Dinh Van : Sculpteur-joaillier - Jewelry Sculptor

Born to a Breton mother and a lacquer craftsman father who had left his native Indochina, Jean Dinh Van (1927-2022) shook up the codes of traditional jewellery and, as he himself said, ‘brought jewellery down to the street’. Trained at Cartier from 1946 onwards, Dinh Van opened his own Parisian workshop less than 10 years later, where the stylistic themes of his jewellery set him apart from the traditional world of jewellery. In 1976, he opened his first boutique on Rue de la Paix. New York, Geneva and Brussels followed.

In 1967, he created the square two-pearl ring with Pierre Cardin, now on display at the Musée des Arts Décoratifs. In the 1970s, the fashion world fell in love with his ‘Les menottes’ jewellery line, symbolising love, connection and friendship. Dinh Van gave some of his many artist friends, including Courrèges, César and Paco Rabanne, the opportunity to design jewellery.

This monograph traces the life and career of Dinh Van. Drawing on his dual geographical and cultural heritage, the jeweller achieved a dazzling synthesis, building a bridge between the refinement and minimalist elegance inherited from his paternal ancestors and the modernist language of the Paris avant-garde.