Luxury jewelry: the opal is Dior's new muse

The opal has been a feature of Dior jewelry over the years, but this season it has been promoted to top billing for its new collection of luxury jewelry, unveiled on the sidelines of the haute couture shows.

The opal is one of the favorite gemstones of Dior Joaillerie art director Victoire de Castellane, who has given it center-stage in this new luxury jewelry collection entitled Dior and Opals.

Victoire de Castellane explains why it's a favorite of hers: "It's a very poetic stone. It suggests stories and magic. When I look at it, I see the earth from afar, oceans, islands, the reflections of stars in the water... I see it as an outstanding natural stone, an inherently female stone".

This collection, which is the result of the expertise of Parisian artisans, consists of three separate lines, or more precisely three themes: two for precious jewels and one for timepieces.

Victoire de Castellane has designed nine pieces in which the opal is surrounded by different-sized diamonds. The art director says that the diamonds were chosen "to highlight the opal," and to accentuate its "frosted appearance." Set against white or rose gold, the white, black or clear opal is placed in the center of each ring, bracelet, necklace or earring, and surrounded by different cuts of diamonds (brilliant, pear, round, etc.).

The Dior and Opals collection also includes ten pieces entitled Petit Panache, all of which are based on the theme of feathers. Once again, the opal is at the heart of each of these six rings and four pairs of earrings, encircled by feathers of yellow, white or rose gold, and studded with white diamonds.

Dior has also created a line of timepieces in the form of bracelets. The opal, which remains at the center of the pieces, can be swiveled to one side to reveal a dial covered in diamonds.

The rest of the timepiece, from the bezel to the bracelet, highlights the different shades of the opal, which is surrounded by a selection of diamonds, emeralds, rubies, amethysts, pink, yellow or purple sapphires, spessartine, tsavorite or demantoid garnets, and paraiba tourmalines.