Since Victoire de Castellane’s arrival at Dior, she’s found inspiration in the form of all of the house’s identities and has impressed with thematic collections surrounding the garden, the grand balls and couture. If you’ve ever had the chance to read the beautiful narratives that are written for each of the collections, each is like a new chapter of the founder, Christian Dior’s, legacy. It’s an important element for de Castellane, who says, “I like to tell the stories of the identities of the house and transform them into jewellery.”
The latest chapter is Gem Dior, a distinctive collection of seven watches and eleven pieces of jewellery that takes its name from the high-jewellery collection launched by the Maison just two years ago. The style of the collection is something de Castellane calls “abstract-organic”, a mix of elements that can be found in both couture and nature. She states that she wanted to move on to abstract, and implies that “it’s always an organic abstract that breaks with figurative creation”.
From this fusion of couture and nature, Gem Dior is distinctly nothing like you’ve seen before. The watches possess a unique and abstract case design inspired by the natural shape of minerals. Furthermore, as a completely new collection, it is also a complete departure from the shape and form of the La D de Dior watches, which has been a mainstay in Dior’s collection for so long.
The focal point of the collection is perhaps the yellow-gold watch, which features an octagonal case with cut-out sides set with turquoise and diamonds around an intense green malachite dial. This colourful affair also extends to the matching bracelet, on which slices of the ornamental gems are brought together, much like the strata of sedimentary rock, an asymmetrical wave that’s designed to be worn on the wrist as if it’s an open cuff.
Six other versions of the Gem Dior watch are available: in steel and black mother-of-pearl, in pink gold and full diamond pavé, in gold and steel and lapis lazuli. The watches also come with an interchangeable black leather strap for a relatively more toned-down look.
The strata motif is carried over to the jewellery, with the highlight also being the coloured gemstone pieces. The yellow-gold ring and bracelet come with deliberately misaligned links in gemstones of blues and greens – lapis lazuli, malachite and tourmaline – and a sprinkling of diamond, for a wonderfully cool-toned piece that has just the perfect touch of glamour.