The timeless avant-garde of an iconoclast
His jewellery is so timeless we almost forget how radical it once was. In 1965, Jean Dinh Van founded a jewellery house that reflected his vision. A house that creates pieces not destined for the safe, but for everyday life. Jewellery that is radical, eloquent, essential, playful, and yes, sexy.
From 3 to 13 September, the maison dinh van presents a retrospective at Christie’s Paris to celebrate 60 years of creation. Delving into the archives of this beautiful house to curate the exhibition was both exciting and moving. Tracing the common thread through the maison’s creations allowed me to glimpse the man behind them. A man who was completely, passionately free. A man who trained in high jewellery at Cartier, turned to sculptural designs, exhibited in art galleries, sold jewels at the Drugstore Publicis, and who, for nearly a decade, had the privilege of signing next to Cartier on the pieces he created for Cartier New York.
But he was also a man with, literally, a golden touch and an infinite love for this metal. A sculptor, who hammered pure 24k gold discs in response to the 1991 French law allowing the use of low-grade 9k and 14k gold. A man who used jewellery as a precious vehicle for messages and emotions.
His fear of seeing jewellery locked away in darkness drove him, for years, to imagine joyful, luminous, refined, and above all wearable pieces. Jewellery made accessible, so that everyone could enjoy them.
This exhibition not only marks dinh van’s 60th anniversary, it also pays tribute to Jean, the founder, the free spirit.
Jean Dinh Van, who followed nothing but his instincts, and gave us jewellery of rare beauty.
Jewellery that has become intimate talismans, guardians of our deepest emotions, and witnesses to our lives.
Exhibition ‘dinh van - sculpteur-joaillier’
3 to 13 September 2025
at Christie’s, 9 avenue Matignon 75008 Paris
