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From Coco Chanel to Dua Lipa, how costume jewellery became a symbol of empowerment

STORYAnnie Brown
Dua Lipa sparkled in custom Swarovski fits at London’s Wembley Stadium in June. Photo: WireImage
Dua Lipa sparkled in custom Swarovski fits at London’s Wembley Stadium in June. Photo: WireImage
Jewellery

A new book by jewellery editor Carol Woolton explores how accessible jewels changed both tastes and how women adorned themselves

From Gabrielle “Coco” Chanel in her signature “ropes and ropes” of faux pearls to Dua Lipa performing at London’s Wembley Stadium in custom Swarovski sparkles, costume jewellery has always made maximum impact. Kenneth Jay Lane, hailed as the “king of costume jewellery” in his day, is a case in point. His bold pieces certainly transformed modes of glamour and aspiration, with his creations worn by the likes of Elizabeth Taylor and Audrey Hepburn as well as Wallis Simpson, the Duchess of Windsor.

As Chanel herself – a long-time lover of costume jewels who only ever designed one high jewellery collection with Bijoux de Diamants in 1932 – once said, “Costume jewellery is not made to give women an aura of wealth but to make them beautiful.”

Marilyn Monroe – delighting in costume jewellery in 1955. Photo: Corbis via Getty Images
Marilyn Monroe – delighting in costume jewellery in 1955. Photo: Corbis via Getty Images
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Chanel is one woman of exceptional taste featured in renowned jewellery editor Carol Woolton’s lush new coffee table book, Costume Jewelry. Co-authored with art historian Maria Luisa Frisa, the book examines nearly 600 jewels from the 1930s to the new millennium, to chart how accessible jewels changed both tastes and how women adorned – and empowered – themselves.

“Coco Chanel was significant in influencing women to unshackle themselves from old-fashioned conventions and embrace a new sense of freedom. She mixed faux jewels with a sense of abandon, often interspersed with real jewels,” says Woolton of Chanel’s impact on how women thought about their jewellery.
William de Lillo geometric necklace in sterling silver. Photo: Handout
William de Lillo geometric necklace in sterling silver. Photo: Handout

“With her encouragement, costume jewels began to be valued in their own right as beautiful adornments, rather than imitations of precious gems. And although she favoured baroque designs, they were never worn to mimic the antique,” Woolton continues. “She believed that jewellery shouldn’t be worn as a sign of wealth, which was tantamount, she said, to ‘wearing a cheque around your neck’. [Chanel said,] ‘The mania to want to dazzle disgusts me; jewellery is not meant to arouse envy, still less astonishment. It should remain an ornament and for amusement.’”

Even women who could afford to shop at the likes of Harry Winston or Tiffany & Co. chose to wear Chanel’s non-precious baubles, Woolton notes. The pieces were typically crafted from materials such as resin and glass, and embellished with elements like faux pearls and gold plating.
Kenneth Jay Lane’s signature animal bangles. Photo: Handout
Kenneth Jay Lane’s signature animal bangles. Photo: Handout

“She helped costume jewellery become a leveller in society,” the author affirms.

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