His office at Chanel was a haven of peace, luminous and tastefully and simply furnished. At the large table in the center (surrounded by Gio Ponti’s divine Supperleggera chairs), he would sit down to draw, but also enjoyed receiving his teams, colleagues and visitors. When people came to see him to talk about jewelry and haute joaillerie, he liked nothing better than to introduce the preparatory drawings he had made. On large white boards, this École Boulle graduate would give free rein to his brushes, tracing multicolored lines that would lead him to inspired adornments. For several months, he had been away from the office, battling illness. He passed away yesterday at the age of 54.

Armed with an artistic training (complemented by a course at the Institut National de Gemmologie), Patrice Leguéreau cut his teeth in the finest jewelry houses, spending six years at Cartier and then eleven at Van Cleef & Arpels. In 2009, he remained at Place Vendôme, but left the Richemont group to join Chanel as director of the jewelry and haute joaillerie design studio. He was also in charge of special orders and precious objects such as William Christie’s academician’s sword.

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With great talent, he has followed in the footsteps of Gabrielle Chanel, who designed a single jewelry collection in 1932, interpreting two cherished themes in diamonds: the stars and the sky. the comet, the moon, the sunand couture, with ribbons, feathers and bangs, all in his own creative style. Patrice Leguéreau has not only seized on these jewelry signatures, but has also broadened the spectrum by seizing on the vocabulary of the Rue Cambon house, declining camellia, wheat, pearls, lion, the tweed… and even quilting with its best-selling Coco Crush collection in 2015. Iconic perfume N°5 had become, under her fingers, a necklace like no other, echoing the curves of the little bottle and set with a special 55.55-carat diamond in 2021.

What he was always looking for, and often repeated, was “to go furtherTo “go further”, to push back the limits of creation towards unprecedented forms, singular stories, unthinkable techniques, thus helping to write the history of Chanel jewelry. Going further, but also “rfree ester“. “While Chanel’s heritage is extremely rich, its jewelry heritage can be summed up in a single collection, he explained in 2022. It’s ideal: I can immerse myself while being fairly unconstrained, and create, in the zeitgeist, while injecting as many attributes of haute joaillerie as possible.“

“Under his leadership, the jewelry design studio grew and developed, welcoming numerous talents whom he never ceased to encourage and help grow. Those who had the good fortune to work alongside him will remember him as a deeply sensitive, humble and accessible man, driven by a strong sense of community.“Chanel wrote to announce his death.