Victoire de Castellane

Victoire de Castellane was born in a French royal family.

De Castellane is one of the fortunate ones who made her obsession her profession. She has been a jewelry fanatic since watching her grandmother, Sylvia Hennessy of Hennessy cognac fame, change her baubles to match her different outfits several times a day. By the time she was 11, de Castellane was sketching her jewelry designs and having them made at an atelier. She even melted down her catechism medals and turned them into trinkets.

The jewelry designer's fashion roots run deep - she is the niece of Gilles Dufour, Karl Lagerfeld's longtime assistant at Chanel, and she spent 14 years designing jewels chez Chanel - but her career is entirely talent based. And it is her playfulness that truly sets her apart.

De Castellane has been designing haute joaillerie for Christian Dior since their jewelry line was launched in 1998. And this fall, when Dior opens its fourth boutique at Place Vendome in the heart of Paris's formidable jewelry district, she will be taken even further in to the fold.

Her imaginative jewelry works are highly popular in the industry. According to Victoire de Castellane, her creativities comes from her own desires. She always thinks about what she wants and what she does not have. And the jewelry pieces take shapes in her mind when she thinking.

Until now, Victoire still imagines she was a princess wearing jewelry. And that is why her works are always full of fantastic touches of fairy tales. Her jewelry works have lots of inspirations sources such as nature world, children world, Hollywood movies, pass-by women fairy tales and many more.

Witty, flamboyant, sensual, de Castellane's pieces aren't just future heirlooms - they are today's couture conversation pieces.