During the Biennale des Antiquaires at the Grand Palais in Paris Dior presents the new fine jewellery collection Archi Dior designed by Victoria de Castellane.
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- Bar En Corolle Emerald Bracelet. 750/1000 white gold, diamonds, pink sapphires, emeralds, demantoid garnets, purple sapphires, tsavorite garnets and orangey-pink spinels.
Precious and resolutely feminine, the creations in the new Archi Dior collection take their inspiration from the first lines designed by Christian Dior, from Corolle and En 8, presented 12 February 1947, to Milieu du Siècle, in 1949, Verticale in 1950, via Zig-Zag, Ailée and Trompe-l’œil.
But here the fabric is a rare metal and the embroideries precious stones. One can find the iconic Bar jacket reinterpreted, notably, as a cuff whose skillfully architectural lines reflecting thousands of sparkling stones; the bracelet Ailée and its incredible layering of precious gems around a superb diamond weighing over five carats; as well as the Verticale Plissée earrings and their dizzying nuances of yellows, pinks and whites.
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- Ailée Diamond Bracelet. 750/1000 white gold, diamonds, purple sapphires, sapphires, pink and multi-coloured sapphires and rubies.
“I started from the images and sketches I found the most striking, especially when it came to details. I brought out the strongest and most interesting movements in order to adapt them in metal. This isn’t a pleated dress, but the idea of a pleated dress. It’s not the Bar jacket but the idea of its silhouette,” explains Victoire de Castellane.
Another challenge given to the jewellery ateliers was the Corolle Journecklace which perfectly recreates the suppleness of a ribbon. More than 2,500 hours of work were necessary to produce this ribbon set with diamonds and studded with five magnificent emeralds. Providing the perfect finishing touch, the clasp comes as a bow, one of Christian Dior’s favorite items.
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- Verticale Plissée Yellow Diamond Ring. 750/1000 white, yellow and pink gold, diamonds, fancy yellow, fancy orange and fancy pink diamonds.
And just like an haute couture creation each jewel doesn’t reveal its precious alchemy at first glance. “I found it thrilling to play with the lines and to play them all off against each other: in a single jewel there can be three or four different jewels, depending on which way one looks at it,” she adds.
The collection Archi Dior currently on show at the Biennale des Antiquaires in Paris’ Grand Palais is a treasure containing as many extraordinary stories as it does eternal promises.
