Each of the French luxury label’s high jewellery collections bears its own symbol or element dear to its founder, Gabrielle Chanel. The latest high jewellery line, presented alongside Paris Haute Couture Week, is no exception, this time choosing wheat as its theme as a happy symbol from the designer’s childhood.

Symbolising regeneration, abundance, luck, prosperity and creativity, wheat has always been part of the life of Gabrielle Chanel, from her childhood to her adult years. It even became something of a good-luck charm for the French fashion designer.

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Chanel 18K white and yellow gold necklace set with an 16.8-karat oval-shaped sapphire, 27 marquise cut diamonds (3 karats), 329 brilliant-cut diamonds (6.7 karats), 11 yellow sapphires (1.9 karats) and 977 yellow sapphire balls totaling 477.5 karats.

It therefore seems natural for the luxury label to craft a jewelry collection based on the life cycle of wheat, from the first shoots of springtime to the formation of wheat ears and the harvest of grain.

Yellow sapphires, peridots, diamonds
The Les Blés de Chanel collection features 62 high jewellery pieces, split into four categories, each representing a different stage in the lifecycle of wheat. Green and yellow shades take centre stage in the collection, with green evoking the first shoots and ears, and yellow representing ripe wheat turned gold by the sun. This is captured through Chanel’s use of yellow sapphires and diamonds, peridots and yellow gold.

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18K white gold brooch set with 227 brilliant-cut diamonds totaling 4.5 karats.

Several variations also give pride of place to white diamonds, white gold, aquamarine and cultured pearls from Japan and Indonesia.

Shoots, ears, grain, harvest
The first green shoots and ears of wheat, and, by extension, the beginning of springtime, are captured in the jewellery sets Premiers Brins, Brins de Printemps and Brins de Diamants, which use green tourmaline, peridots, diamonds and aquamarines.

Sun-ripened wheat ears are seen on the jewelry sets Epi d’Eté, Epi Vendôme, Epi Solaire, L’Epi and Cascade d’Epi, shimmering with yellow sapphires, paraiba tourmaline, aquamarine, and white and yellow diamonds.

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Chanel 18K white gold necklace set with set with a 5-karat marquise-cut diamond, 12 marquise-cut diamonds (10.4 karats) and 839 brilliant cut diamonds (17.6 karats).

Finally comes the harvest, with Moisson Ensoleillée, Bouquet de Moisson and Moisson de Perles, using yellow sapphires, diamonds and cultured pearls. Moisson d’Or combines yellow sapphires and diamonds in pieces including a long 18-karat yellow and white gold necklace set with a 16.8-karat oval-shaped sapphire, 27 marquise-cut diamonds (3 karats), 329 brilliant-cut diamonds (6.7 karats), 11 yellow sapphires (1.9 karats) and 977 yellow sapphire spheres totaling 477.5 karats. The Fête des Moissons set nods to the crowns of wheat often woven to celebrate harvest time through designs using yellow, white and multicoloured diamonds.

The wheat theme is extended to a host of styles in the high jewellery collection, including sets Champ de Blé, Impression de Blé, Blé Infini and Légende de Blé. These see diamonds set against yellow or white gold. The Légende de Blé 18-karat white gold necklace, for example, is set with a 5-karat marquise-cut diamond, 12 marquise-cut diamonds (10.4 karats) and 839 brilliant cut diamonds (17.6 karats).