Astronomers may disagree, but the most beautiful of stars are studded with sparkling diamonds and can be admired up close, just like Chanel’s latest Comète fine jewellery creations
It is not just Gabrielle “Coco” Chanel who was obsessed with the stars. Countless women share her passion, thanks in large part to the many stunning creations from the Chanel Comète fine jewellery collection over the years. At the centre of this collection is a motif symbolic of Chanel’s universe—the five-point star with a sparkling trail that marks it as a precious piece from a dazzling meteor shower.
The beginnings of Comète can be traced all the way back to 1932 when Coco put on display her very first high jewellery creations in Paris. The exhibition, titled Bijoux de Diamants and legendary for its extravagance and boundary-pushing creativity back then, was largely inspired by stars and comets.
(Related: The 2019 High Jewellery Report: The Best Of The Best)
Stars, of course, held a special meaning in Mademoiselle Chanel’s heart and were a reminder of the Aubazine orphanage in France, where she spent six years of her formative adolescence. Every morning, she went to mass at the abbey, walking across a long corridor paved with polished pebbles arranged in geometric patterns. Among these patterns were the stars that left evidence of their influence on Coco, as seen in the many fashion creations she had produced in the subsequent chapters of her life. And it is also why she famously said: “I wanted to cover women with constellations. Stars! Stars of all sizes.”
To this day, stars continue to be a key theme in the maison’s fine jewellery lines and are highlighted alongside other important icons of the house such as the lion and the camellia. While the camellia may appeal to those who are drawn to all things feminine, and the lion is for those who have a taste for the bold and unusual, the star is undoubtedly for romantic dreamers who believe in wishing upon a shooting star.
