Ending months of industry speculation following her departure from Cartier last year, Marie-Laure Cérède has been officially appointed as the Director of Chanel’s Jewelry Creation Studio. She assumes her new role in October 2026.

In a joint statement, Chanel Global Executive Chair Alain Wertheimer and Global CEO Leena Nair praised Cérède as “one of the most talented, refined, and accomplished creative directors of her generation,” noting that her vision will define the next era of the house’s jewelry collections.

A significant shift in her new role is the inclusion of high jewelry—a category that fell outside her purview during her 2016–2025 tenure as Cartier’s Creative Director of Jewelry and Watchmaking. At Chanel, Cérède will be responsible for both precious and high jewelry portfolios. She will report directly to Frédéric Grangié, President of Watches and Fine Jewelry, while collaborating alongside Arnaud Chastaingt, Director of the Watchmaking Creation Studio.

This leadership change comes as Chanel’s watch and jewelry division continues to prove its market strength. According to Morgan Stanley estimates, the division accounts for roughly 5% of the house’s sales—approximately $965 million of Chanel’s $19.3 billion turnover in 2025.

Looking toward the future, Grangié highlighted Cérède’s “deep expertise in craft and knowledge of gemology,” while Cérède herself expressed her deep admiration for Chanel, calling it “a maison of singular cultural force… that continues to question convention, redefine femininity, and express modernity.”