French fashion house Chanel has unveiled a new high jewellery collection inspired by the designer Gabrielle “Coco” Chanel’s love of coromandel lacquered screens. The poetic universe of these Chinese ‘objets d’art’ and the techniques used to make them gives rise to a high jewellery collection featuring over 50 pieces.
A focal point of the designer’s Parisian apartment at 31 rue Cambon, coromandel screens, dating notably from the 17th and 18th centuries, were both an obsession and lifelong infatuation for Gabrielle Chanel, from 1910 onwards. These decorative panels showcasing Chinese art have now inspired an entire high jewelry collection with poetic, delicate and creative designs.
Even more than the motifs, which include coromandel landscapes, it is the Chinese lacquers used to create screens, among other items, that inspire this exceptional collection. Their color palette and rich shine are channeled via several pieces in this “Coromandel” high jewelry line.
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Colours and gemstones shine
The Chanel Coromandel collection includes no less than 59 creations, including 24 unique pieces, and has three main themes: floral, animal and mineral. The floral theme evokes Gabrielle Chanel’s favorite flower, the camellia, while the animal theme is inspired by the bestiary of Coromandel, and the mineral theme focuses on crystals and gemstones.
Collection highlights include a plastron necklace from the “Horizon Lointain” set – evoking a coromandel landscape in yellow gold, mother of pearl and diamonds – as well as a reversible cuff, nodding to the geometric structure of the screens, featuring a pivoting yellow diamond. A bracelet in yellow gold, platinum, green and blue lacquer, mother of pearl and diamonds also stands out.
As for stones, this season Chanel has particularly made use of tsavorite garnets, emeralds, tourmalines, spinels, rubies, pink sapphires and – of course – diamonds.
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