N°5: From Fragrance to Fine Jewellery The Alchemy of a Number

There are numbers, and then there is N°5. A digit that transcends arithmetic, it has become a symbol of elegance, mystique, and enduring allure thanks to the vision of Gabrielle Chanel. What began as a revolutionary fragrance in 1921 has, over a century later, evolved into a high jewellery icon, shimmering with diamonds, gold, and the same spirit of bold femininity that defined the original scent.

When Coco Chanel selected the fifth vial presented to her by perfumer Ernest Beaux, she wasn’t just choosing a formula she was choosing a philosophy. “I present my dress collections on the fifth of May, the fifth month of the year,” she said. “So we will let this sample number five keep the name it has already. It will bring good luck.” And so it did. Chanel N°5 became the first abstract fragrance, a blend of aldehydes and florals that defied convention and redefined what it meant to “smell like a woman.”

But the number 5 held deeper resonance for Chanel. Raised in a convent orphanage, she was surrounded by its symbolism in architecture and ritual. In numerology, 5 represents freedom, transformation, and dynamic energy qualities that mirrored her own life and the women she designed for. It was only fitting that this number would become the cornerstone of her legacy.

In 2021, to mark the centenary of the fragrance, Chanel unveiled the N°5 High Jewellery Collection, a dazzling tribute that distilled the essence of the perfume into precious stones and metals. At its heart was the now-legendary 55.55 necklace, set with a flawless 55.55-carat diamond an homage not only to the fragrance but to the geometry of its iconic bottle and stopper. This piece, now part of the House’s heritage collection, became the blueprint for a new era of jewellery storytelling.

Fast forward to 2025, and the evolution continues. Chanel’s latest  jewellery creations reinterpret N°5 through a modern lens, introducing two new pieces that are as versatile as they are opulent: a shorter necklace that can be worn as a choker, and a bracelet crafted in three tones of gold white, beige, and yellow. The number 5, fully set in diamonds, anchors each piece with quiet power. These are not just jewels; they are talismans wearable expressions of identity, memory, and meaning.

The collection also includes new yellow gold versions of a bangle, a ring, and a single earring, each echoing the minimalist elegance of the original fragrance bottle. The invisible clasp of the bracelet, cleverly hidden within the number 5, nods to the clasp of Chanel’s iconic 2.55 handbag another emblem of the House’s design ingenuity.

Gabrielle Chanel

“If I chose diamonds, it is because they represent, with their density, the highest value for the smallest volume.”

To launch this chapter, Chanel chose a setting as poetic as the pieces themselves: Lake Garda, where the campaign was filmed in Campione del Garda. A mirrored floating platform on the water became the stage for a cinematic homage to light, reflection, and timeless beauty. The lake’s serene surface mirrored the jewellery’s brilliance, creating a visual metaphor for the duality of N°5—its stillness and its sparkle, its history and its reinvention.

What makes N°5 so enduring is its ability to evolve without losing its soul. Whether in a bottle or on a collarbone, it remains a symbol of freedom, femininity, and fearless creativity. The number 5 is no longer just a name it’s a legacy, now cast in gold and diamonds.

And in the world of Chanel, that legacy continues to shine.