Dior Pays Homage to Venice with Dazzling New High Jewelry Collection
By Jacqueline Terrebonne
Over the centuries, Venice has served as inspiration for countless artists. From Titian and Tintoretto to Sargent and Monet, La Serenissima plays muse in myriad ways. And it’s not just the painters; there are the filmmakers, poets, and composers, who have been seduced by the city’s profoundly rich atmosphere. Now, Victoire de Castellane can be added to that illustrious list with her new collection of Dior High Jewelry.
Titled Diorissima, the wondrous array of 141 pieces intertwines the beautiful visual language of the House of Dior along with the Italian city. The lush allure of hidden gardens, the watery blues of the glinting canal waters, and the twinkling constellations are transformed through jewels and savoir faire into necklaces, earrings, bracelets—and even belts, headbands, and hair combs.
To debut this extraordinary achievement, Dior hosted a sumptuous gala at Venice’s Palazzo del Casinò. Within the soaring volumes of the Rationalist building’s Art Deco-influenced interiors, the lavish affair commenced with a cocktail hour and dinner, where tables with adorned with towering, gilded palm trees; an abundance of greenery punctuated with Murano glass flowers as well as orchids; and Dior Maison place settings depicting playing card motifs along with a menagerie of intricate handblown goblets.
Despite the marvelous pomp and circumstance of the multi-course feast prepared by three Michelin starred chef Mauro Colagreco, that was just the warm-up act. After dessert, guests were ushered into another vast space to settle into red velvet, curved banquettes for the presentation of Diorissima.
A cadre of models dressed in Dior haute couture wove through the space, surprising attendees with every turn revealing another bauble— with glittering creating tucked into the hair, pinned to the back of a dress, or encircling an ankle. Each piece was a unique testimony to incredible artisanry more than the mere size of the stones.
Among the standouts from the Diorissima collection, which showcases de Castellane’s special command of color combinations, is the Glycines necklace, which resembles graciously tumbling wisteria blooms with a mix of over 4,000 round-cut and pear-cut stones, anchored by 12 magnificent pink spinels. Another highlight was the sunset earrings, which echo the glow of the setting sun, in this case a yellow diamond surrounded by pearls and rays of more yellow diamonds while turquoise beads and lacquer create the blue sky.
One of the absolute most spectacular stones, a 10.27-carat, pear-cut blue sapphire, was showcased in the Récif Fleuri necklace, which is an ode to marine life. More than 1,300 stones and over 2,100 hours of work went into this tour de force, which also highlights Dior’s mastery of lacquer work. All in all, each creation is an absolute masterpiece, which, just like the greatest artworks inspired by the city, will prove to have an absolutely timeless allure.
This article was originally published by Galerie Magazine.
