GRADE: 2.5
33 l cm

This magnificent Mughal-inspired necklace represents one of the most opulent expressions of early Chanel costume jewelry, created in collaboration with the master Parisian atelier of Louis Rousselet between 1932 and 1938. Characterized by its rhythmic drape of hand-formed faux pearls, richly colored emerald-green Gripoix glass, and scintillating strass crystal, the piece captures the interwar fascination with the jewels of the Indian courts—an aesthetic that profoundly shaped Chanel’s most theatrical commissions of the 1930s.
Rousselet’s hand is unmistakable in the meticulous construction: individually blown pearls, wired mounts, and the subtly irregular poured-glass cabochons that define the firm’s earliest work for haute couture houses. The cascading fringe—alternating pearl drops and green glass beads—creates a fluid, almost textile effect, echoing the lavish necklaces worn by maharajas and reinterpreted through the refined vocabulary of the Parisian avant-garde.
Necklaces of this scale and complexity survive only rarely, and this example stands out for its exceptional condition and richly saturated color. A superb testament to the collaboration between Chanel and one of the great artisans of French costume jewelry, it exemplifies the luxurious global eclecticism that defined the maison’s most imaginative creations of the 1930s.