Opinion: why did Chanel’s Sweater Prestige necklace win at Monaco’s inaugural GPHJ?
The first-ever Grand Prix de la Haute Joaillerie (GPHJ) unfolded on a fabulous October evening in Monaco and Chanel’s Haute Joaillerie Sport collection stole the show, its Sweater Prestige necklace—a sinuous marvel in white gold, platinum, diamonds, onyx and 37.18 carats of emerald-cut emeralds—crowned Best Piece of the Year for its fusion of craftsmanship and brand legacy. Who could have scripted it better? This was victory, yes, but it was also validation for an event long overdue in a world where haute joaillerie has lingered too comfortably in the shadow of the watch industry’s GPHG gathering.
By summoning titans like Bulgari, Tiffany & Co, Louis Vuitton, Dior, Messika, Chopard and others to compete on excellence, creation, and innovation—drawing over 20,000 public votes no less—the GPHJ asserts Monaco as high jewellery’s rightful capital, compelling houses to evolve beyond billionaire trinkets into cultural provocations that pulse with today’s restless energy.
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Chanel Sweater Prestige necklace (Photo: courtesy of Chanel)
What makes the Sweater Prestige necklace stand apart is Chanel’s fearless embrace of a sporting spirit woven into the house since Gabrielle “Coco” Chanel’s reinvention of women’s fashion in the 1920s. Long before jogging suits and activewear became megatrends, Chanel was trading constricting corsets for the freedom of jersey, inspired by her time spent around aristocratic equestrians like Étienne Balsan and the Duke of Westminster. She brought the ease of that lifestyle to life in her 1921 Deauville boutique with sailor-striped tops, fluid separates, and jersey fabrics that liberated women’s movement—breaking away from stiff formality and defining modern femininity in motion. The Sweater Prestige necklace aptly references this history and translates it into a jewel that feels as natural and expressive as those first sportswear designs.
Part of one of his last collections, the late director of the maison’s Jewelry Creation Studio, Patrice Leguéreau catapulted this message into the high jewellery stratosphere, defying the stiffness of traditional parures while celebrating our athleisure age with unapologetic extravagance. In broader terms, amid economic headwinds and a craving for narrative luxury, this piece lands like a dare: high jewellery can be wearable history, not dusty heirlooms, bridging Mademoiselle’s rebellious gallops to a collector who craves stories as much as precious stones.
Facing 33 stellar contenders from 11 maisons, the jury had a tough choice to make, but this piece sparkled through the dazzle. It was a shining example showcasing history into a living flex, reminding us that high jewellery thrives when it dares to sweat a little.
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