“A girl should be two things: classy and fabulous.” That is one statement to live by, especially when coming from the legendary Coco Chanel.

It all started in the 1930s when Coco Chanel, the French designer of “all things glamorous” stated that “Elegance is Refusal”. Her fine jewelry offered the first glimpse of haute couture for women, the vibrantly feminine woman who considered herself ‘powerful while ladylike’. Her fashion jewelry designs were the first ventures into “high-low” fashion whereby exquisite jewels were combined with other stones to add interest and to bring the price point for one or two pieces of fine jewelry out of the “royalty only” range. In many ways, she set a bar that continues to stand. Coco Chanel’s most famous fine jewelry included elegant pins and bracelets.