Couture 1930s CocoChanel LinaBaretti SatinBlackCamellias PaveCrystals Gold Set

Baretti later made gold-edged unsigned earrings reminiscent of this set using colorful fabrics for Elsa Schiaparelli, who was Chanel’s main couture competition through the 1940s. We found such attributed designs dating back to 1930 in the record-setting September-2022 auction of Baretti’s unsigned 1947 clip earrings for 5,700EU, which were from the parurier’s personal collection acquired by her niece.

Fortunately, Barbara Berger’s museum-exhibited costume-jewelry collection includes a pair of crystal-adorned earrings by Baretti circa-1930 with the same French wire-clip fasteners and black fabric like our set. More so, the Berger collection has a very similar pave-crystal and gold-plated black-flowerhead set of a brooch and linked multi-pendant necklace by Baretti circa-1970. So the flowerhead is a significant motif that Baretti continued to make variations of throughout her career, perhaps also for ready-to-wear Parisian luxury retailer Henry a la Pensee.

This Chanel-by-Baretti unique set was most likely crafted by either of Coco Chanel’s preferred Parisian workshop of Louis Rousselet or Maison Gripoix, while the later is more strongly associated with pointed-petal camellias, as well as use of crystals and textile materials. Baretti–who created designs for multiple couture houses with her recognizable mix of high-and-low materials and techniques such as wire wrapping that enabled fine textures like cannetille–was a frequent collaborator with many fine-material specialized workshops.

Since at least 1930, Chanel-commissioned jewelry could be marked “France” or “Made In France” until the brand logo was added to most pieces beginning in the 1950s.