Diffusion lines are nothing new – fashion houses have been at it for ages, offering the masses more affordable (and wearable) collections inspired by their couture collections. But sometimes the most “diffused” offering ends up being such a watered-down version of a brand’s original creative vision that it bears no relation at all. Just think of those bargain bins of branded wallets and coin purses seen at duty free shops the world over.  Luckily for jewellery lovers, there’s a new trend towards using high jewellery collections as the inspiration for slightly more attainable (but no less luxurious) ranges. Chaumet’s exquisite 2014 Hortensia high jewellery collection, an explosion of gemstone petals in homage to the humble hydrangea flower, is one such example – it spurned a fine jewellery collection and some sweet, simple rings in 18-carat rose gold, all based on the same flower, which has become something of a house bloom.  Most excitingly though, these diffusion ranges mean that the high jewellery lives on, and not just for those with enough cash to buy it (and that’s a lot.) Rather than every one-off piece disappearing into the jewellery safes of an international clientele, never to be seen by the general public again, they are the inspiration for reproducible pieces with very different price tags.  Dior is the latest maison to translate a high jewellery collection into a mid-range one, closing the gap between high and entry-level somewhat (although with prices starting at £5,000, it’s not exactly ground-floor entry level; more like second floor with a security guard at the door).  Dior Joaillerie’s creative director Victoire de Castellaine’s high jewellery collection Archi Dior took Christian Dior’s iconic silhouettes and design signatures – pleats and waistlines, froth and tulle – and turned them into jewels. And now, that notion has been expanded on with a new mid-range collection that takes the same signatures but presents them in an easier format – a Bar en Corolle ring inspired both by the career-defining Bar suit of 1947, and the New Look’s first line, Corolle; available both in gold with just a cinched waist of diamonds, or in diamonds entirely. Diorama, a ribboned dress from a 1951 collection, has in turn inspired a necklace of diamond swirls and a brilliant take on the classic hoop with gold and diamond earrings which loop like lengths of twisted ribbon.  These new additions to what was formerly a collection of one-offs mean that the spirit of Archi Dior continues – and not just on the ears and fingers of a lucky few.
Dior’s new mid-range Archi Dior collection gives exquisite high jewellery designs a new, more accessible lease of life