Bloom Day

The white camellia may not conjure the drama of a rose or the playfulness of a daisy, but the frothy blossom was nonetheless Coco Chanel’s favorite. Today, the namesake French house has created a 40-piece collection of precious baubles, many of them inspired by the camellia, which famously decorated Mademoiselle Chanel’s little black dresses. Debuting at September’s Biennale des Antiquaires in Paris, the line features new designs as well as re-editions from 1932, when Chanel introduced fine jewelry. The tour de force, though, is a novel gem: an audacious 38-carat Paraïba tourmaline brooch garnished with more than 1,000 diamonds and accented with 18-karat white gold and blue lacquer. Indeed, Coco would have worn the extravagant bud proudly.