In Villa Les Rhumbs, the Granville childhood home of Christian Dior, lies a mosaic compass rose on the grounds of the garden. It’s a marine detail that was installed in the 19th century by the house’s first owner, a shipowner named Beust. That little detail inspired Victoire de Castellane, the artistic director of Dior Joaillerie, to create the Rose des Vents collection of fine jewellery which celebrates its 10th anniversary this year.
“The compass rose immediately imposes a very pretty notion of a voyage,” explains de Castellane. That is, the creative act of designing jewellery and letting artistic impulses guide her like the wind. In its twinkling decade, the collection has introduced celestial star and moon motifs, talismanic gris-gris lucky charms and lucky star designs that nod to Christian Dior’s penchant for superstition.
These delicate and pretty designs are imbued with a sense of adventure and wayfinding. De Castellane sees the collection as a metaphor for creation. “To create is to seek, to turn in circles and then to find one’s cardinal reference point and set off on a journey” she says. Charmed, happy jewels to find your way home wherever the winds of life take you.
The May 2025 ‘Sonder‘ edition of Vogue Singapore is available online.
