A flower is one of the most personal pieces a lady can choose for herself, and these are the two houses that do it best: Van Cleef & Arpels with the Frivole, Chanel with the Camélia. Both are worn for what they mean to you rather than for anyone else — a small, glad thing on the hand or at the throat. They differ in feel and, quite a bit, in price. The Camélia is the more accessible entry, with plain-gold rings from around £1,300 pre-owned as of July 2026; the Frivole starts higher, near £3,300, and its mirror-polished petals are the reason. Here is how to choose.
Van Cleef & Arpels and Chanel each turned a flower into a signature, but they mean different things by it.
What does each flower stand for?
The Frivole, introduced by Van Cleef & Arpels in 2003, is built from heart-shaped petals in mirror-polished gold, each often centred with a diamond. The polish is the point: the petals throw light as your hand moves, so the piece feels alive rather than static. The Camélia is Chanel’s emblem — the thornless, scentless white flower Gabrielle Chanel chose for herself and pinned to everything she made, from jackets to jewellery. In fine jewellery it appears sculpted in gold, sometimes as an openwork bloom, sometimes pavé-set. One is about light; the other is about a flower with a hundred years of Chanel behind it.
How much does each cost, pre-owned?
The Camélia is the gentler entry; the Frivole asks more even at its smallest, because of the gold work. The figures below are wider-market asking prices as of July 2026, from specialist dealers and secondary-market listings.
| Piece | VCA Frivole | Chanel Camélia |
|---|---|---|
| Ring, gold, minimal diamonds | single-flower ring from ~£3,300 | plain-gold ring ~£1,300–£2,100 |
| Ring, gold + diamond | diamond ring ~£3,300–£17,500 (avg ~£6,300) | Extrait ring ~£2,100–£3,300 |
| Ring, diamond pavé | between-the-finger two-flower ~£6,000–£9,000 | Bouton pavé ~£4,500–£10,000+ |
| Pendant / necklace | diamond pendant ~£7,500–£9,950 | Extrait necklace ~£2,300–£3,000 |
| Bracelet | multi-flower diamond, five-figure | surfaces rarely pre-owned |
These are open-market floors, not Chrono6538’s prices; we sell authenticated, checked pieces at a premium to the private-market figure.
Which suits everyday wear?
Both can be worn daily, but they sit differently. The Frivole’s raised petals are three-dimensional and a little bolder on the hand — lovely, but something to consider if you type all day or wear gloves. The Camélia, particularly the flatter openwork and Extrait rings, tends to sit closer and snag less, which makes it an easy first fine-jewellery flower. For a pendant you will never take off, either works; for a ring in constant use, try the Camélia first.
Which holds value better?
Van Cleef & Arpels has the stronger secondary market of the two, and the Frivole benefits from it — diamond pieces resell well and the name is in constant demand. The Camélia resells more modestly, partly because several styles are no longer sold new, which makes discontinued pieces a genuine find but the market thinner. Choose either for the flower rather than the return: both keep their appeal, neither is a reliable way to make money. This is not investment advice, and values can fall as well as rise.
So which flower is yours?
Choose the Frivole if you love the way polished gold catches light and you want the piece to feel a little alive on the hand. Choose the Camélia if you want Chanel’s own flower, a softer everyday shape and a gentler entry price. Both are pieces to buy for yourself, for the simple pleasure of a flower that is exactly to your taste.
Where to buy
Buy whichever flower you keep returning to, authenticated, guaranteed and ready to wear. You can see the authenticated fine jewellery at Chrono6538 → and ask us to source a specific Frivole or Camélia piece.
Prices are wider-market guide figures in GBP, asking prices as of July 2026, sourced from specialist dealers and secondary-market listings; they are not Chrono6538’s own prices. Last updated July 2026. Descriptive, not investment advice; values can fall as well as rise. Written by the Chrono6538 editorial desk.