To celebrate the 90th anniversary of fashion designer Coco Chanel’s Bijoux de Diamants, the Paris-based fashion house unveiled an opulent 55.55-carat diamond necklace that is “fully transformable” into a brooch or bracelet.
The signature piece is called Allure Céleste for the brand’s ‘1932’ collection- the year Bijoux de Diamants presented its first high jewellery pieces by Chanel.
“Gabrielle Chanel had a visionary approach to jewellery. She had the idea of creating the first high jewellery collection in history to revolve around one overarching theme – the symbols of her universe: celestial shapes and couture,” Marianne Etchebarne, global head of watches and fine jewellery product marketing, Chanel explained to SCMP.
The necklace is made of round-cut diamonds with a 55.55-carat intense blue oval sapphire “moon” and an 8.05-carat pear-cut diamond “comet” for its centrepieces. The halos can be formed into brooches and the centre diamonds can be shaped into a bracelet.
According to Patrice Leguéreau, director, Chanel Jewelry Creation Studio, the design symbolises the distinct celestial bodies – the sun, moon, and comet – to harmonise the brand’s message and “return to the essence of 1932”.
“Every heavenly body shines with its own light. 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 amplify the brilliance of the jewels,” Leguéreau explained.
The ‘1932’ collection features an array of 81 pieces made of colour gemstones, including sapphires, yellow diamonds, opals, rubies, spinels and tanzanites, of which 15 pieces are transformable similar to the Allure Céleste necklace.
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