Chanel’s Iconic No.5 Perfume Celebrates its 100th Anniversary with a Dazzling 55.55-Carat Diamond Necklace
No doubt one of the most emblematic and best-selling perfumes in the world, Chanel No.5 is celebrating its 100th anniversary with a dazzling 55.55-carat diamond necklace cut in the shape of its iconic bottle.
More than a mere perfume, Chanel no 5 is considered a real olfactory treasure. Its essence is probably the most distinguished in the history of perfumes, worn by millions of women since its launch in 1920. It's an idea of femininity, a masterpiece of chic passed down from generation to generation.
The famous French House couldn't let this anniversary pass by without properly honoring the moment.
Celebrating Chanel’s No.5 100th Anniversary
„If I have chosen diamonds, it is because they represent the greatest value in the smallest volume!”, said Gabrielle Chanel, who presented her first and only High Jewelry collection – „Bijoux de Diamants” – in 1932.
At that time, the radical designs, which Coco Chanel chose to exhibit, naturally enraged the jewelers of Place Vendome, while at the same time revolutionized the jewelry of the time and cementing codes for the House of Chanel which remain an inspiration to this day.
So, it's no coincidence that Patrice Leguéreau, director of the Chanel Fine Jewelry Creation Studio, chose diamonds to celebrate and honor the important event. He designed the first High Jewellery collection dedicated to the Chanel No 5 perfume consisting of a total of 123 pieces, with an astonishing necklace being the star of the event.
(photo credit: Chanel)
“Gabrielle Chanel approached these two universes (jewelry and perfumery) with the same visionary values, focusing on audacity and the quest for excellence. I wanted to rediscover that creative gesture with this collection, which has been conceived like a journey through the meanderings of the N°5 perfume’s soul, from the architecture of the bottle to the olfactive explosion of the fragrance.”, said Patrice Leguéreau.
Perfect Mastery
The astonishing necklace designed by Patrice Leguéreau is worthy of this special moment. The centerpiece is a D-color flawless custom emerald-cut, octagonal diamond weighing 55.55-carats.
“We started with a rough diamond that we had cut, not to make the biggest stone possible, but to obtain a perfect octagonal diamond weighing 55.55 carats”, explained the director of the Chanel Fine Jewelry Creation Studio.
(photo credit: Chanel)
The main 55.55-carat diamond, crafted in the 18-carat white gold bezel, is accompanied by 104 round diamonds and 42 baguettes diamonds. The pendant is then complemented by a cascading of pear-shaped diamonds of varying sizes.
(photo credit: Chanel)
The uniqueness of this jewelry piece is that through the brilliance of Chanel’s technical mastery, it re-creates the profile of the perfume bottle stopper and the bottle’s shape. The necklace’s fastener is also shaped like the number five, Coco's Chanel’s lucky number.
“This is an unprecedented approach,” said Patrice Leguéreau.
Chanel No 5’s bottle is an emblem, with sharp angles and crystalline transparency, and a stopper cut like a diamond evoking the Place Vendome. The ultimate, universal reference in the history of scent bottles. The imprimatur of Chanel’s triumph.
(photo credit: Chanel)
The famous House of Chanel truly managed to immortalize the uniqueness of Chanel No 5 perfume into this exquisite diamond necklace, which will be displayed in Paris.
However, the priceless treasure is not for sale, Chanel decided to keep it in its Patrimoine archives in Paris, and will forever be a part of its legacy.
Chanel no 5 Perfume – a Legend
The iconic Chanel No 5 perfume was created in 1921 by Gabrielle Chanel and Ernest Beaux, perfumer to the tsars. It was a revolution, a defining new departure in the world of perfumery, which at a stroke made all the fashionable fragrances of a period seem old hat.
No 5’s formula is Chanel’s best-kept secret, which is considered by the French House to be „the most successful fragrance in modern perfumery”. This cloak of mystery has propelled it from celebrity to posterity.
Mademoiselle boosted the jasmine, the ylang-ylang, and the rose, yet no single identifiable note is left in its wake. Thanks to the magical alchemy of the aldehydes, Chanel No 5 throws people off the scent, not evoking any one flower, to become „a woman's fragrance with a woman’s scent”.
Chanel No 5 is a mystery, the best-known yet most enigmatic of perfumes.
(photo credit: Chanel)
Its name comes from the magical number 5, Coco Chanel’s favorite number which had brought her luck ever since childhood. She considered the number to represent perfection. Mademoiselle is said to have chosen No. 5 because it was the scent in the fifth sample, the one she preferred.
"Less is more" is the famous slogan of the Chanel house, which perfectly describes the elegant simplicity of the luxuriant perfume.
(photo credit: Chanel)
Chanel No 5 is a modern myth, a coming together of eternal femininity and absolute perfume, a timeless legend, an allegory of French elegance. And now we are all celebrating its 100 years of glory.
(photo credit: Chanel)
