Bonhams is throwing a global spotlight on Chanel this September, staging three sales in New York, Paris, and London dedicated to the storied French maison—jewelry included.
The New York sale, Chanel: From the Vault II (Sept. 7–17), leads with a gold-tone bird cage minaudière (pictured at top) from Virginie Viard’s Métiers d’Art Paris-31 rue Cambon pre-fall/winter 2020 collection, set with simulated turquoise and multicolored crystals, estimated at $20,000 to $30,000. Highlights will be exhibited at Bonhams’ Manhattan flagship starting on Aug. 17.
In Paris, Chanel From the Vault Paris Edition (Sept. 14–24) offers roughly 400 lots spanning Karl Lagerfeld’s 1990s designs through Viard’s more recent work. The top piece is a white tweed jacket from the fall/winter 2025 ready-to-wear collection, trimmed in gold Lurex and embroidered with multicolored mini pearls, estimated at €2,000 to €3,000 ($2,300–$3,460). Jewelry lots include a Lagerfeld-era brooch set with rhinestones and turquoise-colored paste, estimated at €700 to €900 ($810–$1,040).
London’s sale, Designer Handbags and Fashion (Sept. 21–Oct. 1), skews the heaviest toward jewelry, with a private collection of Chanel costume pieces from the 1960s through the 1990s. Leading the lot is a Robert Goossens for Chanel Haute Couture filigree snake bangle, circa 1960, with graduated filigree caps and green glass eyes, estimated at $13,000 to $20,000. Also on offer is a pair of Chanel Fine Jewelry 18k white gold and diamond Comète Géode earrings from 2024, referencing Gabrielle Chanel’s 1932 “Bijoux de Diamants” exhibition, estimated at £2,000 to £3,000 ($2,690–$4,040).
Chanel, founded in 1910, has had three creative directors in the past four decades: Karl Lagerfeld (who held the post from 1983 to 2019), Virginie Viard (2019–2024), and current artistic director Matthieu Blazy.
Top: Chanel bird cage minaudière in gold-tone metal with simulated turquoise and multi-tone crystals, estimate $20,000–$30,000
(Photos courtesy of Bonhams)
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