Christian Dior was an artist who loved flowers, colours and couture. His unique ability to combine all three into boundary-pushing designs has cemented the reputation of the House of Dior as one of the most prestigious fashion brands to date. To celebrate its exceptional legacy in the world of fashion, Victoire de Castellane, the artistic director of Dior Joaillerie, has created a collection of 79 high jewellery pieces and five solitaire rings that bring to life the special embroidery techniques and various styles of Dior Couture gowns, using the vast Dior archives as her inspiration.
The Bee-Bezel Pattern
To recreate the delicate stitching of embroidery, de Castellane uses lines of assembled marquise and princess-cut diamonds and coloured gemstones in a claw setting to evoke the jagged and at times haphazard loops of silk thread stitching seen on the ornate edges and bodices of Dior gowns. The juxtaposition of these round and square-shaped stones gives an organic feel to the pieces, providing added layers of texture and therefore intrigue. This Bee-Bezel pattern is present throughout the Dior Delicat collection in white diamonds as well as sapphires, which are set together to create floral shapes, breathing new life into the timeless floral emblem of Dior, one that has been featured in the Maison’s luxury designs for decades. The diamond and sapphire necklace below is a perfect example of the use of the Bee-Bezel pattern where marquise and princess-cut sapphires join in rows leading to a 7.57-carat pear-shaped blue sapphire.
The Tassel Friezes Design
As with all Dior Couture dresses, the designers at Dior Joaillerie work to create fluidity and movement and the Dior Delicat collection is no exception. To do this, they used the Tassel Friezes setting design, in which a line of round-cut gems separated by a certain distance is added beneath a round-angled line of stones, creating a swagged effect. One of the highlights of the collection, a pair of gold and diamond earrings featuring a selection of baguette, round and marquise-cut diamonds, illustrates the movement achieved by the Tassel Friezes design, as each smaller round diamond gives a whirling feel to the earrings, creating a modernized take on the chandelier.
The Floret Line
On many Dior pieces of Haute Couture clothing, you will find a decorative horizontal band running along the garment, one that is often floral - in celebration of Christian Dior’s beloved childhood garden. In homage to this noted Dior detail, de Castellane uses lines of assembled pear and round-cut stones in a claw setting to recreate these floral friezes. Together, the round bodies of the gems form the shape of flowers with the tip of the pear-shaped stones acting as the elongated shape of petals as they open from their round-brilliant pistils. The Dior Délicat necklace featuring a 4.51-carat pear-shaped yellow diamond perfectly illustrates the use of this technique. A jigsaw pattern made of white diamond flowers leads the viewer’s eye to a singular coloured sapphire.
Semi-Flower Décor
Lace is another important part of Dior fashion. To honour this, many of the Dior Delicat high jewellery pieces feature a Semi-Flower Décor, in which sections of daisy-shaped flowers are set on necklaces and earrings, acting as a finishing detail to the piece. This half-floral shape imitates Picot lace fabric, which is a decorative loop used both in the pattern and on the edge of lace designs like a scalloped edge. Each of these precious Picot embellishments is a reminder of the meticulous handcraftsmanship that goes into each Haute Couture design, both in clothing and high jewellery. The Dior Delicat emerald, tsavorite and diamond suite below is decorated with a white diamond semi-flower décor, with the coloured gems set in yellow gold to further accentuate their green colouring.
As you can see, a great deal of effort was put into recreating the art of Haute Couture within each of these one-of-a-kind pieces of high jewellery. By layering various gem cuts and creating floral patterns that both mimic certain fabrics as well as finishings in high fashion garments, de Castellan unified the showrooms of Dior’s high fashion and high jewellery worlds. Each one of these precious wearable works of art is inspired by Dior’s rich fashion archives and is a true testament to the House’s endless source of creativity.
