Place Vendome, a truly mythical, octagonal shape square, where major renowned jewellery houses are concentrated. During Paris Haute Couture Week it was transformed into a wheat field thanks to the ingenious project realized by artist Gad Weil, commissioned by Chanel to mark the launch of the new high jewellery collection.
After the renovation of the illustrious Ritz hotel on 15 Place Vendome, founded by Swiss hotelier Cesar Ritz in collaboration with the chef August Escoffier in 1898, the prestigious Maison Chanel unveiled his new “Les Bles de Chanel” high jewellery line there. The ear of wheat became the inspiration of the new collection, consisting of 62 luxurious pieces.
Coco Chanel was born in August at harvest time. She always had a special relationship with wheat, considering it to be an element of luck, prosperity, abundance. She surrounded herself with wheat in paintings, sculptures and objects as a symbol of rebirth and a form of spiritual elevation.
All 62 high jewellery items reflect the natural cycle of life of the wheat. The collection is delicately divided into several parts.
“The Brins de Printemps” includes items symbolizing the newborn sprouts, coloured with green shades of peridot, tourmaline and aquamarine, and the immature ears are transparent due to the cool shades of white gold and diamonds.
“Epi Solaire”,”Epi Vendome”,Epi d’Ete”,”Cascade d’Epi” are ingeniously designed to reflect the maturation process of the wheat, adorning it with yellow diamonds mounted on yellow gold.
“Moisson d’Or” is the time to harvest, which is reflected in white gold combined with a large yellow sapphire and round beads of yellow sapphires. The head piece of the collection –“Fete des Moissons” necklace, witnesses the returning of yellow gold in the French High Jewellery.Carefully handcrafted of white and yellow gold with yellow diamond octagonal shape weighing 25cts, complemented by 121 multi-coloured dimonds with a total weight of 46,7cts, 932 yellow dimonds weighing 40,4cts and 165 white diamonds.
“Champ de Ble”, “Impression de Ble”, “Legende de Ble” reminiscent of early summer, demonstrates the variety of design, abstract, geometric lines and sinous motifs, delicately adorned with sparkling diamonds.
“Les Bles de Chanel”, a metaphor for the infinite life. Each year, the ear dies to be reborn and to give life to the new wheat field”, announced Gad Weil.