Chanel Jewellery: Costume and Fine, Marks, Care and Value
A dealer's guide to Chanel jewellery: how Coco Chanel made costume jewellery fashionable, what her pieces are made of, how to read the marks and tell real from fake, and what decides value.
By the Mozeris specialistsUpdated 2 min read
Gabrielle Chanel in Los Angeles, 1931. Photo: Los Angeles Times, CC BY 4.0
The short answer
Most Chanel jewellery is costume jewellery: gold-tone or silver-tone plated metal with glass pearls, poured glass, crystals and enamel, made to high standards. Chanel also makes fine jewellery in 18KT gold and platinum with diamonds, sold since 1993, and marked 750 or with platinum marks. The stamps tell you which you have.
Most Chanel jewellery is costume jewellery: plated metal with glass pearls and crystals.
Chanel Fine Jewellery, since 1993, is 18KT gold or platinum and engraved with a serial.
Genuine costume pieces carry a CHANEL stamp plaque, often with CC, copyright and Made in France.
Chanel and costume jewellery
Gabrielle Chanel made costume jewellery fashionable in the 1920s, wearing glass pearls and bold gilt pieces as freely as precious jewels (Sotheby's). Her suppliers and designers included the Paris glass workshop of Gripoix, Fulco di Verdura, who designed her enamel cuffs with the Maltese cross around 1930, and after her return in 1954 the goldsmith Robert Goossens.
Period
What to look for
1920s to 1930s
Long glass pearl ropes, Gripoix glass, Maltese cross cuffs; 1932 diamond collection
1954 to 1971
Goossens gilt metal, double C, Maltese crosses, camellias, chains with glass
1980s to 1990s
Bold gold-tone logos, quilted motifs, large clip-on earrings, layered chains
1993 onwards
Chanel Fine Jewellery in 18KT gold and platinum alongside seasonal costume jewellery
Costume or fine: materials and marks
Costume jewellery
Fine jewellery
Metal
Gold-tone or silver-tone plated base metal
18KT gold (750), platinum
Stones
Glass pearls, poured glass, crystals
Diamonds, pearls, gemstones
Marks
CHANEL, CC, copyright, Made in France, season and year code
Keep Chanel costume jewellery dry, away from perfume and hairspray, and stored separately so plating does not rub. Wipe with a soft dry cloth. Glass pearls lose their coating if soaked.
Free valuation
Every Chanel piece is different. Send us photos of the front, the back and the stamp plaque, and we will tell you what it is worth, free and with no obligation. Request a free valuation.
Is Chanel jewellery real gold or costume jewellery?
Most Chanel jewellery is costume jewellery: gold-tone or silver-tone plated metal with glass pearls, poured glass, crystals and enamel, made to high standards. Chanel also makes fine jewellery in 18KT gold and platinum with diamonds, sold since 1993, and marked 750 or with platinum marks. The stamps tell you which you have.
Does Chanel sell jewellery?
Yes. Chanel sells costume jewellery, including earrings, necklaces, brooches and bracelets, alongside its fashion collections each season, and fine jewellery such as the Coco Crush and Comète lines from its high jewellery house on the Place Vendôme in Paris. Gabrielle Chanel presented a diamond collection as early as 1932.
What is Chanel costume jewellery made of?
Chanel costume jewellery is usually gold-plated or silver-tone base metal set with glass pearls, poured glass, rhinestones and crystals, and sometimes enamel, leather or resin. The Paris workshop of Gripoix made its distinctive glass, and the goldsmith Robert Goossens produced many pieces after Chanel reopened in 1954.
How can I tell if Chanel jewellery is real?
Look for a crisp CHANEL stamp, often with the interlocking CC, a copyright symbol and Made in France, on a plaque or the back of the piece, and on later pieces a season and year code. Plating should be even, stones set or glued neatly, and clasps solid. Copies are lighter, with soft stamps and uneven finish.
Does Chanel jewellery have serial numbers?
Chanel costume jewellery does not carry individual serial numbers; it is identified by its stamp plaque, which on later pieces includes a season and year code. Chanel fine jewellery in 18KT gold is engraved with CHANEL, 750 and a serial number. Keep any box, pouch and receipt with a piece.
Does Chanel jewellery tarnish or rust?
Chanel costume jewellery is plated base metal, so the plating can wear and darken where it rubs, especially on earrings, clasps and edges, and moisture speeds it up. It does not rust in normal wear. Fine jewellery in 18KT gold or platinum does not tarnish. Keep costume pieces dry and away from perfume.
Does Chanel jewellery hold its value?
Second-hand value depends on the piece, its era, condition, demand and whether it is costume or fine jewellery. Vintage pieces of the 1980s and 1990s, Gripoix glass, large statement necklaces and signed early pieces are collected, and fine jewellery keeps the value of its gold and diamonds. Send photos for a free valuation.
What are vintage Chanel earrings like?
Vintage Chanel earrings are mostly clip-ons, often large: gold-tone CC logos, glass pearls, Gripoix poured glass drops, quilted designs and camellias, many from the 1980s and 1990s. Check the stamp on the back, the clip mechanism and the plating, which wears first on the front edges.
Why does Chanel use buttons, lions and camellias?
Gabrielle Chanel favoured certain symbols: the camellia, her favourite flower; the lion, her star sign Leo; and the interlocking CC. Chanel buttons with these motifs, made for suits, are also collected and set into necklaces, earrings and brooches. Vintage gold-tone coin and medallion necklaces use the same motifs.
What is Chanel known for in jewellery?
Coco Chanel made costume jewellery fashionable in the 1920s and 1930s, mixing glass pearls and bold gilt metal with precious pieces, and wearing long ropes of pearls and stacked cuffs. Her Maltese cross cuffs, designed with Fulco di Verdura around 1930, and her layered pearl necklaces remain signatures of the house.
