The iconic fashion editor Diana Vreeland famously once said, “The eye has to travel”. That quote came to mind while watching Dior Joaillerie’s artistic director Victoire de Castellane unveil her latest high jewellery opus: Diorexquis.

What she proposed to her VIP clients, many of whom had flown to the South of France to be first in line to see the collection, was a treasure trove of gemstones transformed into a whimsical layered dialogue of craftsmanship and unfettered creativity.

“People say to me ‘Ah, your work is your passion,’ but it is more than that, it is an obsession,” states de Castellane. Creating jewellery is a fundamental need for her. And to channel that need, she is endlessly constructing collages that are so dynamic that they can’t even be contained by the frames she has built for them. As if to prove the point, she pulls out her phone to present a few bold works she had recently finished. It's evident that de Castellane never rests and is never satisfied. The mark of a true artist, if ever there was one. 

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No doubt she sees Mr. Christian Dior as a kindred spirit when it comes to creative audacity. So it felt fitting that she decided to present her latest oeuvre at the founder’s expansive former residence, Château de La Colle Noire, located just outside of Nice. There, around the edge of a massive reflecting pool – and after a stirring solo performance of arias by the South African soprano Pretty Yende – the high jewellery procession got underway.

And this is where the audience had their work cut out for them – to take in the over 160 pieces on display. Who spotted the diamond-covered anklet, the vibrantly hued brooch pinned to the small of a back on a velvet dress, the champagne shade of the pearls used to make a belt accented with a smattering of jewelled roses, or the petal-shaped ear cuffs and multi-coloured hair clips? 

There was so much to see. Every model, in a one-of-a-kind dress made by Dior’s womenswear creative director Maria Grazia Chiuri to complement each parure, had a unique story to tell. Standouts included a gemstone festooned lipstick case worn as a pendant around the neck. A design challenge that Peter Philips, the creative and image director of Christian Dior makeup, gave to de Castellane. Then there was the Diorexquis Pluie D’Été necklace that used an onyx base upon which the designer layered fiery opals and pink gold with diamonds and emeralds. Or the show-stopping Bal Précieux necklace with a central Sri Lankan sapphire weighing nearly 26 carats that could also be worn as a brooch. 

But as playful and inventive as the designs were at first blush, they were backed, quite literally, with a few artisanal methods no longer in heavy rotation in modern jewellery design. Through the use of a technique known as doublet, the designer was able to ‘back’ her opal pieces with a sliver of onyx or mother-of-pearl to give the dynamic stones a richer and more nuanced appearance. To mimic a stained-glass effect, not unlike those found in the small church on the Château’s grounds, de Castellane deftly used bold lacquer and plique-à-jour enamelling. And for one ludique chocker, she recreated some of Mr. Dior’s iconic dress sketches by incorporating aventurine glass ‘paper’ as a background to her gemstone gowns.

“It's about how the colours of the jewels play against each other,” shares de Castellane. “I always say that I am ‘looking to find balance in something chaotic,’ because I love it when it's not symmetrical. I love to have something that, when I turn, I see different things,” she adds to explain how she likes to create pieces that continue to reveal new facets of their visual narrative.

Even the impressive display of fireworks that closed out the show, before the raucous afterparty kicked into gear, couldn’t compete with the lasting impact of de Castellane’s shimmering creations. A fact that was born out the next day when guests were whisked by boat to the famed Hôtel du Cap-Eden-Roc to have an up-close and personal viewing of the high jewellery pieces. Moving from one display case to the next, it was hard not to notice the little star stickers sitting next to a large number of the pieces, an indication that they had already found their forever home. 

“For me, what is important is that each piece finds a woman or a man who will love them and cherish them,” says de Castellane, about the idea of having to let go of the magical designs that she has laboured over for so long. “It's the natural cycle of creation. I am not making these pieces for myself. In the end, it's always about looking for love,” she adds.  And with this collection, honestly, what’s not to love?