"Why does all I do become Byzantine?", Mademoiselle Chanel was often heard to exclaim. Her love of the Orient is behind this obsession that influenced her design, and Venice, was the gateway to the Orient for her. The new collection Secrets D'Orient is opulent and rich with Eastern colours. Chanel move away from the all-white of diamonds and pearls and bring us the sensual, warm tones of the Orient with the Secrets D'Orient collection. Delicate strands of micro-pearls combine with pink sapphires and rubellites for a soft glow in the Byzance designs, and the blue waters of the canals come alive in a cascading Venitienne necklace of multi-coloured sapphires. Wine-red rubies and pink sapphires and green emeralds are reminiscent of light through stain-glass windows in the vivacious Mosaique pieces. The Coupole ring suspends red rubellites, pink tourmalines, garnets, yellow citrines and micro-pearls in diamond-set domes inspired by Venice's churches . Shake the Persane cuff, a rich tapestry of diamonds, tsavorites, pink tourmalines and rubellites, and the Russian spirit of vivacity and opulence comes alive.
