GROUNDBREAKING, extravagant pieces that not only pioneered how jewellery was designed and worn but also set tongues wagging – that was what Gabrielle “Coco” Chanel did when she exhibited her first and only high jewellery collection in November 1932.

The backstory? It was the Great Depression, and the London Diamond Corporation commissioned Gabrielle Chanel, a visionary female fashion designer, to bring glory back to the diamond market.

It worked like a dream.