Chanel costume jewelry is considered by fashion historians as some of the finest costume jewelry ever produced. From the poured glass of Maison Gripoix to the brilliant designs of Robert Gossens and Karl Lagerfeld, the pieces are historical treasures.

Coco Chanel is often regarded as the creator of costume jewelry, initially designing broaches to accessorize one of her patron's outfit.  Brooches and pins were particularly popular and accompanied the newly designed jacket or dress. Costume jewelry was typically made of metal, poured glass formed to resemble pearls or semi-precious stones and rhinestones. At some point in the 1920s or 1930s, Chanel entered into collaboration with Maison Gripoix for its poured glass, a collaboration that continued until the mid-1990’s when Maison Gripoix ceased to exist. 

Many of Chanel’s jewelry reflect things that were important to Coco Chanel and the company. The iconic CC-logo is used heavily in its jewelry. Other signature items found particularly in vintage jewelry are four-leaf clovers (a lucky symbol for Coco Chanel), lion head (depicting the astrological sign Leo, Coco's sign), Chanel No. 5 perfume bottle, Chanel 31 Rue Cambon headquarters building and Chanel 2.55 quilted handbag. Even today, most of the new jewelry collections are reinterpretations of vintage designs.

The Chanel stamp not only denotes authenticity, it also is valuable in dating a piece.  Much of the early jewelry was not signed or was stamped simply “depose” signifying it was patented. During the war, Chanel ceased production. When jewelry production recommenced, the pieces carried the Chanel stamp.  Since the mid-1990s, the stamp typically includes the collection (e.g., 16A for fall 2016), the signature CC logo and the Made In France designation. Previously, from the late 1980s until the mid-1990s, the collection was denoted not as year and season, but by the actual collection number (e.g. 22 or 23). From the 1960s through the mid-1980s, the jewelry lacked date codes but have distinctive "Chanel" stamps that enable dating the period during which the piece was produced.

Chanel still places great importance on jewelry in fashion as demonstrated by the abundance of jewelry worn on the Chanel runway. Over the past 50 years, Chanel has expanded its breadth of jewelry, often reissuing or modernizing popular vintage pieces, and has built a large cadre of jewelry devotees including celebrities like Lady Gaga, the Olsen sisters, Beyonce, Rihanna, and Sarah Jessica Parker.