Dior Rose Des Vents Seen Through the Eyes and Sketchbook of Victoire de Castellane

“Rose des Vents, the wind rose, is also a metaphor for creation,” explains Dior Joaillerie Creative Director, Victoire de Castellane.

“Creating is about searching, turning things over, and then finding ones cardinal point and setting off on a journey. Creation is the product of a stationary voyage.”

Putting pen to paper, or pencil to sketchbook, the creative director illustrates his vision of a number of key ideas: his Granville garden, the eighth arrondissement of Paris, and far-off lands. The voyage taken artistically here travels through the history of Dior and its founder, keeping close to heart Christian Dior’s lucky star and his favourite flower, the rose.

“I wanted to start from the idea of a little motif pendant. And what is more metaphorical than a medallion?”

Fuelled by inspiration and illustrations, the artisan jeweller began the physical process of creating the jewel by cutting it out by hand. The process further consisted of using an age-old lost wax technique, replacing it with gold and carefully reworked to redefine the jewel’s details. Akin to the careful attention given to lining a piece of Dior clothing, Victoire de Castellane designed the intrinsic detail of twisting a rope of gold rice grains to encircle the medallion.With Rose des Vents, the medallion is glorified in pavé diamond versions and rose gold with onyx. This stunning setting meets necklaces and bracelets of white gold and mother-of-pearl, yellow gold and lapis lazuli, turquoise, pink opal, and chrysoprase.