Vintage CHANEL Mesh Pop Colour Glass Paste Cuff Bracelet
By Chanel
Located in Kingersheim, Alsace
Vintage CHANEL Mesh Pop Colour Glass Paste Cuff Bracelet Measurements: Height: 1.14 inches (2.9 cm) Inner Circumference: 7.87 inches (20 cm) Feat...
Fashion legend Gabrielle “Coco” Chanel’s sole fine jewelry collection included some of the most exciting and original works ever made — she loved costume jewelry but simply couldn’t resist designing with diamonds. Today, whether or not a given design happens to bear the house’s iconic logo, vintage Chanel bracelets, pendant necklaces, earrings and other accessories lend a bold touch to any ensemble.
Chanel established her business as a Paris hat shop in 1910 and started selling clothing in 1913. She introduced her costume jewelry in the 1920s, when the economy was roaring and fine jewelry was the main mode of adornment among her clients. Fearless about giving offense, Chanel proclaimed, “I love fakes because I find such jewelry provocative, and I find it disgraceful to walk around with millions of dollars around your neck, just because you are rich.”
Then, in 1932, in the midst of the Great Depression, Chanel dramatically switched gears and designed her first and only diamond jewelry collection, Bijoux de Diamants.
The lyrical and bold Chanel designs centered on five motifs: fringe, ribbons, feathers, the sun and stars. A dramatic diamond fringe headpiece was worn over the brow, while a fringe bracelet draped down the palm. A ribbon was tied in a bow at the front of a necklace and the top of a headband. These textile motifs linked the collection to the couturier’s clothes.
Even as rave reviews flowed in from the members of the press who attended the collection’s single showing, the International Diamond Corporation caved to the demands of the men in the French jewelry industry who forcefully expressed their firm belief that a fashion designer, and a female one at that, didn’t have the talent to make important jewels. At the same time, they were worried that Chanel’s diamond necklaces, brooches, bracelets and other creations would compete with their collections and cut into their profits. The pieces were broken up after the exhibition, and a planned London showing was canceled.
Afterward, Chanel never designed another diamond jewelry collection. Instead, she focused on costume and the demi-fine pieces she made in collaboration with Fulco di Verdura, when he worked at Chanel during the 1930s.
In 1993, the House of Chanel revived its fine jewelry business. Over the years, it has made near-exact renditions of the 1932 designs and imagined new silhouettes incorporating the original five motifs, as well as other themes beloved by Chanel, such as the lion, representing her Leo zodiac sign, and camellia flowers.
Find a range of vintage Chanel earrings, watches and other jewelry on 1stDibs.
Vintage CHANEL Mesh Pop Colour Glass Paste Cuff Bracelet
By Chanel
Located in Kingersheim, Alsace
Vintage CHANEL Mesh Pop Colour Glass Paste Cuff Bracelet Measurements: Height: 1.14 inches (2.9 cm) Inner Circumference: 7.87 inches (20 cm) Feat...
Vintage CHANEL Letter Spelled Out Multi Chain Necklace
By Chanel
Located in Kingersheim, Alsace
Vintage CHANEL Letter Spelled Out Multi Chain Necklace Measurements: Height: 1.49 inches (3.8 cm) Length: 2.95 inches (7.5 cm) Wearable Length: 15.74 inche...
Vintage CHANEL Iconic Lion Head Logo Quilted Bracelet Cuff
By Chanel
Located in Kingersheim, Alsace
Vintage CHANEL Iconic Lion Head Logo Quilted Bracelet Cuff Measurements: Lion Medallions: 1 3/8 inches X 1 3/8 inches Wearable Length: 7 inches to 8 4/8 inches This Vintage CHANEL Lion Head Medallion Bracelet is RARE and a collector item. Chanel was born under the sign of LEO (19 Aug 1883) and wore lion jewelries as lucky charm. Later on, the LION sign became one of her iconic symbols. This is a collectors' piece and hard to find compare to the 2 Lion head belts...
Vintage CHANEL CC Logo Hammered Cuff Bracelet
By Chanel
Located in Kingersheim, Alsace
Vintage CHANEL CC Logo Hammered Cuff Bracelet Measurements: Height: 2.16 inch (5.5 cm) Circumference: 6.49 inches (16.5 cm) Opening:1.18 inches...
Vintage RIHANNA CHANEL Logo Heraldic Seal Medallion Necklace
By Chanel
Located in Kingersheim, Alsace
Vintage RIHANNA CHANEL Logo Heraldic Seal Medallion Necklace Measurements: Height: 2.95 inches (7.5 cm) Width: 2.75 inches (7 cm) Chain: 31.69 inches (80.5 cm) As seen on RIHANNA. ...
CHANEL CC Logo Bordeaux Pearl Choker Necklace
By Chanel
Located in Kingersheim, Alsace
Features: - 100% Authentic CHANEL. - Single strand bordeaux glass pearl necklace. - Each pearl has CC metal logo. - Adjustable hook closure. - Signed CHANEL 2 CC 8 Made in France on ...
Gold Plate
CHANEL Gold Silver Leather Chain Cuff Bracelet
By Chanel
Located in Kingersheim, Alsace
Features: - 100% Authentic CHANEL. - Massive chain cuff bracelet with woven gold and silver leather. - Rigid wide cuff. - Gold tone. - Signed with CHANEL 2 CC 6 Made in France. - Wil...
Gold Plate
Vintage Jumbo CHANEL Double Hoop Orbital Rhinestone Dangling Earrings
By Chanel
Located in Kingersheim, Alsace
Vintage Jumbo CHANEL Double Hoop Orbital Rhinestone Dangling Earrings Measurements: Height: 3.54 inches (9 cm) Diameter: 2.51 inches (6.4 cm) Weight per Earring: 23 grams Features:...
Vintage 1993 CHANEL Leather Chain CC Medallion Cufflinks Bracelet
By Chanel
Located in Kingersheim, Alsace
Vintage 1993 CHANEL Leather Chain CC Medallion Cufflinks Bracelet Measurements: Length: 12.20 inches (31 cm) Medallions: 0.78 inch (2 cm) Feature...
Vintage 1996 CHANEL Gilt Flower CC Logo Rhinestone Cuff Bracelet
By Chanel
Located in Kingersheim, Alsace
Vintage 1996 CHANEL Gilt Flower CC Logo Rhinestone Cuff Bracelet Measurements: Flower: 1.96 inches (5 cm) Circumference: 7.20 inches (18.3 cm) Features: - 100% Authentic CHANEL. - ...
Vintage Jumbo CHANEL Champagne Glass Pearl Flower Earrings
By Chanel
Located in Kingersheim, Alsace
Vintage Jumbo CHANEL Champagne Glass Pearl Flower Earrings Measurements: Height: 2 inches Width: 2 inches Features: - 100% Authentic CHANEL. - Jumbo gl...
1991 Collection 26 Chanel Rigid Chain Cuff
By Chanel
Located in Toronto, Ontario
Excellent condition, with the original box, this Chanel rigid double chain cuff from the 1991 Collection 26 is a classic and iconic Chanel piece from the heyday of the Karl Lagerfeld...
Gold Plate
1989 Chanel Interlocking Double Chain Cuff Bracelet Col.26
By Chanel
Located in Toronto, Ontario
Original edition Collection 26 Chanel iconic interlocking double chain cuff bracelet in excellent condition. Gilt metal. No signs of surface wear or scratching. Original box. Rare . ...
Gilt Metal
1981 Chanel Cut Crystal and Pearl Sautoir
By Chanel
Located in Toronto, Ontario
Beautiful and highly collectable long Chanel sautoir dating from 1981. No clasp, goes over the head and can be worn long or layered. Red cut crystal and faux pearls in a gold tone metal setting. Small circular gold Chanel tag...
Pearl
1stDibs offers a range of Chanel jewelry and watches. These unique items were designed with extraordinary care, often using gold. While searching for the most stylish antique or vintage Chanel jewelry to pair with your ensemble, you'll find that Chanel diamond jewelry & watches can add a particularly distinctive touch to your look, from our inventory of 142. This collection includes 1,700 pieces, as well as a number of other designs by this jeweler. Modern and Contemporary are some of the most popular styles of Chanel jewelry & watches available on 1stDibs. While this collection reflects work that originated over various time periods, most of these items were designed during the 20th Century. If you’re looking for additional options, many customers also consider jewelry & watches by David Webb, Yves Saint Laurent and Robert Goossens. Prices for Chanel watches and jewelry can vary depending upon gemstone, time period and other attributes. The price for these items starts at $172 and tops out at $205,000, while pieces like these can sell for $2,077 on average.
Our love for diamond rings, luxury watches and other antique and vintage fine jewelry and estate jewelry goes back thousands of years.
Jewelry has long been a symbol of spiritual strength, wealth or power and, of course, a means of personal expression. While materials and processes employed by the world’s most popular jewelry houses — Tiffany & Co., Cartier, BVLGARI and others — have evolved over time, humans still gravitate toward many of the same accessories that our ancestors wore.
Ancient Egyptians were often hard at work designing jewelry and adorning themselves with an array of necklaces, rings and other items, and nearly every Egyptian, rich or poor, was buried with some kind of jewelry. When King Tut’s burial chamber was excavated, it revealed a sense of style that inspired Art Deco jewelry designs.
Brooches and pins remain essentials in our jewelry boxes, although we no longer require them to fasten our garments, as was once their primary use. Rings, which have always been signifiers of eternity, still serve as romantic gifts and tokens of affection. Antique, new and vintage engagement rings, even if it can be difficult to choose the right one, are still widely recognized as symbols of love and commitment. [Fun fact: It wasn’t until the 14th century that we learned how to effectively cut diamonds, a critical step in revealing the stone’s brilliance.]
Hoop earrings are imbued with symbolism and cultural significance for many, and on view in the Metropolitan Museum of Art’s Ancient Near Eastern Art Gallery is a pair of simple gold hoops from Mesopotamia dating to between 2600 and 2500 B.C. We’ve even created our own new, sacred symbols — the Cartier Love bracelet, for example, with its distinctive locking mechanism, is an understated and modernist symbol of love’s promise (with its own captivating history to boot). And, crafted by French jeweler Jacques Arpels of Van Cleef & Arpels, the Magic Alhambra necklace channels luck for the wearer with its universally adored design, which is informed by four-leaf clovers, a plant synonymous with good fortune.
Whether it’s our sentimental charm jewelry, costume jewelry, chunky retro bracelets or minimalist earrings created by the likes of contemporary designers WHITE/SPACE and Agmes, luxurious jewels can elevate any outfit, regardless of your personal style.
Find a wide-ranging collection of authentic antique, new and vintage jewelry today on 1stDibs.