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 II 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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