A DIAMOND FLOWER BROOCH, BY DINH VAN, CIRCA 1970 The stylised Jasmin flower, composed of bi-coloured plaques for petals and stem embellished with brilliant-cut diamond pistils, mounted in 18K gold, signed Dinh Van, with maker's mark, French assay mark, maker's fitted case, length 9.7cm Born in Paris in 1927 to a French mother and Vietnamese father, Jean Dinh Van’s inherent talent as a jewellery designer earned him a job in Cartier straight after graduating from École des Beaux-Arts. Throughout the 1950s, Dinh Van earned a name for himself working under the internationally renowned jewellers, with the Duchess of Windsor being but one of his many notable clients. However, as the 1960s dawned and with it the radical shifts of the Parisian cultural, political and social scenes, Dinh Van was inspired to leave Cartier, his employer of 10 years, and their articulated panthers to pursue the creation of his own brand. By 1965, the first Dinh Van boutique in Paris was open. The designer’s vision was to reform high end jewellery to become wearable every-day pieces; sleek, beautiful, and free of what he perceived the reserved, fussy styles of traditional ateliers – liberated jewellery for a new liberated age. No piece best embodied this than his iconic cuff bracelets, which drew attention to the mechanisms of the piece’s structure. Dinh Van’s designs go against the grain; where rings are circular, his are square. Where others strived to hide buckles and clasps, he made them the centrepiece. His dedication to the craft has carried over to today as the workshop still creates its pieces solely by hand, the work of the artist unbothered by complex mechanics, making them still one of the most sought after and admired jewellery brands in the world.