Christina Ricci’s collection of Chanel bags helped fund her divorce: ‘I learned to use these investment pieces in different ways’

Christina Ricci has been a working actress since she was nine years old and her films have grossed over $1 billion altogether, according to Box Office Mojo.

And though that’s a pretty impressive dollar amount, it doesn’t mean that Ricci has seen that much money in her career.

The 42-year-old recently revealed in an interview with Sunday Times Style that she sold parts of her Chanel handbag and jewelry collections to help fund her 2020 divorce from James Heerdegen.

“There are certain things that I have collected—certain bags. I had quite a Chanel handbag collection for a while, but I sold a lot of things,” she said.

Ricci added that “certain traumas in life go along with financial traumas, extended court situations, custody situations [and] fighting restraining orders.”

Ricci and Heerdegen were married for almost seven years and had a son in 2014 before their split in 2020.

In her divorce filing, the “Addams Family” star stated that she was subjected to “severe physical and emotional abuse” by Heerdegen and that “many of these acts of abuse” took place in front of their son, according to People. Heerdegen denied the allegations at the time.

In 2021, Ricci was granted full custody of their son, while Heerdegen was given visitation rights. Since moving on from that experience, Ricci has married again and welcomed a second child with celebrity hairstylist Mark Hampton.

Ricci touched on the importance of moving on in the Sunday Times Style interview as well. “Having said that, I’m absolutely doing fine; there’s no issue. But I learned to use these investment pieces in different ways. I also had a Chanel Fine jewelry collection that I put to good use,” she said.

The value of Chanel handbags has continued to go up, so Ricci’s decision to sell her collection when she did was perfect timing. According to Bloomberg, a June study from Credit Suisse Group AG showed that Chanel bags rose in value by 24.5% from the previous year.

Chanel combines brand loyalty with limited amounts of inventory, Jessica Henderson, a Senior Curator at FASHIONPHILE, tells CNBC Make It. That has created a good opportunity for resellers.

“It’s an investment that you can enjoy now, and then you can also get your money back later on if it’s kept in the same condition,” she says.

The Chanel handbags that retain the most value are, hands down, the classic flaps, Henderson says. She suggests sticking to the core colors and textiles that will stand the test of time.

“Right now is a good time to sell and also purchase these items because the prices are only going to increase,” Henderson adds.

Luxury designer jewelry, by contrast, doesn’t retain as much value and can be harder to sell, Henderson says. When it comes to high-end pieces, she suggests turning to an auction house.

“Handbags are the better investment. It’s all about ensuring you’re being selective and discerning with what you choose to buy in this climate right now,” Henderson says.

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