The brilliance of Chanel's Haute Joaillerie Sport

Luxury goods firm Chanel was founded in 1910 by legendary French fashion designer- Gabrielle “Coco” Chanel- in Paris. Her simple elegant designs inspired by menswear and active wear rewrote the maxim of Fashion — particularly the skirt suit, the little black dress and iconic fragrance Chanel No. 5. The French luxury goods firm is renowned worldwide for its haute couture- ready to wear- fashion accessories- footwear- fragrance- eye wear- jewellery- watches and cosmetics.

Coco Chanel herself was a passionate sportswoman—with a love of horseback riding, skiing, polo, watching, golf and tennis. So it doesn’t come as a surprise that the new haute joaillerie sport collection, recently launched in Monaco, celebrates the sports vibe anchored in the Maison’s history since the Twenties. Each high jewellery creation is entirely handmade, right from the initial design sketch by the High Jewellery Artistic Director to the construction and creation of the piece by the master craftspeople at the atelier, expressing the allure of a woman always on the move.

Per Vogue: “The 80-piece collection designed by creative director Patrice Leguéreau infuses hallmarks of the house and symbols of various sporting attire and equipment to make unique and modern pieces. Many of the necklaces and earrings incorporate what appears to the viewer to be the drawstring of a hoodie but are actually cleverly crafted high-tech aluminum tube chains. A brooch reimagines a snap hook into a slightly distorted number 5—another quintessential Chanel symbol.”

A manifesto of artistic creativity, Chanel high jewellery is the result of the atelier’s master craftsmen’s skills. From sketch to fabrication, the creation studio and the artisans in the workshops at Place Vendôme in Paris bring to life the most precious materials, meticulously sourced to achieve the highest design aesthetic and quality. Gemstones play a central role with bold, brilliant colours. one of the most iconic styles in this collection is the graphic line necklace; handcrafted to enhance the grace of movement, it is set with a 10.15-carat cushion-cut sapphire sourced from an exquisite set of five Kashmiri stones. The chevron motif and gradation of 24.35 carats of baguette-cut rubies in pure, simple lines evoke rhythm and speed. The Chanel fine jewellery creation studio took on the challenge of making the reverse side of the necklace as beautiful as the front, displaying the name of the house on the back of the piece—a first in Chanel high jewellery.

Another beautiful piece is the graphic line ring; adorned with a center 6.36-carat sapphire from Kashmir, the graphic line ring is accentuated by two rows of diamonds, one of which plays with the shapes and brilliance of the gemstones. A row of made-to-measure sapphires lends structure to the creation and emphasises its graphic style. The gemstones’ brilliance is unparalleled. Few know that it took over five years to assemble a unique set of sapphires from Kashmir, harmonised in color, size, shape, crystal quality and the interplay of brilliance. A priceless and unparalleled collection of five cushion-cut sapphires, including three stones weighing 17.18, 10.15 and 6.36 carats, as well as a pair weighing 4.40 and 4.77 carats, totaling 42.86 carats.