For exactly twenty years Victoire de Castellane, a prominent jewelry artist, has been responsible for the magic and desirability of Dior jewelry, watches and jewels. She devises ways to immortalize the House’s historic ball attire in cocktail rings, weaves a gold net-cannage spied on Christian Dior’s favorite chairs, draws cartoons of her imaginary walks with him, dresses carved skulls of gems into diamond collars and crowns, catches the moonlight falling on the gardens of Versailles in blackened silver. Not a career – a dream of the highest order!
This summer Dior Joaillerie celebrates its 20th anniversary. Victoire has repeatedly extolled in her jewelry the main values of haute couture – complex cut, architecture, feathers, ribbons and frills. Now it was the turn of lace. Dior jewelers reproduced Chantilly lace in pink, white and yellow gold. Each “honeycomb” of the base-grid was sawed by hand. The inner surface of these elements underwent minimal polishing, so that the gloss does not kill the volume that gives gold its airiness. Each large stone has been given a separately designed setting. It allows its upper facets not to protrude above the surface of the designs, but only reveals the facets of its setting, alluding to the relief of the lace embroidery. Behind the sophistication of the techniques lies a stunningly beautiful result.
