The wheat, or les blés in French, serves as the inspiration of CHANEL's newest high jewellery collection.
Born on 19 August, Gabrielle "Coco" Chanel entered the world in the midst of the harvest festival, and with her childhood set against an agricultural context, the wheat has always served as a symbol of renewed prosperity and abundance, aplenty as summer ends.
Gad Weil and his inspiration for #BlesVendome, an installation located in Place Vendôme from 1 to 7 July, commissioned by CHANEL to mark the launch of the collection.
Aptly named "Les Blés de CHANEL," the stunning jewellery brings this fundamental element of sustenance to the forefront, representing regeneration, abundance, luck, prosperity and endless creativity.
62 high jewellery pieces from the French luxury label feature the artisanal designs of the wheat.
"Premiers Brins", "Brins de Printemps" and "Brins de Diamants" pay homage to the tender young wheat shoots of early spring. Diamonds, peridots, crystalline and aquamarines play with transparency like young stalks of wheat.
The harvest is evoked through the variations of "Moisson Ensoleillée", "Bouquet de Moisson" and "Moisson de Perles” where diamonds, yellow sapphires and pearls bask in the golden warmth of a Summer’s sun.
"Moisson d'Or" offers a sheath of wheat tied by a yellow sapphire of 16.8 carats. This spray of diamonds and sapphires is the central motif of a long necklace made of 977 yellow sapphires for a total weight of 477.5 carats.
The same inspiration can be found on a brooch, bracelet, earings and a ring whose centre stone is a yellow cushion sapphire of 17.1 carats.
"Fête des Moissons" celebrates crowns of braided wheat. At the middle of a necklace, a yellow rectangular diamond of 25 carats with cut corners illuminates a bunch of wheat set with 121 multi-coloured diamonds with a total weight of 46.7 carats, 932 yellow diamonds weighing 40.4 carats and 165 white diamonds.
A ring, a bracelet and a pair of earrings complete this set.
"Champ de Blé" evokes the wheat of early summer in a more abstract series of pieces. Mounted on yellow or white gold, diamonds are entangled in a network of foliage.
"Impression de Blé" continues on the variation of the wheat theme, reinventing the motif as a precious and sparkling pattern design.
Finally, the "Légende de Blé" necklace displays a majestic ear-of-wheat in white gold and diamonds that seems to wrap around the neck, leaving there summer’s most precious offerings.
With this collection, the oft-understated wheat makes a magnificent entry with CHANEL High Jewellery.
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