1 / 1
Tatler+
With a new high jewellery collection dedicated to its iconic perfume, Chanel turns the ephemeral into the eternal
It’s a common lamentation among perfume lovers that their favourite fragrance does not last forever. Still, Chanel No. 5 has come close.
First bottled in 1921 at the behest of French fashion designer Coco Chanel—who so famously wanted to capture the scent of a woman in a timeless glass flacon that was also a veritable love letter to the designer’s residence in the City of Lights—Chanel’s compelling fragrance birthed a new form of desire in the world.
And that desire has been kept alive thanks to women of mythic statuses like Marilyn Monroe, whose famous confession to only wearing No. 5 to bed has no doubt inspired others to do the same; or fellow Hollywood royalty Nicole Kidman, who starred in a Chanel No. 5 film by Baz Luhrmann that cost the French luxury brand US$33 million—making it the world’s most expensive advertisement. Not content to simply make its mark on Earth, Chanel took its perfume to the moon with another campaign film in 2020, in an olfactory expedition led by French national treasure Marion Cotillard.
Read more: 100 Years of Chanel N°5: A Look Back at its Most Exciting Pop Culture Moments
Above Golden Sillage earrings in white gold, yellow gold, diamonds, yellow sapphires and spessartite garnets, Golden Sillage bracelet in white gold, yellow gold, diamonds, yellow sapphires and spessartite garnets.
Above Grasse Jasmine asymmetrical earrings in white gold and diamonds, Absolu No. 5 ring in white gold and diamonds, Grasse Jasmine bracelet in white gold and diamonds.
Golden Sillage earrings in white gold, yellow gold, diamonds, yellow sapphires and spessartite garnets, Golden Sillage bracelet in white gold, yellow gold, diamonds, yellow sapphires and spessartite garnets.
1 / 2
Now over a 100 years old, and still one of the bestselling perfumes in the world, Chanel No. 5 is so much more than the scent of a woman. It embodies timelessness, luxury and, of course, desire itself. In short, it’s an icon that deserves to be immortalised—which is exactly what the Chanel No. 5 high jewellery collection does.
Through the collection, the Maison marries two of its great jewels: perfumery and jewellery, the latter being a realm that founder Coco Chanel daringly ventured into in 1932, making her the first couturier to do so.
Unsurprisingly, the Chanel No. 5 collection is not only heavy with heritage, but also with diamonds—because there is no better gemstone to reflect eternity.
The collection starts with the scent. The flowers that make up Chanel’s famous elixir—namely ylang-ylang, jasmine, and may rose—once again captivate as frosted emblems across rings, brooches, necklaces and earrings. On the Absolu No. 5 ring, the petals of the May rose are faithfully recreated in white gold, while diamonds glitter upon them like dew drops.
Don't miss: May Rose: Discover The Key Ingredient Behind Chanel No. 5
Above Lucky No. 5 ring in pink gold, diamonds and pink sapphires, Lucky No. 5 bracelet in pink gold, diamonds and pink sapphires, Lucky No. 5 necklace in yellow gold, diamonds, pink sapphires and garnets.
Lucky No. 5 ring in pink gold, diamonds and pink sapphires, Lucky No. 5 bracelet in pink gold, diamonds and pink sapphires, Lucky No. 5 necklace in yellow gold, diamonds, pink sapphires and garnets.
1 / 1
Even something as abstract as the sillage of the No. 5 scent is artfully captured. Necklaces seem to be bursting with diamonds, an effect achieved by arranging them in a radial pattern around a central stone, like a stunning 10-carat, cushion-cut diamond, in the case of the Diamond Sillage necklace.
The Golden Sillage ring and earrings, meanwhile, dazzles with diamonds, yellow diamonds and yellow sapphires, creating a powerful explosion right at those intimate spots where lovers of the No. 5 fragrance dab the perfume on their skin.
Colour can also be found on the Lucky No. 5 set in yellow gold, where Coco Chanel’s favourite number is adorned in either fiery yellow or vivid pink sapphires that remind us that wearing Chanel No. 5 is a sensual experience.
Above No. 5 Black & White Silhouette necklace in white gold, diamonds and onyx, Ribbon Stopper ring in white gold, diamonds, rock crystal and onyx.
No. 5 Black & White Silhouette necklace in white gold, diamonds and onyx, Ribbon Stopper ring in white gold, diamonds, rock crystal and onyx.
1 / 1
Just as the fragrance has remained mostly unchanged for over a century, the Chanel No. 5 perfume bottle is a testament to the brand’s ability to design something that lasts. The bottle’s perfect profile is enough to evoke an emotion; proof of that can be found in the No. 5 Black & White Silhouette necklace, where the perfume’s outline is traced in onyx stones amidst a waterfall of diamonds.
Every detail of the perfume bottle was considered, right down to its octagonal stopper that mirrors the geometry of Coco Chanel’s second home, Place Vendôme. That stopper is reimagined as a diamond on the No. 5 Cascade necklace, from which pear-cut diamonds gracefully dangle like drops of perfume.
Above No. 5 Cascade earrings in white gold and diamonds, No. 5 Cascade necklace in white gold and diamonds, No. 5 Cascade ring in white gold and diamonds.
No. 5 Cascade earrings in white gold and diamonds, No. 5 Cascade necklace in white gold and diamonds, No. 5 Cascade ring in white gold and diamonds.
1 / 1
But Chanel truly outdoes itself in a jewellery piece that celebrates its perfume in its entirety. The 55.55 necklace is named so after the rare, D flawless diamond that sits at its heart. Chanel had the stone specially sized into a 55.55-carat, emerald-cut sparkler, true to its symbolic way of crafting things.
As the most exquisite representation of Chanel No. 5, the Maison has chosen to keep the 55.55 necklace out of reach to mere mortals. The jewellery design that is most coveted remains the most elusive, and in fact only one woman in the world has worn it since its creation—Marion Cotillard.
The jewellery piece will be kept perpetually in Chanel’s archive, the Patrimoine de Chanel. And, like Monroe, the moon, and the magic of wearing Chanel No. 5 for the first time, it will live on in our dreams forever.
Read more: Chanel Pays Homage To N°5 Perfume With A 55.55-Carat Diamond Necklace
No. 5 Cascade necklace in white gold and diamonds
1 / 5
Credits
Photography: Wee Khim
Styling: Adriel Chiun
Make-Up: Cheryl Ow using Chanel Beauty
Hair: Leong using Keune Haircosmetics
Model: Ralina Rakipova / AVE
Outfit: All fashion and high jewellery by Chanel
Pameyla Cambe is the Assistant Digital Editor of Tatler Singapore. She handles the Fashion section of the website, where she reports on trends, the hottest fashion launches and what your favourite Asian celebrities are wearing.
