Chanel high jewellery marks 90 years with new necklace

Allure Céleste necklace from '1932' Chanel high jewellery collection — (Image credit: press)

Chanel is celebrating the 90th anniversary of the ‘Bijoux de Diamants’ collection with the ‘Allure Céleste’ necklace, which intertwines Gabrielle Chanel’s favourite motifs – the moon, the sun and the star – into one fluid design.

The necklace is the first release from Chanel’s new ‘1932’ collection, which looks back to the maison’s first high jewellery creation ‘Bijoux de Diamants', released during the Depression as a beacon of hope. That 50-piece collection, in white and yellow diamonds, platinum and yellow gold, drew the brilliance of the night sky in classic diamond cuts and simple silhouettes.

Chanel high jewellery: ‘1932’ collection

Diamond Chanel necklace, Allure Celeste, from 1932 Chanel high jewellery collection

This new piece stays faithful to these original design codes, casting round-cut diamonds, an oval sapphire and pear-cut diamonds into simple geometrical forms. True to form, it can be worn in multiple ways, with the halos detaching to become brooches or chic hair jewellery, and the central row of diamonds a bracelet, creating a shorter necklace.

‘The spirit of movement, freedom and flexibility inspired by Mademoiselle Chanel in 1932 is celebrated in the transformable nature of some of the pieces,’ says director of the Chanel Fine Jewellery Creation Studio, Patrice Leguéreau. ‘Elements of the necklaces may be detached and worn as brooches, while the central stones can be used to enrich a ring or earrings. Each jewel is composed of a line of diamonds adorned with a celestial motif. The purity of the lines is specifically designed to enhance the beauty of the stones, especially the diamonds, which have been selected in a variety of shapes to create depth and different graphic rhythms.’

‘The date marks a milestone for Chanel,’ says global head of watches and fine jewellery product marketing, clients and communication at Chanel, Marianne Etchebarne. ‘In November 1932, designer Gabrielle Chanel presented “Bijoux de Diamants”, her one and only high jewellery collection, commissioned by the Diamond Corporation Ltd. Sales of diamonds had been badly hit by the economic crisis of 1929, and they put their trust in the creative talent of Gabrielle Chanel, then at the height of her fame, to revive them.

‘With her contemporaries – the artist Paul Iribe for the design of the jewellery, the poet Jean Cocteau for the collection manifesto, and Robert Bresson (later a celebrated film director) for photographs of the pieces – Gabrielle Chanel created a collection that was unique. It caused a sensation at the time, and still today it remains the cornerstone of our jewellery designs.’

INFORMATION

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Hannah Silver is a writer and editor with over 20 years of experience in journalism, spanning national newspapers and independent magazines. Currently Art, Culture, Watches & Jewellery Editor of Wallpaper*, she has overseen offbeat art trends and conducted in-depth profiles for print and digital, as well as writing and commissioning extensively across the worlds of culture and luxury since joining in 2019.