A Sparkling Performance

In 1932, Coco Chanel was asked by Paris diamond merchants to create a handful of sparklers that would capture the attention of those mired in the Great Depression.

Her Joaillerie Collection--with its celestial motifs--did more than rekindle interest in the gems at the time. It also inspired this year’s collection, which debuted last week at the Chanel boutique in South Coast Plaza.

The event was a benefit for the Center Stars of the Orange County Performing Arts Center.

Gordon Roberts, executive director of Chanel Fine Jewelry, flew in from New York to explain the 50-piece collection.

“Mademoiselle Chanel had a passion for jewelry and a vast personal collection,” he says. “She had a fondness for pearls, diamonds and gold, and was very influenced by Venice and Byzantine art. She loved richly colored stones and unusual combinations.”

The new pieces were made from Chanel’s designs in the same Paris workshop where the originals were created. They are handcrafted in platinum or 18-karat gold with diamonds, South Sea cultured pearls or colored gemstones: sapphires, rubies, emeralds and semiprecious stones.

The collection’s centerpiece is the comet necklace ($495,000), a cascade of diamonds with a five-point star.

Rings range from simple gold bands ($500) to the Nebleuse ring, a rare, 60-carat Burmese star sapphire surrounded by a halo of diamond stars ($300,000).

It all works well with Chanel’s spring/summer collection, where shiny synthetics and metallic fabrics sport silvery details.