Dior’s new watch and jewellery collection: bold colour and fluid design

Seven watches and eleven pieces of jewellery make up the Gem Dior collection from creative director of Dior Joaillerie, Victoire de Castellane

Dior watch and bracelet in gold, malachite and diamonds
(Image credit: dior.com)

The new Gem Dior collection from Dior Joaillerie casts artfully unordered silhouettes in ribbons of precious metals and bright gems. Creative director of Dior Joaillerie, Victoire de Castellane, has drawn on the house’s history for the fine jewellery and watch collection.

The seven watches and eleven pieces of jewellery are cast in vivid colours inspired by the bold hues of precious minerals. ‘For me, colour in jewellery is very important and I adore using all the stones and colours,’ says de Castellane. ‘For this collection I have used malachite, lapis lazuli, mother-of-pearl and cornaline. There also is some pink opal and tiger's eye. I have selected stones and coloramas according to what I have found quite naturally. With the colour groups, I played on a multicolor effect but I also thought about colour shadings.’

Dior bracelet in gold and diamonds

(Image credit: dior.com)

Dior watch with malachite dial

(Image credit: dior.com)

Colour ripples through both the jewellery and watches in the collection. In the articulated cuff of a yellow gold watch, the bracelet looks back to Christian Dior’s habit of pinning haute couture fabric swatches onto sheets of paper in its blocks of vivid hues. It is a fluidity reflected in the jewellery, where links in rings and bracelets are casually placed and gemstones and diamonds appear to undulate on loops of gold.

The designs were brought to life in Parisian workshops, where the complex requirements of the watch’s bracelet were teased out: ‘When the bracelet is unfolded, everything really must be in balance. For some models, the entire bracelet is composed of offset ornamental stones arranged in succession like strata. All the sides are asymmetrical like they are in nature. It's a play on a succession of different colour effects.’

The watch juxtaposes a cuff bracelet of malachite, lapis lazuli, carnelian, pink opal and tiger’s eye against an octagonal case and malachite dial for a piece which unites horology with traditional jewellery techniques. ‘To me there is no difference between designing a watch or jewel, I always create very freely. To me a watch is a jewel that gives time,’ adds de Castellane

Dior diamond watch

(Image credit: dior.com)

Dior rose gold earrings with diamonds

(Image credit: dior.com)

INFORMATION
dior.com

Hannah Silver is the Art, Culture, Watches & Jewellery Editor of Wallpaper*. Since joining in 2019, she has overseen offbeat design trends and in-depth profiles, and written extensively across the worlds of culture and luxury. She enjoys meeting artists and designers, viewing exhibitions and conducting interviews on her frequent travels. 

Read more
woman wearing high jewellery
Dazzling high jewellery for statement dressers
jewellery
Top 10 jewellery moments of the year: jewellery editor Hannah Silver’s picks
gold jewellery
Natural diamonds bring zing to Copenhagen cool in Elhanati’s new jewellery
jewellery
Bold colours and tactile textures: inside Bottega Veneta's second fine jewellery drop
jewellery
Gabrielle Greiss reinterprets the secret lives of animals in jewelled form
gold jewellery
Chopard rethinks the cube in a new high jewellery collection
Latest in Watches & Jewellery
people at watch show
What can we expect from Watches and Wonders 2025?
jewellery
Bold colours and tactile textures: inside Bottega Veneta's second fine jewellery drop
dance
Van Cleef & Arpels light up London with the Dance Reflections festival
watch boutique
Step inside Watches of Switzerland Group’s flagship Rolex boutique on London's Bond Street
watches
Is the future of watches unisex?
woman wearing jewellery
Jessica McCormack's minimalist jewellery brings glamour to the 9-5
Latest in News
the lavery london restaurant review
At The Lavery, Anglo-Italian cooking caters to London’s design obsessive
perfume bottle archive Cristalleries de Nancy
This perfume bottle archive was nearly lost. Now, it offers a rare whiff of fragrance history
AMR-C01-R from Curv Racing Simulators
Curv teams up with a British sports car brand to create the ultimate luxury racing simulator
frida kahlo
A major Frida Kahlo exhibition is coming to the Tate Modern next year
vases PAD Paris
At PAD Paris, Omar Chakil’s new alabaster works for Galerie Gastou fuses Egyptian heritage and contemporary design
Aston Martin Vanquish Volante
Aston Martin looks set to make a bigger splash with its new Vanquish Volante