Collecting Vintage Chanel Jewellery: Discipline, Disruption and Enduring Power

By Jagged Metal

Chanel costume jewellery occupies a unique position in the vintage market. It's the most recognisable, the most reproduced, and — at its best — the most beautifully made costume jewellery of the twentieth century. A Gripoix glass cross from the early 1990s or a pair of oversized CC clip-ons from 1994 can hold its own against fine jewellery costing many times more, because the design, the materials and the craftsmanship were taken that seriously.

But that reputation also means Chanel is the most heavily faked brand in the vintage jewellery world, and it's not close. Knowing what you're looking at — the marks, the materials, the construction, the ateliers behind the work — isn't optional. It's essential. This is the full picture: the history, the key eras, the people who made the pieces, and the collector knowledge that separates confident buying from guesswork.

Gabrielle Chanel: Where It Started

Gabrielle "Coco" Chanel was born in 1883 in Saumur, France, and raised in an orphanage after her mother's death. She learned to sew there — a skill that would reshape fashion. By 1909, she had opened a millinery boutique in Paris. Her hats were pared back and modern at a time when extravagance dominated, and women responded immediately.

By the 1920s, she had moved decisively into clothing. Her use of jersey fabric — previously associated with men's undergarments — was radical. She stripped away corsetry and excess, offering women fluid silhouettes, neutral palettes and clean lines. The little black dress, the tweed suit, costume pearls layered with confidence — these weren't trends. They were new codes of dressing.

Chanel understood something fundamental: elegance wasn't about decoration. It was about ease, proportion and strength. That instinct would define everything the house produced, including its jewellery.

Costume Jewellery as a Radical Act

Chanel's approach to jewellery was revolutionary in the truest sense. She deliberately mixed faux pearls with real gemstones. She layered chains, stacked cuffs, piled on brooches — not because she couldn't afford the real thing, but because she believed the distinction between real and fake was irrelevant if the design was right.

She treated costume jewellery not as imitation but as a medium in its own right, something to be worn with the same confidence as precious stones — and sometimes directly alongside them. The effect was what mattered: the way a piece sat against fabric, caught light, completed a silhouette. Material value was secondary to visual impact.

Chanel drew heavily on Byzantine, medieval and Renaissance references, frequently visiting the Louvre to study historical jewellery and requesting that her ateliers create pieces that looked as though they'd been excavated rather than newly made. She didn't want shine. She wanted depth. That instinct gave Chanel costume jewellery a quality that pure trend-following never achieves: timelessness.

The Ateliers: Gripoix, Goossens, Verdura

One of the things that sets vintage Chanel jewellery apart from almost all other costume jewellery is who actually made it. Chanel didn't manufacture in-house. The pieces were produced by specialist Parisian ateliers — workshops with their own deep histories and technical expertise — working to the house's designs. Understanding the ateliers isn't just interesting background. It's directly relevant to authentication and valuation.

Maison Gripoix is the most important name to know. Founded in 1869 by Augustine Gripoix, the atelier specialised in pâte de verre — a technique where molten glass is hand-poured directly into metal frames using a soldering torch, then polished and assembled by hand. The result is glass with extraordinary clarity and colour depth, quite different from standard moulded glass cabochons. Each piece takes significant time and skill to produce. It's expensive work, and it always has been.

Chanel began working with Gripoix in the 1920s, initially asking Suzanne Gripoix (Augustine's successor) to create Byzantine-style pieces that looked authentic — "as if they had just been excavated." The partnership produced some of the most iconic pieces in costume jewellery history: the deep red and emerald green glass that became Chanel's signature colours, the irregular glass pearls with their distinctive mother-of-pearl sheen, and the elaborate three-dimensional poured-glass florals of the 1930s.

For collectors, understanding Gripoix glass matters because it's one of the key value differentiators. Pieces containing genuine Gripoix poured glass are significantly more valuable than those using standard moulded glass. The term "Gripoix" is widely misused by sellers to describe any red or green glass cabochon in a Chanel-style setting. Genuine poured glass has specific tells: visible evidence of the pour on the reverse, slight irregularities from the handmade process, a depth of colour and translucency that moulded glass simply doesn't replicate.

Robert Goossens is the other essential atelier name. A trained goldsmith with experience in glass, enamel, shell and wood, Goossens began working with Chanel in the mid-1950s after the house reopened following the war. He brought a baroque, historically-inflected sensibility — Byzantine crosses, ornate cuffs, rock crystal set in gilt bronze — that became central to Chanel's jewellery identity for decades. He's sometimes referred to as the "Maître d'Art" of fashion jewellery. Goossens continued working with the house after Coco Chanel's death in 1971 and later collaborated with Karl Lagerfeld. The atelier remains one of Chanel's métiers d'art partners to this day.

Fulco di Verdura, the Sicilian duke and jewellery designer, created the original Maltese cross motif for Chanel in the late 1920s — initially as a pair of brooches. The Maltese cross has been revisited and reinterpreted in nearly every decade since, and remains one of the most recognisable and collectible Chanel jewellery motifs.

The Key Eras for Collectors

The Early Period (1920s–1960s)

Pre-war and mid-century Chanel jewellery is rare, expensive, and difficult to authenticate. Pieces from the 1930s Gripoix florals, the 1950s Goossens baroque work, and the 1960s designs are museum-quality collectibles. You won't find them casually on the resale market, and when you do, they command serious prices.

Critically, Chanel jewellery from this era was mostly unmarked. The pieces were designed to complement specific couture outfits rather than to be sold as standalone accessories, so signing them wasn't a priority. Attribution relies on provenance, construction analysis, knowledge of Gripoix and Goossens techniques, and comparison with documented designs. Unless you have deep expertise or access to an expert appraiser, unsigned pieces claimed to be from this era should be approached with real caution.

From 1954 onward (when Chanel reopened after the war), some pieces began to carry marks — typically "CHANEL" in uppercase block letters stamped directly onto the metal or on a rectangular plaque. A round cartouche with three stars also appears on pieces from this period. But marking was inconsistent until the 1970s.

The 1970s: Quiet Continuity

Coco Chanel died in 1971, and the house entered a creatively quieter period. Jewellery continued to build on established codes — gold-tone metal, rope chains, layered faux pearls, subtle logo references — but without the reinvention that would come later.

The 1970s is when marking became more consistent. A circular plaque emerged as the standard format: "CHANEL" near the centre with copyright and registered symbols flanking it, the interlocking CC logo below, and "MADE IN FRANCE" along the bottom. From 1980, the year of production (four digits, preceded by a copyright symbol) replaced "Made in France" at the bottom of the plaque.

These 1970s pieces are collectible but often less distinctive than what came before and after. They represent continuity rather than innovation — though the quality remained solid.

The 1980s: Lagerfeld, Castellane and the Golden Era

Karl Lagerfeld took the creative helm in 1983 and immediately began amplifying Chanel's existing codes rather than erasing them. The CC logo became oversized. Chains got heavier. Pearl strands multiplied. Cuffs grew bolder. Gripoix glass returned in force — deep jewel-toned crosses, medallions and brooches that referenced the house's Byzantine heritage but felt completely contemporary.

The following year, Lagerfeld made one of the most consequential hires in costume jewellery history: Victoire de Castellane as head of jewellery design. De Castellane was just twenty-two when she joined Chanel in 1984, initially as a studio assistant before quickly taking charge of costume jewellery development. She would remain for fourteen years, until 1998, overseeing what is now regarded as the most creatively ambitious and collectible period in Chanel costume jewellery history.

De Castellane brought a playful, pop-culture-inflected energy to the house's jewellery that perfectly complemented Lagerfeld's knowing amplification of Chanel's codes. She created earrings that resembled miniature Chanel handbags and No. 5 flacons, oversized pearl necklaces layered to deliberate excess, pink fringed earrings studded with charms, and elaborate Gripoix glass crosses and brooches that pushed the scale and ambition of costume jewellery into genuinely artistic territory. Lagerfeld said of her: "She follows the rules I like best in life: don't compare, don't compete. You look at her, you get the message."

It was de Castellane who introduced the season-numbering system to Chanel jewellery, replacing simple year-dating with a more specific format. From 1984 onward, the oval plaques carried season numbers — starting at 23 and running through to 29 (roughly corresponding to 1984–1990). The two digits of the season number sit on either side of the CC logo: "2 CC 3" for season 23, "2 CC 9" for season 29.

The pieces from this era were produced to an extraordinary standard: thick gold plating, substantial weight, hand-finished Gripoix glass, and a sense of proportion that made even the most oversized design feel intentional rather than excessive. This is the golden era that serious Chanel collectors target first.

The 1990s: The Peak

The early 1990s represent peak Chanel costume jewellery by almost any measure. Quality, design ambition and cultural impact all converged during de Castellane's most productive years.

In 1993, the dating system changed again — and this is the format most collectors encounter. Chanel introduced two annual ready-to-wear collections alongside couture, and the stamps reflected this. The oval plaque now showed the last two digits of the year to the left of the CC logo and a season letter to the right: P for Printemps (Spring), A for Automne (Autumn). So "93P" means Spring 1993 and "96A" means Autumn 1996. You'll occasionally see C for Cruise collection or V for continuous/year-round line, though these are less common. This system, with minor variations, is still in use today.

The pieces from this period are what most collectors actively seek. Heavy gold plating, oversized CC logos, faux baroque pearls (a Lagerfeld signature), Gripoix poured glass in deep reds and greens, Maltese cross motifs, elaborate layered designs, sculptural brooches, and increasingly graphic earrings that grew longer, sharper and more architectural through the decade. Chain belts from this era — heavy, gold-plated, often incorporating CC medallions or Gripoix elements — are among the most wearable and sought-after Chanel accessories on the vintage market.

One detail worth noting: everything from the 80s and 90s was clip-on. Chanel didn't introduce pierced earring designs until the 2000s. If someone is selling "90s Chanel" pierced earrings, that's wrong.

The quality of early-90s Chanel is noticeably different from later production. These pieces were still largely handmade in France by specialist ateliers, using genuine Gripoix glass and substantial gold plating. The weight and finish distinguish them immediately from what came later.

When de Castellane left Chanel in 1998 — recruited by Bernard Arnault to launch Dior Joaillerie as its creative director of fine jewellery, a role she still holds — it marked the end of an era. The pieces she created during those fourteen years are now the most sought-after and valuable costume jewellery the house has ever produced.

The 2000s: A New Chapter

After de Castellane's departure, Chanel jewellery entered a transitional period. Pierced earrings appeared for the first time. Resin, acrylic and contemporary materials were increasingly used alongside traditional Gripoix glass and faux pearls. The aesthetic became younger and more graphic.

Quality remained good but the shift toward broader production was underway. "Made in Italy" began appearing on some pieces for the first time. Laser-etched markings gradually replaced engraved stamps. The handmade, atelier-driven production model that had defined the 80s and 90s started giving way to more standardised manufacture.

For collectors, early-2000s Chanel jewellery represents the last of the pre-mass-market era. It's still produced to a notably higher standard than contemporary pieces, it's increasingly collectible, and it's available at prices well below peak 80s and 90s work. The CC turnlock earrings (inspired by the handbag clasp) from the late 90s and early 2000s are particularly good value.

How to Authenticate Vintage Chanel Jewellery

Authentication is critical with Chanel. The brand is the most counterfeited in costume jewellery, and some fakes are genuinely sophisticated. Here's what to look for, in order of reliability.

Stamps and dating marks: This is your first point of reference. The marking system changed across decades, so a stamp that doesn't match the claimed era is an immediate red flag:

• Pre-1954: Unmarked. Be very cautious with any unsigned piece claimed to be from this era.
• 1954–1970s: "CHANEL" in block letters, stamped directly or on a rectangular/circular plaque. Round cartouche with three stars also appears.
• 1971–1979: Circular plaque with "CHANEL," copyright and registered symbols, CC logo, and "MADE IN FRANCE."
• 1980–1983: Same circular plaque but "Made in France" replaced by the four-digit year (e.g., "© 1981").
• 1984–c.1990 (Seasons 23–29): Oval plaque. Season number split either side of CC logo (e.g., "2 CC 5" = season 25). "MADE IN FRANCE" at bottom.
• c.1991–1992: Brief reversion to dateless format.
• 1993 onward: Oval plaque with two-digit year + season letter (e.g., "95A" = Autumn 1995, "97P" = Spring 1997).

All genuine stamps use capital letters. The engraving should be clean, precise and evenly spaced. Rough, uneven or poorly aligned stamping is a red flag — though note that genuine plaques aren't always perfectly centred, particularly on hang tags.

Country of manufacture: Most vintage Chanel costume jewellery was made in France. "Made in Italy" appears on some pieces from the early 2000s onward. Anything marked "Made in China" or bearing no country mark (on a piece claimed to be from the 1980s or later) is almost certainly not authentic.

Weight and construction: This is where handling experience matters most. Authentic vintage Chanel from the 80s and 90s has real substance. The gold plating is thick, the metal feels solid, and the construction is robust. If a piece feels light, tinny or plasticky, it's almost certainly not genuine. One useful test: if the metal components knock together and sound like a cheap wind chime, walk away. Genuine pieces have a satisfying weight and a muted sound. No visible soldering marks should be present on the front of the piece — workmanship on authentic Chanel is clean and invisible.

Gripoix glass quality: On pieces featuring coloured glass, look for the characteristics of handmade Gripoix work: slight irregularities in the glass surface, depth and richness of colour, and evidence of hand-finishing on the reverse. Mass-produced moulded glass cabochons are uniform, flatter in colour, and lack the translucency of genuine poured glass.

The CC logo: On authentic pieces, the interlocking CCs are consistent, symmetrical and cleanly executed. One C overlaps the other in a specific, consistent manner. Misaligned, uneven or crudely rendered CCs are one of the most common tells for fakes.

Faux pearls: Genuine Chanel faux pearls are glass, not plastic. They have weight, warmth and lustre that plastic reproductions can't match. If pearls feel lightweight or have a plasticky sheen, they're not authentic.

Clip-on mechanisms (80s and 90s): The clip mechanisms should feel well-engineered, smooth and secure. The spring tension should be firm but comfortable. Flimsy or poorly made clips are a strong indicator of a fake.

Hang tags and cartouches: Genuine Chanel hang tags are thin and slightly elongated. Fakes often have tags that are fatter and more rounded. Plaques from the 80s and 90s were typically soldered in place; from the early 2000s, some were glued and can detach over time. A missing plaque doesn't automatically mean a piece is fake, but a plaque that looks newly applied or poorly attached should raise questions.

Script marks and Reinad: Any piece marked "Chanel" in cursive script was not made by the house. These were produced by the American Chanel Novelty Company (a division of Reinad) in 1941, while Chanel was closed during the war. Coco Chanel sued and production was stopped. Reinad pieces are collectible in their own right — and some bear both the "Chanel" and "Reinad" marks — but they are entirely separate from Chanel's own jewellery production.

What Chanel Jewellery Is Worth Collecting

The strongest pieces: De Castellane-era (1984–1998) Gripoix glass crosses, medallions and brooches. Oversized CC clip-on earrings from the early 90s. Heavy gold chain belts with CC medallions. Sautoir-length pearl necklaces that can be wrapped and layered. Maltese cross motifs from any era. Goossens-era baroque cuffs and crosses from the 60s and 70s (if you can find them and authenticate them). These are the pieces that hold value, appreciate, and command the most attention from serious collectors.

The underrated pieces: Early 2000s Chanel — pierced earrings, resin and acrylic designs, the CC turnlock earrings inspired by the handbag clasp. The quality is still strong, the prices are significantly lower than peak-era work, and many of these designs are actually easier to wear with a modern wardrobe. Camellia brooches from this period are another good entry point — recognisably Chanel, beautifully made, and more affordable than the elaborate Gripoix work.

The investment view: Chanel costume jewellery from the 80s and early 90s has proven to be one of the strongest value-holders in the vintage costume jewellery market. The combination of limited production, atelier craftsmanship, the Chanel name, and genuine design quality creates a floor under prices that few other brands can match. The best de Castellane-era Gripoix pieces — particularly runway or one-of-a-kind items — now fetch thousands at auction, and the trajectory is upward.

Why it endures: The designs are enduringly wearable. A pair of 1990s CC clip-ons, a Gripoix cross pendant, a heavy gold chain belt — these pieces work as well with a plain white T-shirt as they did on a Paris runway thirty years ago. That's not nostalgia. That's the whole point of Chanel.

Jagged Metal specialises in authenticated vintage designer and costume jewellery from the 1960s through to Y2K. Browse our vintage Chanel collection or explore the full collection.