For its new fine jewellery collection, Les Bles de Chanel, which was unveiled at The Ritz Paris last week, Chanel took inspiration from wheat, a symbol of prosperity, luck and regeneration that was particularly important to Gabrielle ‘Coco’ Chanel.
Brins de Printemps necklace
The collection looks at the complete life cycle of the wild grass, from the young shoots of early spring, which are replicated using emeralds, diamonds, peridots, crystalline and aquamarines, to the golden hues of mature wheat fields, which are captured using diamonds, yellow sapphires and pearls. The Brins de Printemps necklace features 20 marquise-cut peridots, 14 pear-cut aquamarines, 21 marquise-cut green tourmalines, seven pear-cut green tourmalines and 795 brilliant-cut diamonds.
Impression de Ble bracelet
The snow setting is used to stunning effect here. The setting is completely concealed as diamonds of slightly varying sizes blanket the cuff, with a single head of wheat picked out in beautiful multicoloured diamonds.
Moisson de Perles necklace
No Chanel jewellery collection is complete without some pearls, and for the Moisson de Perles necklace, 297 Japanese cultured pearls and one Indonesian cultured pearl are topped with a delicate bouquet of wheat crafted from 474 brilliant-cut diamonds and 13 pear-cut diamonds.
Fete des Moissons bracelet
The Fete des Moissons bracelet from the new Les Bles de Chanel collection features an 11.1-carat brilliant-cut fancy intense yellow diamond at its centre.
Brins de Diamant watch
Set in 18-carat white gold, the Brins de Diamant wristwatch features 29 fancy-cut diamonds at a weight of 4.8 carats and 296 brilliant-cut diamonds at a weight of 3.6 carats.
Moisson d’Or brooch
The Moisson d’Or brooch makes reference to the bouquets of wheat that Gabrielle Chanel used to display in her apartment. It features an 11.8-carat marquise-cut yellow sapphire at its centre, with delicate strands of brilliant-cut and marquise-cut diamonds topped with 12 brilliant-cut yellow sapphires.
Epi Solaire ring
The centrepiece of the Epi Soliare ring is a pear-cut 5.4-carat fancy vivid orange yellow diamond, which beautifully references a single grain of corn as it reaches maturity.
Brins de Printemps earrings
One of the most striking elements of this collection is how it captures the movement of wheat as it moves in the wind. For the Brins de Printemps earrings, marquise-cut and brilliant–cut peridots are paired with green tourmalines, aquamarines and brilliant-cut diamonds.
