It was in 1998 that Victoire de Castellane took over the helm of the brand new branch of the Dior house: Dior Joaillerie.

It was then the youngest French jewelery house. Two years later, it's official, Dior Joaillerie opens its doors on Place Vendôme.

Victoire de Castellane was formerly responsible for the costume jewelery and accessories collections at Chanel. It will breathe new life and dust off Place Vendôme by introducing fine stones: morganite, amethyst, citrine, peridot, aquamarine, paraiba tourmaline, tzavorite garnet, pink sapphire...

Indeed, during this period, French jewelery houses mainly worked with four precious stones (diamond, sapphire, emerald and ruby) as well as hard stones such as malachite, lapis lazuli, coral, tiger's eye, mother-of-pearl… all these stones used in particular in the 70s and 80s.

It was then the youngest French jewelery house. Two years later, it's official, Dior Joaillerie opens its doors on Place Vendôme.

Victoire de Castellane was formerly responsible for the costume jewelery and accessories collections at Chanel. It will breathe new life and dust off Place Vendôme by introducing fine stones: morganite, amethyst, citrine, peridot, aquamarine, paraiba tourmaline, tzavorite garnet, pink sapphire...

Indeed, during this period, French jewelery houses mainly worked with four precious stones (diamond, sapphire, emerald and ruby) as well as hard stones such as malachite, lapis lazuli, coral, tiger's eye, mother-of-pearl… all these stones used in particular in the 70s and 80s.

Victoire de Castellane, always with spontaneity, imagines jewelry for every day but also whimsical and extravagant pieces. She likes to play with asymmetry, whether natural or not, and with the effect of the true that seems false.

We cannot dissociate Dior from the rose! Sometimes discreet, sometimes ostentatious, floral motifs are extremely present in the Dior Joaillerie collections. The rose, from petal to thorn, is honored by the house through numerous collections such as Bal de Rose, Bois de Rose, Précieuse Rose and Rose Dior Bagatelle.

Dior Bagatelle diamond necklace

The inspirations of Victoire de Castellane:

Through the collections, Victoire de Castellane wishes to preserve the DNA of the house by keeping the symbols that were dear to Christian Dior.

For the floral inspiration and in particular the roses, the artistic director is inspired by the garden of Christian Dior's holiday home in Granville. Thus the jewels inspired by this place are ultra colorful and flowery as seen in the Diorette collection, released in 2006. The Rose des Vents collection is inspired by the motif present on the mosaic of the basin of this same house.

Victoire de Castellane will also be influenced by iconic places such as the gardens of the Palace of Versailles and its fountains to create the Dior collection in Versailles.

Dior Joaillerie also uses emblematic motifs such as the famous cannage motif that can be found on the brand's bags. This motif refers to the chairs in Monsieur Dior's grandmother's living room. This motif can be found in particular in the My Dior collection launched in 2012.

Many of the collections pay homage to haute couture. Archi Dior is inspired by ruffles and pleats, Soie Dior plays with couture ribbons and movement, and Dior Dior Dior takes lace from the house archives.

Soie Dior bracelet in sapphire and diamond

The collections:

Dior Joaillerie now has more than fifteen collections, from the most classic to the most daring.

With the release of the famous Mimioui collection in 2001, Victoire de Castellane wanted every woman to be able to afford a small diamond. Mimioui consists of a gold chain set with a closed-set diamond, all made with a fine jewelry finish. This collection is worn every day and calls itself the “lingerie of jewellery”.

It was in 2015 that the famous Rose des Vents collection was born. Victoire de Castellane imagines a medallion circled with grains of gold, containing on one side a compass rose and on the other a hard colored stone.

The world of Christian Dior is evoked in many ways!

At first, it evokes Granville but also the lucky charm he always kept with him. This eight-pointed star also recalls the sea voyages he undertook. Thus, the gold beads that surround the medallion illustrate the ropes of navigators.

Other collections, much more whimsical, are called narrative, they tell a real story. This is the case with La Fiancée du vampire in 2012, where each jewel tells a new chapter in the story.

With the Belladone collection, Victoire de Castellane introduces a technical feat of jewelry. The carnivorous plants of Belladonna are honored by a hinged system that opens and closes.

The story of its flowers is that the garden was hovered over by a radioactive cloud, which would explain their appearance.

The diamonds of these flowers are directly set in the hard stone.

If you are interested in Dior Joaillerie jewellery, do not hesitate to discover what Les Pierres de Julie offers in store…

We are also available for any free expertise of your Dior jewelry, for this you can send an email with your photos to contact@lespierresdejulie.com.

Whether you're interested in buying a piece of jewellery or a stone, a free jewelry appraisal or jewelry resale, Pierres de Julie welcomes you to its Parisian boutique in the Village Suisse, a stone's throw from the Ecole Militaire and the Esplanade des Invalides.