Exquisite Escapes: The Idyllic Inspirations Behind the Diorexquis High Jewellery Collection

In early May 2025, Dior Joaillerie's Artistic Director Victoire de Castellane showcased an unprecedented high jewellery collection, Diorexquis, to more than 300 VIPs at the Château de la Colle Noire in the heart of Provence. Christian Dior purchased this beautiful place in the 1950s, and it has remained a key source of ideas and inspiration for the Maison. Since then, more details about Diorexquis have been revealed, including 163 pieces inspired by Monsieur Dior's three biggest passions: captivating landscapes, delicate bouquets, and magical galas. Let's take a closer look…

In the aftermath of World War II, Christian Dior transformed the Château de la Colle Noire in Pays de Fayence into a special refuge close to the residence of his beloved sister Catherine. Although the estate is largely inaccessible to the public, Dior opened its doors and shutters for an intimate evening to celebrate its latest suite of high jewels. Christian Dior's bed, his office, a magnificent living room with matte floor tiles and 18th-century stucco moulding, a guest book, a deck of cards and even a carefully reconstructed bathroom with a marble bathtub and taps in the shape of swan heads... all were available to view, revealing the secrets of the couturier's life and times. The evening was a perfect storytelling experience and became a true revelation for Victoire de Castellane herself.

Guests for the evening, mostly adorned with Dior jewels and wearing gowns and tuxedos, did not even try to hide their fascination with the space, every detail of which – bouquets, furniture, utensils, candlesticks, chandeliers, paintings – reflects ​​​​the French 'art of living', which continues to inspire the whole world. The dinner menu by chef Mauro Colagreco paid tribute to the abundance of local cuisine: Provençal carrots with saffron, flounder with white asparagus under a veil of rhubarb, and lavender millefeuille. South African singer Pretty Yende performed Beau Soir by Claude Debussy, Depuis Le Jour by Gustave Charpentier and Ah Je Veux Vivre by Charles Gounod.

This immersion in the atmosphere of French luxury was meant to prepare the guests for the main show: models wearing Maria Grazia Chiuri's dresses and adorned with Diorexquis pieces imagined by Victoire de Castellane.

The best example of this is a necklace with diamond flowers that gently frame opal doublet inserts. This feels like a bold move for Dior Joaillerie, especially in high jewellery, as doublets are not typically associated with high-end luxury in the same way as investment minerals. However, Victoire de Castellane went against tradition for the sake of a spectacular design, which has certainly captured our attention. By the way, this jewel is unique not only because of its opals – it also features a detachable central emerald.

We are told that the concept of this collection began with the fragile, fiery and often overlooked opal that Castellane is so fond of, largely because they boast all the colours of nature (sometimes in a single stone). To achieve these multi-tonal shades in other pieces, the Diorexquis collection uses another technique - plique-à-jour – which adds dimension to floral bouquets of coloured stones and diamonds. This ancient method consists of creating patterns using transparent or translucent enamels or lacquer, applied to an openwork metal frame, usually in gold, silver or other precious metals. Think of it like miniature-stained glass windows, with each colourful element requiring countless layers and plenty of time to achieve the right saturation and transparency.  

Elsewhere, the joy of sunny days is expressed in the collection's shimmering stones, including sapphires, emeralds, rubies, and white and yellow diamonds. Some particularly incredible jewels stand out: a 25.85-carat Sri Lankan sapphire, a 10.59-carat Colombian emerald, a 7.03-carat Mozambique ruby, and a 33.88-carat rich yellow diamond.

I've been following de Castellane's work for years, and I couldn't help noticing that she adds these three components to each high jewellery collection: clusters of precious stones of different shades, complex designs combining many elements and techniques in one piece of jewellery, and designs inspired by contemporary trends, such as ear cuffs or two-finger rings. The House describes the latter as pieces with 'atypical functionalities', including ear climbers, brooches, tiaras and hair clips, as well as the more accessible ear cuffs and double rings. Diorexquis presents all of these categories in abundance.

Finally, I would like to introduce you to the most important and complex piece in this collection – the Diorexquis Forêt Nacrée necklace. As befits a true masterpiece, it is assembled from a huge number of elements – mother-of-pearl inserts, individually hinged pearls, a white gold frame with decor on the reverse, sculptural elements, 'bouquets' of precious stones and a pendant with a large oval diamond. This is a true pastoral landscape on the neck: varnish-painted deer are walking along a mother-of-pearl field blooming with flowers, hares are jumping around, and butterflies are fluttering. Such a summer idyll!

The icy splendour of winter blossoms in the sumptuous decoration of the Forêt Nacrée necklace comes to life thanks to the microscopic animals: deer, swans and rabbits under trees bearing fruits made of pearls and diamonds.

The Diorexquis High Jewellery collection is like looking through a window into another world. Despite its riotous colours and dizzying combinations of techniques and layouts, this is actually Victoire de Castellane's ode to a simpler time in which Monsieur Dior could find peace and tranquillity away from the madness of Paris. I think this is the beauty of her collections, the combination of romanticism, eclecticism, and history… there aren't many artistic directors who can boast such a recognisable signature style.