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Coco Chanel's camellias

Mademoiselle Coco's famous camellia brooch:the height of luxury, an emblem of refinement and worldliness, it has stood the test of time through reissues. The camellia flower, so dear to the great lady, is reborn and revisited each year by the brand in honor of it.

A love story

The camellia was Mademoiselle Chanel's true favorite flower; much more than a symbol, this flower was for her close to perfection:simple and delicate, it matched any outfit and you could wear it in your buttonhole, wearing a hat or in your hair. Long before Coco, Empress Josephine had introduced the fashion for this flower from Asia, where it is a symbol of longevity and generosity. The house has made the pretty camellia its stone since 1923, taking us on a discovery of a marvelous garden over the years and times. Having become a real signature over time, the flower is an integral part of most Channel creations.

In the camellia garden

Ever since Mademoiselle made it one of the key and emblematic elements of her style, the camellia has been present in almost every one of the brand's creations. For the 2012 end-of-year celebrations, he even inspired a high jewelry collection entirely dedicated to him, under the more than evocative name of Jardin de Camélias . The flower so dear to Coco is declined in ninety-nine pieces with various inspirations:if the traditional black and white of Chanel is always present, the time is for color and precious stones. A panoply of contemporary jewelry, treasures of high jewelry and poetry that fans of beautiful things will not be able to resist.

Some examples

Here is a selection of a few striking pieces from this herbarium signed Chanel:black lacquered brooch with a plant motif like Coromandel screens (with a 4.3-carat yellow diamond); ring adorned with a camellia with petals of opals and sapphires; earrings in white gold, diamonds and black spinels; exotic brooch in diamonds and colored sapphires; cuff in diamonds, black spinels, pink and purple sapphires… We will have noticed that white gold and fine stones are there, these bringing a rich palette of colors and textures. Each piece features a camellia with delicately folded petals or a flower bud, whose lines are sometimes reminiscent of Japanese art.