1910. Gabrielle Chanel presents her very first creation to the press: a hat adorned with a spectacular single white feather. In 1932, the feather reappears in a precious and majestic way in Mademoiselle’s first and only High Jewelry collection, “Bijoux de Diamants”, in the form of a brooch, alongside the star, sun and bow motifs, which are emblematic of the Maison’s creations.

Set with diamonds, this fully articulated long brooch precisely reproduces the texture and undulation of a real feather. Designed to complement modern femininity and in perpetual movement, this jewelry piece offers various ways to be worn. Its suppleness harmonizes perfectly with the roundness of a shoulder, adjusts easily to the lines of the neck, wraps comfortably around a finger and rests on the hair like a precious diadem.

It features all the innovation and modernity exhibited by Gabrielle Chanel, who saw jewelry like she did fashion, channeling the same desire for creative audacity, freedom, flexibility, and elegance.

“My jewelry is never detached from the idea of a woman and her dress. Because dresses change, jewelry, too, is evolving.” Gabrielle Chanel

Fascinated by the avant-garde aesthetic of the 1932 feather, Patrice Leguéreau, Director of the CHANEL Fine Jewelry Creation Studio, decided to dedicate his first High Jewelry collection to this motif in 2010. He created, most notably, a round feather with its barbs intertwining a central diamond.

In 2024, with the “PLUME DE CHANEL” collection, Patrice Leguéreau once again pays tribute to the delicacy of this iconic motif through six jewelry sets, each with a style that’s natural and free. The silhouette evolves significantly as it widens from bottom to top for even more lightness while still retaining its suppleness through the soft undulation of its barbs. Reimagined in this setting, the 1932 feather appears delicate and light, almost evanescent, thanks to a graceful emmaillement technique and a harmonious gem selection.

As if blowing in a light breeze, the feather in the “PLUME DE CHANEL” collection elegantly reveals its volume and movement. Its central rachis gradually disappears into endless and arbitrarily arranged barbs to reinforce the impression of lightness imagined by Gabrielle Chanel in 1910.

To better follow the curves of the body and to free itself from traditional ways of wearing, the carnal feather undulates on each of the collection’s 15 pieces. Its sleek design lends itself to all styles: on the ear as an asymmetrical or singular motif, as a hair ornament, as an open ring or as a necklace with detachable feathers that can be worn as a brooch, nodding to the transformability of the 1932 brooch.

To enhance the impression of an ever more supple and natural movement, the base of the feather remains fixed while its tip is subtly articulated thanks to the spherical emmaillement between the barbs. Now even more flexible, these feathers with diamonds and colored stones are rounded and free, appearing as if they are floating on the skin.

From white to different shades of pink, the chromatic palette of the precious stones brings soft femininity to the “PLUME DE CHANEL” collection. Each gem has been carefully selected to complement each feather with a colorful, airy aesthetic. The diamond enhances their shine, while the pink sapphire and the pink tourmaline emphasize their depth. From the most subtle to the most intense shades, the slightly different pinks embolden the delicacy of the movement.

The transformable PLUME COUTURE DE CHANEL necklace for example, features two rows of diamonds surrounding a slender feather and a lace of pastel pink sapphires, on which a deep-pink sapphire appears to be hanging. Similarly, the “Toi et moi” PLUME MADEMOISELLE DE CHANEL ring features a graceful feather set with fancy-cut diamonds that harmonizes perfectly with a light pink pear-cut diamond.

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