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Costume jewellery was an integral part of Christian Dior designs in the 1950’s. Pieces were specially commissioned alongside collections four times a year.
Floral forms were an early signature Dior style typical of the overtly feminine look after the war such as this pair of flower Dior earrings.
Following the sudden death of Christian Dior in 1958, Yves Saint Laurent (1936-2008) was catapulted from apprentice to chief designer at the age of 21. Unsurprisingly Dior designs began to shift as seen in this pair of ethnic inspired Dior beaded earrings.
Perhaps a knee jerk reaction to the changes Yves Saint Laurent made at Dior, he was fired three years later.
Laurent however bounced back to create the Yves Saint Laurent fashion house. YSL`s revolutionary `ready to wear` collection shocked couture and democratised fashion in the swinging sixties. From the 1970`s the company began producing costume jewellery like these YSL shell earrings.
In 1983, Saint Laurent became the first living fashion designer to be honoured by New York`s Metropolitan Museum of Art with a solo exhibition.
Dior jewellery of the 50`s & 60`s can be found stamped `Germany` as it was produced by German manufacturers Henkel & Grosse. Founded in 1907 by Florentin Grosse & Henrich Henkel, the company moved from gold to costume jewellery in the 1920’s.
Grosse designs received a certificate of honour at the 1937 Paris Exposition. A particularily forward design was this waterfall necklace from 1958.
Grosse signed & dated all it’s pieces from the late 1950’s, including pieces made for Dior. Such precise dating is very rare in jewellery and therefore makes vintage Dior & Grosse pieces very attractive to collectors.
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