Unique pieces of jewellery: Le Paris Russe De Chanel

 

 

 

Paris saw a wave of Russian émigrés after the Revolution of 1917. Fascinated with their culture, Gabrielle Chanel surrounded herself with Russian lovers and friends, creating many Russian-inspired collections. Now, a CHANEL High Jewelry collection called Le Paris Russe De CHANEL has been created to celebrate this storied time. The new collection includes 69 pieces divided into 11 sets of Russian-inspired patterns and textures like the embroidery-inspired necklace or the Aigle Cambon cuffs.

The Chanel Aigle Protecteur pays tribute to Coco Chanel’s Russian Paris, with the double-headed eagle, crafted in platinum and diamonds. Traditional, savoir-faire chiseling techniques are used to form Russian-inspired designs in a yellow gold cuff, an age-old craft that is created entirely by hand.  The Aigle Cambon cuffs are rich with CHANEL iconography. Cuffs, usually one on each wrist, were a favorite jewelry style of Gabrielle Chanel. The double-headed eagle was inspired by the mirror in her Rue Cambon apartment, with the same,double-headed eagle perched aloft.

“The collection speaks to the space between power and refinement, commented harpersbazaar, and is inspired by symbols of the sun and the double-headed eagle atop Chanel’s octagonal mirror in the entrance of her rue Cambon apartment.”

“It would seem that the famous couturier’s fascination with Russia would have faded into obscurity if the current creative director of Chanel, Patrice Leguéreau, did not himself discover the riches of Russian culture himself,” wrote famous jewelry Insider katerina perez. Inspired by a trip he took in the autumn of 2017, Leguéreau released several unique pieces of jewellery under the title ‘Inspiration Russe’.

“The ‘Le Paris Russe de Chanel’ collection is the continuation of Chanel Joaillerie’s new tradition of creating different and various interpretations of a chosen subject. Personally, I love this thematic approach to the creation of a collection – it allows one to unlock to the fullest the true potential of a single idea,” added katerinaperez.com.

The Folklore earrings are an interpretation of colorful, traditional Russian embroideries. They are reimagined in daring red lacquer, Gabrielle Chanel’s favorite color, and punctuated with tsavorite and orange garnets, blue and pink sapphires, diamonds and pearls.

For the Chanel Blé Maria brooch, a mesmerizing selection of colored tourmalines were selected to represent the Russianembroidery-inspired design. Mounted at the heart of the piece is a 28.81-carat, oval-cut yellow sapphire. For the AigleCambon necklace, an octagonal-shape, 15.25-carat DFL diamond was sourced and cut to represent the iconic Place Vendôme.

The Sarafane necklace and earrings are inspired by the Russian needlework that Gabrielle Chanel incorporated into her collections. This embroidery-inspired, camellia motif crafted from diamonds and pearls, centers around a stunning,round-cut 10.18-carat diamond, colorless and internally flawless.

After sketching the idea, the Artistic Director of the CHANEL High Jewelry studio carefully records the details of the piece.He draws the Perlé technique that emulates Russian-inspired beadwork, where each tiny bead of the borders is entirely fashioned by hand.

The camellia motif, crafted from diamonds and pearls, centers around a round-cut 10.18-carat diamond on the necklace.This embroidery-inspired necklace and earrings are influenced by the Russian needlework that Gabrielle Chanelincorporated into her collections during the 1920s.