Chanel chief jewelry designer Verdura

Speaking of channels, the most classic is the rebellious fashion of letting women wear pants and "fake pearls". Therefore, most of Channel’s jewelry are “fake” jewelry made of artificial materials.

However, in fact, in the history of channel, there are also highlight moments of high-end jewelry. The most famous of them is the "Chanel Era" period. Together with the genius naughty boy - Vertula, he created a series of Byzantine-style jewelry full of Italian aristocratic style. Among them, the eternal classic - Maltese Cross, this work is more It was the jewelry design style that dominated Chanel in the 1930s and became an eternal classic in the history of jewelry and fashion.

This old naughty boy who often talks about "fun" always comes up with some novel ideas and subverts the concept of jewelry design in extremely interesting ways. His high-end jewelry Unique and sought after by countless Hollywood stars, the charm of his works has spanned centuries and remains enduring.

There are also many interesting and legendary things in Verdura's life. Today, I will take you into the artistic life of Verdura, the only aristocrat in the jewelry industry in the 20th century.

In 1899, Verdura was born into a noble family on the island of Sicily, Italy. Be aware that this is not common. At least throughout the 20th century, he was probably the only person with a truly aristocratic background in the jewelry or fashion industry. Be it Cartier, Chanel or anyone else’s origins were humble. A man of such a noble birth actually devotes himself to the design and production of jewelry, which was considered to be the work of craftsmen in the past. It is conceivable how deviant he is, and how unique the jewelry he designs will be.

And his hometown, Palermo, the capital of Sicily, Italy, has a warm and pleasant climate, beautiful natural scenery, and exquisite and contemporary Norman, Byzantine and Islamic architecture. Italy The literary giant Dante praised Palermo as "the most beautiful Muslim city in the world".

The generous and free environment since childhood, as well as the beautiful natural scenery and free and romantic style of Sicily, have cultivated Fodula's innate aesthetic taste, wild imagination and free and easy humorous character. All of this injected extraordinary artistic genes into his future jewelry designs.

After his father died in August 1923, Verdura inherited the family title and became the last Duke of Sicily. Although he has a noble bloodline that is envied by the world, for Verdura, artistic pursuits are more important than any noble title.

1925 was an extraordinary year for Verdura. Through the introduction of a friend, he met a person who was very important to him-Chanel, which also started his career in the United States and the United States. A legend in European jewelry circles. The same high-end aesthetics, eclectic humor and wild ideas made channel and Verdura hit it off immediately, and Verdura was immediately appointed as the textile designer.

In 1927, Verdura left his hometown and went to Paris, France.

They often visit galleries and art exhibitions together. For Verdura, Chanel was his muse and "the first person to take me seriously."

1930 was the highlight of his career - after a trip to Italy, Vertula and Ms. Chanel visited the Ravenna Church and were deeply attracted by the mosaic portrait of the Byzantine Queen Theodora. Fodula gave him new inspiration. His revolutionary and bold use of gold and colored gemstones broke the status quo of popular jewelry styles in society at that time.

Among them, the classic Chanel Maltese Cross Cuffs - white enamel with a cross pattern inlaid with several bright and unique round gemstones, was loved by Chanel and later almost always accompanied her. her whole life.

This bracelet later became a basic element of Vedura's design style and defined an era of jewelry.

The famous fashion editor Diana Vreeland (Diana Vreeland) was a loyal customer of Chanel at the time. She purchased two of Verdura's earliest and most famous pieces of jewelry - the "Theodora" and "Ravenna" brooches. .

For more than 6 years, Verdura has continued to bring jewelry-inspired creations to Chanel. These jewelry design styles have eventually become timeless classics in Chanel jewelry.

In 1934, Verdura ended his cooperation with Chanel and immigrated to the United States with his friends. It was this move that made him truly famous.

In 1939, on the day World War II broke out, Verdura and two of his friends opened their own jewelry store in a 650-foot-tall skyscraper on Fifth Avenue in New York City. Named jewelry salon.

It was the golden age of the United States, and New York brought together the world's most famous artists, stars, and celebrities.

During this period, he was inspired by his native Sicily and combined with his love of Renaissance art to create a large number of nature-themed jewelry pieces, such as the leaf brooch made of colored zircons. , pomegranates with ruby ??"seeds", corn with black pearl "corns", and emerald artichokes, etc.

The perfectly conceived, exquisitely structured, bold and understated jewelry works were recognized by the New York fashion world. At that time, many celebrities and Hollywood stars became loyal fans of Verdula, such as Greta Garbo ( Greta Garbo, Joan Crawford, Marlene Dietrich, and Katharine Hepburn all like to wear jewelry designed by Verdura.

"Verdura for Flato" quickly became a sought-after trademark both on the East Coast and on the silver screen.

The artistic value of Verdura’s jewelry is due to her acquaintance with Dali, the master of Surrealism. Verdura became very interested in Dali’s character and ideas. For Dali, In Verdura he found the perfect partner who understood the style he aspired to. They hit it off immediately and decided to collaborate on some activities related to jewelry and painting.

In 1941, Verdura collaborated with Dali to develop their first collection of Surrealist jewelry. The collection reinterprets themes of love, loss, faith and war, embodying concepts of surrealism.

This move completely broke the tradition and brought a colorful new atmosphere to the jewelry world. This historic cooperation started Dali's lifelong fascination with jewelry.

More than thirty years later, Verdura sold his shares, retired, and settled back in the UK. After retirement, he continued to paint and design until his death in 1978.

Let’s review the classic design works in his life:

1. Wrapped Heart (“wrapped heart”)

In 1940, Hollywood movie star Tyrone Power custom-made a brooch as a Christmas gift for his wife Annabella. This unique brooch became popular in the jewelry industry and became a classic. It was named: Wrapped Heart.

5. Verdura emerald scarf necklace, designed for Dorothy Paley Hirshon in 1941.

Verdura is a true artist. He rejects mass production and commercialization, and each piece of work is perfectly conceived, exquisitely structured, and has a unique light.

He is a person who does not conform to traditional norms.

Mixing the use of jewelry, imitation gemstones, shells and other creatures in his works, and even decorating cheap chess sets with gemstones and diamonds, he broke the boundaries of jewelry design in an unprecedented way.

Perhaps it is because, as an old-school aristocrat, he is not very interested in worldly things such as money, and sometimes even despises it, which is why he never became rich, but he lived his life The life you really want. The jewelry he creates is consistent with his character: noble, elegant, and always exudes a charming aristocratic atmosphere.