When Gabrielle “Coco” Chanel decided in 1920 to branch out from fashion to fragrance, she chose the fifth sample presented by her team of noses, a mélange of ylang-ylang from Madagascar, May rose and piquant jasmine grown in the southern French commune of Grasse. The golden color of Chanel No. 5, which could be seen through the simple square-corner glass bottle — designed to contrast with the ornate cut crystal vessels made by Lalique and Baccarat at the time — was almost as important as its bouquet. That warm yellow hue and the dizzying waft of sillage in its wake were among the things that inspired Patrice Leguéreau, who directs the house’s fine jewelry studio, to render the radically modern scent in gem form. Resembling a flower exploding into bloom with a five-carat emerald-cut diamond as its luminous pistil and stamen, surrounded by a cascade of yellow sapphires and orange spessartite garnets, this captivating ring manages the impossible: turning the fleeting frisson of fragrance into an eternal object of desire. Chanel High Jewelry Golden Sillage ring, price on request, (800) 550-0005.
Photo assistant: Colin Barry-Jester
