Chanel’s ‘1932’ High Jewellery Collection Reaches for the Stars

Gabrielle “Coco” Chanel, one of 20th-century’s most influential couturiers who changed the course of women’s fashion, was born under the sign of Leo.

Her fascination with the heavenly bodies may find its roots in Aubazine, where motifs of five-pointed stars, crescent moon and sun found in the abbey's coat of arms, as well as the covent’s cobblestone corridor, accompanied Coco throughout her adolescent life.

Coco Chanel's First High Jewellery Collection

Following the Great Depression, Coco was approached by the London Diamond Corporation who had hoped that this brilliant couturier could come up with an antidote to the market in recession. This opportunity allowed Coco to tap into the world of jewellery with her creative talent, resulting in the launch of ‘Bijoux de Diamants’ that has been widely considered as the world’s first high jewellery collection.

Invitation to the Bijoux de Diamants exhibition in 1932
Courtesy of Chanel

The exhibition, which was held inside Coco's private apartment at 29 Rue du Faubourgh in Saint-Honoré caused a sensation. Princes, Princesses, Ambassadors, alongside Pablo Picasso and Gloria Swanson, were among its approximately 30,000 visitors.

Motifs dear to Coco, particularly the fashion-inspired fringes, ribbons, and feathers were all present in ‘Bijoux de Diamants’. Besides these popular elements, Coco also looked to the stars and turned celestial symbols like five-pointed stars, comets, suns and her star sign Leo into jewellery.

Among the many magnificent pieces on display was a stunning comet necklace that gently wrap around the neck, as if implying that anyone who’s been lucky enough to wear such necklace would be granted a wish. There was also a head ornament that features similar celestial motif, sitting perfectly in the hair as if mimicking a comet streaking across the night sky. “I wanted to cover women in constellations,” said the couturier, and she has done so proudly with ‘Bijoux de Diamants’ collection.

What’s also ground-breaking at the time was that these jewels were displayed on life-like wax mannequins. With the diamonds reflected against a backdrop of mirrors, this avant-garde approach to exhibiting jewellery has, since then, been engrained into the DNA of Chanel who continues the tradition to this day.

An article on the Bijoux de Diamants exhibition

Entering the Creative Universe of Chanel

90 years since Coco’s first and only high jewellery collection, Chanel unveils ‘1932’ — the Maison’s latest high jewellery collection. In tribute to its founder’s phenomenal creation, Chanel seeks to return to the essence of it all by harmonising the message around three celestial symbols: the comet, the moon and the sun. “Every heavenly body shines with its own light,” says Patrice Leguéreau, director of the Chanel Jewellery Creation Studio.

This May, ‘1932’ made its debut in Taiwan. Chanel aptly selected the Taipei Performing Arts Centre as its venue — a cultural landmark notable for housing one-of-a-kind spherical auditorium inside a giant globe that hovers in the air, echoing the collection’s cosmic theme.

Upon arrival at the building’s top floor, visitors first encounters an invitation to the ‘Bijoux de Diamants’ exhibition. Standing outside of what appears to be the facade of Coco’s apartment in Saint-Honoré, it’s as if we had travelled back in time and been invited to view this legendary exhibition that took place nearly a century ago.

Light installation traces the blueprint of Coco’s creative universe
Courtesy of Vogue Taiwan

The creative universe of Chanel begins in near pitch black, until we see projection of lines starting to run on the floor, illustrating what appears to be a hopscotch. These lines slowly crawl from the ground to the side walls, rendering a sense of three-dimensionality to the space by detailing the room’s antique fireplace, classic colonnades, and windows. The lights also illuminate the exhibiting jewellery one after another.

The whole experience was magical. Whether intentionally or not, this light installation seems to have recreated the very process of The Universe’s formation, which is said to have born out of ‘nothing’. Having witnessed this ‘process’, it’s as if I had also taken a part in the creative universe of Chanel.

Where Comet, Moon and Sun Collide

In an adjacent room, we enter a space whose domed ceiling simulates the starry night. Poised in the centre of the room is ‘Allure Céleste’, a necklace that features an oval-cut sapphire weighing 55.55 carats — a clear reference to the number five, which was considered by Coco to be her lucky number. The same celestial symbols — the comet, the crescent moon, and the sun — that had spurred Coco’s creation in 1932 collide on this one single necklace.

‘Allure Céleste’ necklace featuring 55.55 carat sapphire
Courtesy of Chanel

In fashion, Coco is known for her fluid and androgynous design. “Nothing is more beautiful than freedom of the body,” she once said. This pursuit for democratic style can also be seen in her jewellery, particularly in the case of ‘Allure Céleste’, which can be transformed into short necklace, with parts that could be detached and worn as a brooch or bracelet.

Similar to how planets orbit the sun, a myriad of jewellery inspired by celestial bodies form a circle around the central masterpiece. One of my favourites is the whimsical ‘Satellite Harmonie’ brooch, which portrays a man-made satellite using diamonds, yellow sapphires and onyx. The satellite — with special mechanism designed to allow its side panels to turn — is joined by twinkling stars of various sizes, as if staying afloat in outer space.

Whimsical ‘Satellite Harmonie’ brooch with turnable side wings
Courtesy of Chanel

Another piece that caught my attention is a brooch from the Moon series, which playfully captures a rocket in motion as it heads toward the crescent moon hanging up high in the night sky. What’s also captivating is how the designer has ingeniously portrayed the firing of the rocket’s engine with a pear-shaped diamond, set against a radiated rays of diamonds in graduating size. Titled ‘Lune Eternelle’, this jewel perfectly embodies the spirit of the famous saying: Shoot for the moon. Even if you miss, you’ll land among the stars.

Playful ‘Lune Eternelle’ captures a rocket heading towards the moon
Courtesy of Chanel

As Coco once said, “Nothing could be better for forgetting the crisis than feasting one’s eyes on beautiful new thing,…” This couldn’t be more appropriate for the post-pandemic era we’re in. While the world is recovering from adversities, there’s nothing more soothing to look at than Chanel’s latest high jewellery collection — one that has been inspired by The Universe and beyond.

Chanel’s ‘1932’ high jewellery collection unveiled at the Taipei Performing Arts Centre from May 25 to May 30, 2022., and will be exhibiting at the upcoming Paris Couture Week in July.