Chanel’s journey to the stars
1932.
That was the year Gabrielle “Coco” Chanel created the world’s first - and her only - high jewellery collection, Bijoux de Diamants.
She applied the principles of haute couture to high jewellery and broke some rules along the way with her estimated 50 pieces of extravagant diamond jewellery.
There were brooches, head jewellery, necklaces, rings, bracelets, earrings, watches and accessories - all gorgeous, all brilliant. Not only were the pieces designed to liberate women’s bodies while adorning them, many could also be transformed - a necklace could be turned into 3 bracelets or even brooches. Such was her inventiveness that the pieces would never go out of style.
More importantly, the spirit of Coco Chanel has continued over the years. In celebration of the 90th anniversary of that famous collection, the maison has created a new assemblage of 77 pieces simply called, what else - 1932.
In this collection, the focus is on the celestial theme - the comet, the moon and the sun - which was embodied in just one piece back in the year 1932, but in 2022 becomes an icon in its own right, says Patrice Leguéreau, director of the Chanel Jewellery Creation Studio.
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The 3 celestial bodies are also very significant icons of the house that have fired Coco Chanel’s imagination all those years ago.
“I wanted to create a different vision of this legacy, by setting these celestial elements in motion,” explains Leguéreau. “To do this, I have given figurative expression to the shimmer of the comet, the halo of the moon, and the radiance of the sun. These graphic motifs, often detachable, amplify the brilliance of the jewels. The choice of stones and their settings were also designed with this in mind.”
Celestial universe
In addition to diamonds - which have been selected in a variety of shapes to create depth and different graphic rhythms - he also introduced colour, using gemstones to represent the celestial universe: blue and yellow diamonds and sapphires, opals and rubies.
The spirit of movement, freedom and flexibility inspired by Coco Chanel in 1932 is also honoured in the transformable nature of 13 of the pieces. Elements of necklaces may be detached and worn as brooches, while the central stones can be used to enrich a ring or earrings.
The pièce de résistance, though, is the Allure Céleste necklace, which the maison describes as “a journey into the heart of light, the light that emanates from the stars, linking them together in the immensity of the sky”.
Each motif is a star in its own right - a 55.55-carat (5 being Coco Chanel’s favourite number) intense blue oval sapphire nestling in a crescent moon; a sun with an 8.05-carat pear-cut diamond at its heart emanating light through lines of diamonds; and a comet sparkling brilliantly from one side of the necklace.
This breathtaking asymmetrical piece is transformable, with detachable halos that can be pinned on as brooches, a detachable central line of diamonds used as a bracelet and the necklace worn short.
Highest craftsmanship
The journey to bring this exquisite necklace from a beautiful design on paper to a stunning masterpiece is, of course, one that requires imagination, patience and the highest craftsmanship.
As these exclusive pictures depict, it is only in the hands of an experienced artisan working thousands of hours that Leguéreau’s vision is transformed into dazzling reality.
Interestingly, Chanel’s maiden high jewellery collection was released in the midst of the Great Depression. “Nothing could be better for forgetting the crisis than feasting one’s eyes on beautiful new things, which the skills of our craftsmen and women never cease to unveil,” she had declared.
Of course, the world’s economy is nowhere near what it was back then, when the Wall Street crash of 1929 triggered a severe worldwide depression. But there exists a war in Europe, stubbornly high inflation and fears of a recession.
So perhaps, today, the combination of fine craftsmanship, inspired design and celebration of timeless beauty will once again lift the gloom, as it did 90 years ago, when Coco Chanel so successfully helped revitalise high-end jewellery, and in the process, created a legacy that still endures.
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