed stars. The comet, a symbol of beauty, movement and freedom, has become a Chanel emblem and continues to inspire its high jewellery. This Spirale necklace from the Comète collection is a stunner, crafted in 18K white and pink gold and set with pink and white diamonds, and pinkish natural pearls.

 

 

 

PLUME DE CHANEL

In 1910, Coco Chanel appeared on a magazine cover in a large hat featuring a bird with coloured feathers. Later that year, she was pictured in two more of her creations—a hat with a black feather, and one with a white feather. The feather was to become another motif, representing freedom, in Chanel’s haute couture, and also in her 1932 high jewellery collection, and the house of Chanel has continued to reinterpret this iconic symbol over the years. This striking Plume 1932 brooch is deliberately oversized, fully articulated and set entirely with diamonds. The bold piece can be worn on the contour of the shoulder, as a sparkling tiara, or simply pinned on a hat or a dress.

 

 

 

 

RUBAN

Inspired by the asymmetry and playfulness of schoolgirl bows, the Ruban collection melds haute couture with high jewellery. The line pays tribute to Coco Chanel’s high jewellery collection of 1932. “I want jewels to fit a woman’s finger like a ribbon would; my ribbons are supple and detachable,” Chanel said of her pieces. To create this extraordinary couture ring, Chanel uses 18K white gold to craft an intricate and multidimensional bow that is set with black and white diamonds. The stylish play of black and white is very much part of the Chanel DNA.

 

 

 

CAMÉLIA

The camellia was apparently the first flower given to Coco Chanel by the love of her life, English tycoon Arthur “Boy” Capel. The beautiful, short-blooming flower became Chanel’s favourite, and she would often be seen wearing it in her hair or as a brooch. As a designer, she was drawn to the perfect curves of the camellia and it eventually became a signature of Chanel. Indeed she had such an affinity with this flower that its petals were a recurring motif at her 31 rue Cambon apartment. This Rosée de Camélia necklace in white gold with white and pink cream cultured pearls and diamonds subtly forming a beautiful camellia is among the most magnificent pieces in this collection. Chanel adored pearls, which she often wore in multiple strands, as she felt they lit up her face like no other gem can.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Gabrielle “Coco” Chanel approached high jewellery in much the same way she did haute couture: it had to be timeless and distinctive but it also had to be comfortable. Indeed these were all features of her first high jewellery collection, unveiled in 1932 at her apartment on rue du Faubourg Saint Honoré in Paris. Bijoux de Diamants, or “diamond jewellery,” was a glittering debut of comets, stars, precious platinum and white diamonds.

Chanel’s designs were avant-garde, the stones were beautiful and even the presentation was unusual—the collection was laid out on wax busts instead of the standard jewellery trays. She also proved she was way ahead of her time by making the pieces without clasps, a bold yet practical move. “I have a horror of clasps so I just got rid of them. Don’t bind a woman up in armour—give her freedom to move,” Chanel told French newspaper l'Illustration at the time. Wearers also had freedom to choose; the pieces could be transformed and worn in several ways.

 

 

 

Bijoux de Diamants was the only high jewellery collection designed by the Chanel founder, but it set a benchmark for the brand. Over the years, the French maison has continued to create impressive collections, all of them inspired by Chanel’s rich design legacy and drawing on her iconic motifs including the Lion, Camellia, Ribbon, Comet and Feather. At Chanel, the “designs comes first” approach prevails—in its couture, accessories and as well their high jewellery. From the sketches of its master designers, the best and most fitting gemstones are then selected.

 

 

 

Much of the jewellery is now made at an in-house workshop in the haute joaillerie heartland of Paris. Chanel opened the high jewellery workshop at 18 Place Vendôme, on the 5th floor of Hôtel Particulier, in 2012. It marked another step for the house of Chanel, from that daring beginning in 1932, towards taking control of its jewellery-making, from creation to production.

 

This extraordinary necklace ever so subtly forms a camellia using more than 830 pearls and 509 brilliant-cut diamonds

The ring is encrusted with 257 white diamonds totalling 4.95 carats, and 175 black diamonds at 1.45 carats

Key feature: they managed to fully pavé the inner loops of the ribbon with diamonds

There is a 1.35-carat fancy intense pink orangey round diamond at the centre of the necklace

The necklace is adorned with 100 natural pearls in a pink cream hue

This beautiful timepiece is set with almost 600 white diamonds of over 20 carats, in round, marquise and brilliant cuts

When closed, the watch face is hidden and it appears to be a glittering diamond bracelet

This elegant brooch is set with more than 1,100 round- and princess-cut diamonds totalling over 17 carats