As Mademoiselle Chanel’s famous Nº5 perfume reaches the grand old age of one hundred, Chanel’s creative team have made a high jewellery collection in honour of the fragrance. This is the first time that a perfume has been the theme of an entire high jewellery collection, a challenging and unusual concept that Chanel has risen to by fusing two very distinct realms of its business.
Patrice Leguéreau, Director of Chanel’s fine jewellery creation studio came up with the idea: ‘Gabrielle Chanel approached these two universes with the same visionary values, focusing on audacity and the quest for excellence. I wanted to rediscover that creative gesture with this collection, which has been conceived like a journey through the meanderings of the N°5 perfume's soul, from the architecture of the bottle to the olfactive explosion of the fragrance.’
The fabulous Abstraction necklace cleverly evokes the flow of the perfume liquid with a river of white and yellow diamonds. Two bottle stoppers on either side of the rows of diamonds feature a 4.10-carat pear-cut yellow Fancy Vivid Yellow diamond (VS1) and a pear-cut , colourless 3.31-carat diamond. Chanel Collection No 5 high jewellery 2021
The Nº5 fragrance was born in 1921 and the ever superstitious Mademoiselle Chanel blessed it with her lucky number five. Mademoiselle Chanel herself was famous for bending the rules, from trousers for women to the stopper of the bottle in the shape of the Place Vendôme, the centre of Parisian luxury. Nearly a decade later Mademoiselle Chanel broke convention again when in 1932 she unveiled the hugely extravagant ‘Bijoux de Diamants’ collection of diamond jewels in the depths of a world economic depression.
Chanel will not part with the fabulous 55.55 necklace created to honour the 100th anniversary of the N°5 perfume, instead the necklace will remain the property of the iconic French maison, no doubt as a showpiece for generations to come.
These two worlds are now united in an unprecedented merger of high jewellery and fragrance. The highlight of the collection is an impressive 55.55-carat diamond (above). The symbolism of the weight of the diamond is evident. To create this unique cut, a rough diamond was whittled down into an emerald shape with the exact desired weight. The emerald cut was a clear choice for Chanel as it mimics the distinctive shape of the perfume bottle’s stopper. The diamond forms the centre of the necklace that melts into a cascade of diamond ‘perfume drops’ that float over the skin. Chanel will not part with this necklace that will remain the property of the iconic French maison, no doubt as a showpiece for generations to come.
This Diamond Stopper ring is a witty interpretation of the famous octagonal stopper of the fragrance bottle, that is replaced by an emerald-cut diamond weighing 5.21 carats, colour D and Internally Flawless. Chanel Collection No 5 high jewellery 2021
The other jewels in the collection are inspired by different elements of the fragrance that include: the stopper (above), bottle (below), the number 5, the flowers that make up the scent and the sillage or the distinctive trail of the perfume.
The jewels span a range of styles from abstract to literal and mainly feature diamonds along with yellow and orange-hued gemstones that reflect the warm amber tones of the fragrance. The larger pieces are architectural in their construction and other are flexible, reflecting the vivacious essence of the perfume’s fluid. Unexpected and unconventional, Collection Nº5 captures the spirit of a remarkable fragrance recognised the world over.
The Sparkling Silhouette necklace in pink gold and platinum features one pear-cut, 5.19-carat, D colour, Flawless (Type IIA) diamond and a round-cut diamond weighing 1.55 carats D color, Internally Flawless. Chanel Collection No 5 high jewellery 2021
The flower series that forms part of the Chanel Collection No 5 fragrance inspired jewels includes these Grasse Jasmine asymmetrical earrings in honour of the flowers used to make the iconic fragrance. Chanel Collection No 5 high jewellery 2021
A spectacular shower of diamonds captures the dazzling experience of the famous Chanel No 5 fragrance in the Diamond Sillage necklace with over 13 carats of diamonds. Chanel Collection No 5 high jewellery 2021
The Golden Sillage brooch by Chanel is inspired by the dazzling scintillation of the scent captured in a spray of diamonds around the bottle. The main stones are an Asscher-cut D-colour 3.19-carat diamond a 3.07-carat Fancy Vivid Yellwo pear-cut diamond. Chanel Collection No 5 high jewellery 2021
This Diamond Stopper ring is a witty interpretation of the famous octagonal stopper of the fragrance bottle, that is replaced by an emerald-cut diamond weighing 5.21 carats, colour D and Internally Flawless. Chanel Collection No 5 high jewellery 2021
A 5.07-carat D-colour, Flawless, Type IIa diamond sits at the swirling centre of the mesmerising Eternal N°5 brooch in white gold that features that famous Madame Gabrielle’s lucky number five.Chanel Collection No 5 high jewellery 2021
The fabulous Abstraction necklace cleverly evokes the flow of the perfume liquid with a river of white and yellow diamonds. Two bottle stoppers on either side of the rows of diamonds feature a 4.10-carat pear-cut yellow Fancy Vivid Yellow diamond (VS1) and a pear-cut , colourless 3.31-carat diamond. Chanel Collection No 5 high jewellery 2021
Diamonds and topazes create a glowing effect in the Golden Burst necklace that is reminiscent of the explosive olfactory experience of the warm amber notes of the perfume. Chanel Collection No 5 high jewellery 2021
Like the exotic trail of scent left in the wake of the Nº5 perfume, the Blushing Sillage bracelet in pink gold features diamonds, rubies, spinels, garnets and yellow sapphires around the central 4.39-carat cushion-cut spinel. Chanel Collection No 5 high jewellery 2021
Chanel will not part with the fabulous 55.55 necklace created to honour the 100th anniversary of the N°5 perfume, instead the necklace will remain the property of the iconic French maison, no doubt as a showpiece for generations to come.
An impressive 55.55-carat diamond is at the centre of this necklaces that celebrates the fusion between the iconic perfume created in 1921 and the No5 Jewellery collection by Chanel. The necklace resembles a bottle of the famous No5 perfume, including the distinctive stopper.
The Signature Bottle brooch is a very precious interpretation of a miniature bottle of the famous perfume with droplets of sapphires and diamonds dripping down the side of the flask. Chanel Collection No 5 high jewellery 2021
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After many years as a freelance journalist and editor specialising in watches and jewellery, together with Christine Pasquier, Maria founded The Jewellery Editor. Maria’s work appears in a wide variety of notable publications, including the Financial Times, Intelligent Life, Telegraph ...
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