The Powerful Jewelry Story Behind Rihanna's Pregnancy Announcement

How are a Cistercian Abbey, 19th century costume jewelry, Chanel, and Rihanna's pregnancy announcement connected? Settle in for a jewelry story rife with gemstones and lady bosses over 100 years before RiRi showed up. In the photos, which quickly went viral, Rihanna is wearing a pink coat from Chanel's Fall 1996 collection unbuttoned to show off a baby bump bedecked in a Chanel chain belt and pearl necklace, a Christian Lacroix crucifix, and ripped blue jeans. The outfit immediately caused a commotion, not only for its mishmash of Renaissance and streetwear but also because of that vintage Chanel coat with Gripoix buttons.

The history of Chanel and Gripoix dates back to the 1920s. For all of her glamour, Coco Chanel was heavily influenced by her childhood years living at a Cistercian Abbey in Aubazine, Corrèze. Coco had a penchant for Byzantine metalwork, rich ornate pieces studded with jewel-toned glass (think of Chanel's Maltese Cross Cuffs with Verdura, for example) and when she wanted to recreate the effect in jewelry, she headed to the Parisian glassmaking house of Giproix.

Giproix was founded in the 1860s by Augustina Gripoix, who was so skilled at creating glass jewels that high society lined up for realistic fakes they could wear about town while their antiques were stowed safely in the vault. Parisian fashion houses came knocking, and 60 years later, with Augustina's daughter Suzanne at the helm, their clients included Jeanne Lanvin and Jean Piguet. Chanel soon became a number-one customer, both for her personal collection and collaborations for her company. Gripoix created everything for Chanel, from baroque pearls (finished with a mother-of-pearl glaze) to glass jewels so realistic, Coco would have them set next to real stones in one piece of jewelry. She wore these pieces often, mixing them with her simple, elegant clothes and it wasn't long before women everywhere copied the look. The house still references Chanel's love of Gripoix and used the Parisian glassmaker in their collections through the '90s. Today, we might think nothing of throwing on a Byzantine cross with a blazer and a t-shirt (or, you know, a puffer, a baby bump, and even more jewelry) but the history behind it, from French nuns, to elegant, trailblazing businesswomen in the 1920s, to Rihanna is nothing short of a fashion holy trinity.

Here, vintage Chanel and Gripoix pieces as well as a few modern iterations of Byzantine jewelry to wear now.