Reproducing solid shapes into gold has been a skill mastered by humans since the earliest civilisations. However, the art of mimicking something as soft and supple as fabric is a whole other ball game that few jewellers are willing to tackle.
Although characteristics like pleating, folds and wrinkles are easy enough to replicate, refining them to retain an appropriate balance between volume and lightness requires a blend of creativity, know-how and artistic flair that few jewellers possess.
In 2020, Chanel took up the challenge and introduced the Tweed de Chanel high jewellery collection, a stunning tribute to the classic woollen fabric named after Scotland’s River Tweed. A resilient material worn by men as the softest armour to face the harshness of the Scottish climate, it was discovered by Gabrielle Chanel in the 1920s during her dalliance with the Duke of Westminster.
She borrowed his tweed jackets, incorporated them into her collections, and introduced a vital element to the Chanel style vocabulary.
“For this new High Jewellery collection dedicated to Tweed, I wanted to go further in the interpretation by creating a veritable fabric of precious stones that is light and supple.”
Patrice Leguéreau, Director of the Chanel Fine Jewelry Creation Studio
Today, Chanel is expanding the collection with new creations representing a more evolved artistic interpretation of tweed. Comprising 63 new high jewellery designs, this collection features larger gemstones, with some bearing rare and unique cuts that are integral to expressing Patrice Leguéreau’s creative vision. The director of Chanel’s Fine Jewelry Creation Studio has been at the helm of the maison’s jewellery endeavours since 2009.
Leguéreau has designed five distinct lines of jewellery tweed weaves for the new Tweed de Chanel. Each comes with a unique colour palette inspired by one of Gabrielle Chanel’s five icons: the white ribbon, the pink camellia, the shooting comet across the midnight sky, the yellow sun, and the majestic lion, his power highlighted with flashes of red. Here are five of our favourite pieces from the collection:
- Tweed Royal necklace
Undoubtedly the highlight of this new collection, the Tweed Royal necklace is designed for modern-day royalty. This magnificent creation, which took over a year and a half to complete, features 37 Mozambique rubies framed by an intricate diamond-set gold weave and diamond brilliants. Set in the centre is a skeletonised lion’s head that can be removed and worn as a brooch, while the 10.17-ct D FL Type IIa pear-cut diamond that adorns it can be detached to be worn on a ring.
- Tweed Cambon earrings
The sun was a constant presence in Gabrielle Chanel’s universe. In the Tweed de Chanel collection, Chanel brings the power of solar energy to life using a combination of transparency, Byzantine architecture, and Venetian splendour. Drawing inspiration from the chandeliers that hang from Gabrielle’s rue Cambon apartment, these earrings feature diamond-set rays, and custom-cut rock crystal pieces that dangle from a yellow gold trellis.
- Tweed Mademoiselle necklace
Inspired by Chanel’s haute couture heritage, the Tweed Mademoiselle necklace features an incredibly supple and feminine design showing an obvious diamond-set weave motif enhanced by diamonds of different shapes and sizes. An oval-cut 5.01-ct D FL diamond is positioned off-center as the focal stone.
onyx.Photo: Chanel.
- Tweed Etoilé sautoir
There is no other type of jewellery more closely linked to Chanel’s universe than the sautoir. In the Tweed Etoilé sautoir, Chanel channels the power of the constellations to create a star-spangled masterpiece that combines lapis lazuli, onyx, diamonds and yellow sapphires. The centre stone is a 14.71-ct cushion-cut yellow sapphire.
pink sapphires.Photo: Chanel.
- Tweed Poudre brooch
A vision of saccharine sweetness thanks to the use of pink sapphires and pink gold, the Tweed Poudre brooch is inspired by the camellia flower. Against a tweed of precious stones, a geometrically perfect bloom is displayed like a bold symbol for the liberated woman. The brooch can be worn pinned to a garment, as a headpiece, or strung on a chain as a pendant.
