In a bid to spotlight the rare gemstones that give high jewellery pieces their star appeal, the designer’s job can become something of an architectural pursuit. Whether a ring, bracelet or neck
In 1921, Gabrielle “Coco” Chanel commissioned perfumer Ernest Beaux to create a signature scent. The couturier considered the number five to be lucky and, as the story goes, she consequently chose the fifth sample of the fragrance, deciding to name it No 5. A decade later, Mademoiselle (as she’s often known) introduced her first and only official jewellery collection, named Bijoux de Diamants, at her home on Paris’s Rue de Faubourg Saint-Honoré. Set with diamonds and sculpted using platinum that was cast to shape shooting stars and bows, most of the pieces were later disassembled. A surviving brooch was eventually recovered by Chanel, and it is now part of the house’s heritage collection.
With a landmark high jewellery collection marking the centenary of N°5, Chanel’s Patrice Leguéreau finds a sparkling expression for the maison’s pioneering spirit